Demand for change: What you need to know Wednesday

A Dayton business has created a petition asking city leaders to allow for a permanent Black Lives Matter mural on a downtown street.

The Heart of Mercantile Exchange, in the Oregon District, has received almost 5,000 signatures since creating the petition.

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Michael Melko told News Center 7′s Mike Campbell he hadn’t heard about the program but planned to sign the petition as soon as he could.

"But that seems in character for Heart Mercantile and the city of Dayton's philosophy as a whole," Melko said.

The petition is part of a larger effort known as change.org. There are nearly 51 other cities petitioning for the cause as well. Dayton’s petition sponsored by Hearth of Mercantile Exchange is one of the largest.

See Campbell’s full report, which accompanies this report.

Other things you need to know in the demand for change following the Memorial Day death of George Floyd at the hands of Minneapolis police:

Dayton Police Reform: The city has started what Mayor Nan Whaley has acknowledged may not be a “quick or easy” process... conversations about how to reform its police department. Tuesday, two of the city’s five community work groups met for the first time.

Black Lives Matter Mural Defaced: The mural, painted on the street in front of Cincinnati City Hall, was vandalized Tuesday night by a person or persons who poured what appeared to be red paint on the artwork. Cincinnati police are looking into the incident.

Trotwood Fights to Keep Walgreens: Distress because of COVID-19 and a large senior population that depends on the Walgreens pharmacy are two reasons Trotwood is fighting to keep Walgreens in the predominantly black city, Mayor Mary McDonald said.

Documenting De-escalation: Minneapolis police are now required to document their attempts to de-escalate situations

Re-evaluating Redskin Nickname: An Oklahoma school board appoints committee to study nickname issue

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