Editorial

Americans are once again faced with the real “reality show” of life in regards to what happens when you are a person of color, male or female, and are arrested by a racist police officer.

  On July 10, 2015 Sandra Bland, a twenty-eight year old African American woman from Illinois was pulled over while driving her car, in the southern state of Texas, and arrested. We’re not able to see the actual “take-down” and physical arrest from the troopers’ dash cam because the State Trooper conveniently moved Ms. Bland out of the vision of the camera. The only reason we know what happened, outside of the vivid verbal description given “blow by blow” from Ms. Bland on the dash cam, is due to the brave witness who documented the troopers’ abuse on video and posted it on social media for the world to see. The last words we hear Ms. Bland say to this person is “Thank you for taping this, thank you.” Words I’m sure that person will never forget.

It has been an interesting month since the last Free Press issue came out.
  Two key Supreme Court decisions have endorsed long-standing Free Press editorial policies. The Free Press proudly was the first newspaper in central Ohio to support lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender (LGBT) rights – and the right to marry – as universal human rights. In many ways, the application of the Equal Protection Clause of the 14th Amendment extending marriage rights to the LGBT community is a monumental and important victory for humankind.
  It is time to celebrate the LGBT community as well as to honor those who fought at Stonewall and resisted police brutality and to mourn the various martyrs, including the 29 who died at the UpStairs Lounge on June 24, 1973 in New Orleans. While homophobia still pervades society, the Supreme Court’s Obergefell v. Hodges decision indicates that progressive forces are winning the cultural war.

“It is time to move the flag from the capitol grounds.” With those words, South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley captured the new understanding that came after the brutal murders of nine church members in the Emanuel AME Church in Charleston.
  Over the weekend, I attended the emotionally draining funerals held for the slain. The governor attended each, receiving thanks for her commitment.
  The blood of martyrs often changes the way we see. That was true after Emmett Till’s mutilated 14-year-old body was displayed in an open casket in 1955. It was true in 1963, after the four little girls were blown up in the 16th Street Baptist Church in Birmingham, Ala. It was true after Dr. King was assassinated in Memphis. In South Carolina, the “amazing grace” of the relatives of the victims, directly offering the murderer forgiveness opened the way. The governor’s declaration on the flag took the first step. Now states and companies across the South are taking down the Confederate flags and putting them — so long a symbol of hate — into the museums where it belongs.

   What does it say about America when women or men who are sexually abused or raped are then re-victimized by the public and media? Well, and I know this personally, it says to the victim, “Welcome to the second worst nightmare of your life.”  

   As a female combat veteran of Iraq suffering from Military Sexual Trauma or MST, I have first-hand experience with the culture of “victim blaming” or the “second assault.” When a soldier reports rape they are forced to navigate Hell in their (often futile) attempt to win justice. This “Hell” makes it so tempting to trade the search for justice so to save your reputation and protect your personal safety. And as we know, bailing on legal justice is not just a temptation for soldiers, but for all sexual assault victims.

   It is a strange paradox indeed: During a time when law enforcement shoot and kill unarmed, and unprosecuted men, in the name of justice, why does law enforcement or other figures of authority continue to attack rape victims who are seeking…justice?

Recently a major mega preacher, Creflo Dollar, asked his congregation, and then Facebook fans to donate $65 million dollars towards his major quest.  What’s the quest? To own a private Gulfstream G650 jet so that he, his pastors and staff of World Changers Church International can fly around the world and preach the Word.
  Most Christians know the story of the poor widow who gave her last two coins, all that she had to live on, in the offering box and how Jesus said she had put in more than the rich because they gave out of their abundance while she gave out of her poverty. This story has been taught in Bible School, during church sermons and used to encourage the poor to not only give their 10 percent tithes, but also give an offering. There are some churches that also want them to contribute to the church anniversary, Pastor’s anniversary, the First Lady Appreciation day and, well, you get the picture.

My generation – the so-called Millennials – are coming of age and bringing along a lack of empathy for older generations. Both the Baby Boomer and Gen X’ers can degrade on hipsters by calling us “the dead end of Western civilization,” as Adbusters once stated so famously. But what Millennials see in older generations, is that they are not able to look much further past the needs and politics of our own country, let alone grasp something as innocent as Instagram.
  The digital revolution and the Internet took us Millennials by the hand as toddlers and dragged us into adulthood. Our entire lives have been dominated by the digital world. Perhaps for a significant number of Millennials half their waking life has been spent online.
  In an instant we can reach friends and families across the planet. We can do our grocery shopping from the comfort of our own couch. We can meet the love of our lives online. We can be victimized online. Wars are even being fought online.
  Millennials see this revolution as a way to fix the mistakes of our elders. I can think of one, and I served there in our military – Iraq.

Columbus's historical border may be two rivers, but in a way, it's still land-locked. We are a supposed oasis of progressivism and independent spirit. Our fair city that is above all of your problematic favorite urban spaces. All we do is develop and win. Yet beneath all the glimmering Columbus Underground headlines, we are little more than yet another sand dune in the desert of American hubris. Like literally, the name of our city is Columbus, y'all. Well a couple Mondays ago, this sand dune got a well-deserved duststorm.

"First Person Singular" is an occasional column by JP Marat that empowers artists, musicians and community activists to speak in their own voice. Sincere thanks to The Columbus Free Press for the opportunity to let our voices be heard . . .

My First Encounter with “Ask A Muslim”

The Free Press honors Earth Day 2015 by saluting a local group with the goal to promote clean, sustainable energy. The Clintonville Energy Cooperative (CEC) currently takes on projects to make people’s homes more energy efficient using solar technology.
  Their mission is to build resilience and sustainability in the Clintonville area “by increasing household energy efficiency and increasing the number of households using affordable, renewable energy options.” Their methods are financially efficient as well, using a “time bank – where people provide their skills and gifts to bank hours of service and draw on these banked hours to receive the services they need.”
  The CEC is committed to “a cooperative environment” that “occurs when the users are the same people who produce the services. This ensures meaningful economic value through more widespread accessibility to resources. Social capital is the binding inner value created within a community, from sharing our resources such as time and effort. We believe that we are optimizing these values.”
  The CEC works toward: