File a Civil Rights Complaint

Legal Redress Committee

Accountability starts with a complaint.

If you or someone you know has experienced discrimination or mistreatment in Columbus, in housing, policing, the workplace, a school, healthcare, a business, or a public place, file it here. Every complaint is logged, reviewed, and tracked.

What we are building is a system of accountability. Every complaint goes into a tracked record. Over time that record shows patterns and repeat offenders, whether a business, an individual, an agency, or an institution. We use it to put those parties on notice about their patterns and practices, to work with the ones willing to do better as partners in this community, and to escalate when they will not. Your complaint helps the next person, because it builds the evidence that makes accountability possible.

legalredress@naacp614.org, subject line: Civil Rights Complaint

Who reviews it

The Legal Redress Committee of NAACP Columbus Branch 3177

What to include in your email

Your name and a phone number where we can reach you. What happened, in your own words. The date, time, and location. Who was involved, including any agency, business, or institution. Names of any witnesses. Any documents, photos, video, or messages you have, attached or described. Whether you have already reported it anywhere else. A civil rights intake form is coming. Until then, this email is the intake.

What happens next

Legal Redress logs your complaint, confirms receipt, and evaluates it. Depending on the facts, we may raise it directly with the institution, connect you to an attorney or a legal aid partner, help you file with the right enforcement agency, or document it as part of a pattern. We will work with you so you understand your next steps, and we will put you in touch with resources beyond this branch that can help. Filing does not guarantee that we can act on every complaint, but every complaint is read and every complaint counts. You are protected by your NAACP Columbus, and by a community that keeps the record.

Confidentiality

Your name is protected without exception. We do not publish who files. We do publish documented patterns by institutions when the record supports it and the branch has authorized it.

What this branch does not do

The NAACP does not give general legal advice and does not represent you as your attorney. Filing here does not create an attorney-client relationship with anyone. The branch does not file lawsuits in its own name without authorization from the national NAACP.

Urgent

If someone is in immediate danger, call 911. For urgent civil rights matters, email the branch with URGENT in the subject line.

Email your complaint

Other places to get help now

You do not have to wait on us. These organizations serve Columbus and Franklin County and can help right away. Every link is checked each quarter by the Legal Redress Committee.

LEGAL HELP AND CIVIL RIGHTS

There is a place for you in this work. Membership is a declaration, not a transaction.

Join NAACP Columbus

Columbus needs your voice, your ideas, and your power.

There is a place for you in this work. Membership is a declaration, not a transaction.

Join NAACP Columbus

Columbus needs your voice, your ideas, and your power.

There is a place for you in this work. Membership is a declaration, not a transaction.

Join NAACP Columbus