News
“Columbus residents hold rally in support of stricter gun regulation and safety in schools, in solidarity with the Florida students at Parkland High School”
A peaceful, youth-organized rally will be held at the Ohio State House to protest against gun violence and our disagreement with unrestricted gun ownership policies.
What: Rally In Support of Stricter Gun Laws
Where: Ohio State House
When: 3:30 pm- 4:45 pm , Thursday February 22nd, 2018
Who: Led by the Amnesty International Columbus Alternative High School Chapter
Most people generally feel that their piece of the American dream as landowners is located in the best part of the country. That, as landowners, their slice of heaven on earth is the best, and indeed that may be true for many. This is at the core of our countries declaration stating that "Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness” are three examples of “unalienable rights" which the Declaration says have been given to all human beings. There are two types of rights, Natural and Legal. Natural rights are those that are not dependent on the laws of government, and so are universal, inalienable and they cannot be repealed or restrained by human laws. Legal rights are those bestowed onto a person by a given legal system, therefore they can be modified, repealed, and restrained by human laws.
The verdicts have been reached:
Wriply Bennet: Disorderly Conduct - Guilty
Failure to Obey - Guilty
Resisting Arrest - Guilty
Ashley: Disorderly Conduct - Guilty
Failure to Obey - Guilty
Resisting Arrest - Not Guilty
Kendall Denton: Disorderly Conduct - Guilty
Failure to Obey - Not Guilty
Sentences will happen in 3-4 weeks.
Thank you to everyone who has come out to support Wriply, Ashley, and Kendall over the past week. Continue to keep the #BlackPride4 in your thoughts.
The jury in the #BlackPride4 trial deliberated until 7pm on Friday, February 9. They broke for the weekend. Their deliberation will continue on Monday, February 12.
Day Five - #BlackPride4 Trial
Once again, the #BlackPride4 trial courtroom was packed. All seats were filled inside courtroom 13-A and there were another 20 or so community supporters in the hall.
In the finest tradition of mutual aid, the supporters were providing lunch for each other to the point that the judge had to admonish them after break that while it was a “public forum” she didn’t want the courtroom trashed.
The supporters immediately went to work tidying up the place.
Early in the trial, the Columbus Police Officer in charge, Hasan, said the orders of the day were for the police to use verbal commands first if someone was blocking the Parade, followed by escorting them out of the street, and finally using mace if they didn’t comply.
One of the witnesses’ testimony indicated that the police disregarded the first two stages and proceeded to macing and the forcible take-downs and arrests of the demonstrators.
The courtroom was again full of #BlackPride4 supporters.
City Prosecutor Isaac Rinsky called the Chair of the Stonewall Board of Trustees, Dr. Tom McCartney, to the witness stand. McCartney testified that he carried a banner at the front of the Pride Parade and went into detail on how it is the largest Pride Parade in the Midwest.
McCartney sated that people who want to march in the Parade must sign up for the Parade in advance. He stated that Stonewall does not accept hate groups, and groups that march must have non-discrimination policies. McCartney, who admitted that he didn’t witness the #BlackPride4 protest, said that he thought the protestors stopped the Parade.
Video shown after the event last July had revealed that the Parade continued around the protestors.
The fact that the protestors were invited to march in the Pride Parade with the International Socialist Organization and the Green Party has thus far been left out of the trial. The Green-Socialist alliance had been marching near the end of the Parade.
Opening arguments happened today, February 6, in Franklin County Municipal Court. The courtroom was packed with #BlackPride4 supporters.
In their opening argument, the City prosecution emphasized that the protestors did not have a permit to have their silent demonstration during last year’s Pride Parade.
The defense argued that the state could not establish the elements of an actual crime committed and that their clients were not guilty on the facts. Attorney Constance Gadell-Newton, defending Wriply Bennet argued that “there are constitutional issues involved” and notified the jury that they would be asked to uphold the law and Constitution.
The defendants’ attorneys argued that their nonviolent political protest was reasonable and lawful. The police had approached the #BlackPride4 abruptly and immediately got physical with them. No one had asked the police to come in and rough up the demonstrators. Any injury to the police officers, the defense argued came from the police falling over themselves and their bikes as they gave contradictory commands.
Jury selection began today in the Franklin County Municipal Court for three of the four members of the #BlackPride4. Judge Ebner asked the defendants if they were aware that they may face jail time if found guilty. She also asked if they were aware of the offers made by the City prosecutors. Both the outgoing and incoming City Attorneys Rick Pfeiffer and Zach Klein have steadfastly refused to drop the charges against the #BlackPride4, or significantly reduce them.
#BlackPride4 members Ashley Braxton, Kendall Denton and Wriply Bennet held equally firm in rejecting the City’s offer to plead guilty and face no jail time.
The #BlackPride4 were arrested June 17, 2017 during the Columbus Pride march after they briefly held a silent vigil to protest the police killing of black people and call attention to violence against the gay and trans community. As they stood silently with others in the street, partially blocking the end of the parade, police moved in and used physical force to make them leave.
President Trump says – and the Supreme Court affirms – that we are “a nation of laws,” but no one questions “who” is making those laws. It takes a people’s movement to overturn unjust law and advance rights. And Ohioans are launching just that: a Community Rights movement to protect and enforce rights to clean air, water, and local community self-government.
It is a movement born out of necessity in this state. The oil and gas industry owns state legislators, and local government officials carry out state directives under threat of being sued and facing bankruptcy. In Pennsylvania, even the judiciary is punishing lawyers defending communities from fracking harms.
As fracking, pipelines, compressor stations, and wastewater injection wells inundate communities, it’s clear to residents they will find no remedy in the EPA, ODNR, and certainly not in their legislators.