Local

Friends,

It was announced recently that it appears the final count may now be in — and Trump has FAILED to win a majority of the popular vote. His final total, as of now, will be under 50% — or 49.83%.

This was no landslide. It was the smallest percentage of a popular vote victory in a Presidential election since Richard Nixon in 1968.

Here’s how little we lost by:

Just 12 votes per precinct across the entire United States!

That’s it. With Harris behind by just 2.4 million votes out of the 152 million who voted, that’s an average of just 12 votes per precinct across the nearly 200,000 precincts in the U.S.

A list of the reforms needed by the U.S. election system could fill, and has filled, many a book. But the fundamental reforms without which no others will have the needed impact are:

The people of the state of Maine just voted overwhelmingly to limit the amount of money an individual can give to a Super PAC. While there are serious limits on what an individual can pay to an electoral candidate's campaign, a political action committee called a Super PAC can spend unlimited money promoting a candidate and can take unlimited money from individuals -- or can in the state of OH but not any longer in Maine.

After several years of rejecting the Ohio Coalition To End Qualified Immunity’s (OCTEQI) petition summary, the Ohio Attorney General’s Office on Nov. 25 finally officially accepted their summary of its proposed constitutional amendment seeking to end qualified immunity for peace officers and possibly other government officials in Ohio.

The OCTEQI believes, as other activists do, that the only way to curb police brutality is to change policy. Qualified immunity shields law enforcement and other state actors from personal liability (civil suits).

A November 8 ruling by the Ohio Supreme Court prompted Ohio Attorney General Dave Yost to re-evaluate the summary and its title, “Protecting Ohioans Constitutional Rights.” His office had rejected the proposed constitutional amendment nearly ten times before, but the OCTEQI time and time again was unrelenting in its effort to gather the roughly 1,000 signatures for the AG to approve the next step.

Tuesday, November 26, 4-5:45pm
Wexner Center for the Arts [Heirloom Café] [lower level], 1871 N. High St.

This event will be a “table talk” session during which visiting Scholar Essam Elkorghli [Department of Scandinavian Studies, University of Washington, Seattle, Washington] will share and learn of the role of education in imperialism.

Join us on Tuesday, November 26, 4-5:45pm, at the Wexner Center for the Arts [Heirloom Café] [lower level], for a “table talk” on Imperialism.

Use this link to read “Black Agenda Report” articles by Essam Elkorghli.

On Saturday afternoon November 23 a spirited group of local Black church congregations and other activists marched through the Short North after last week’s gross and sad display of hate. They wanted the community to know their response was not based out of anger or vindictiveness. Instead, it was based on compassion and love for each other and their community – and sadness towards those who hide their own personal misery behind hate symbols, masks and guns.

Rev. Victor Davis from Trinity Baptist Church who helped organize the “Jericho March” told the Free Press afterwards that he preaches social justice “every Sunday” and you can’t “preach the Gospel without that message”, and that there is a sense, at this time in American history, progress has been made. Nevertheless, in many ways the song of hate remains the same. Both him and his congregation were shocked and rattled by what they saw on the news and social media from the previous weekend.

A Tale of Two Thanksgivings

With Thanksgiving just over a week away – and initial preparations for the holiday feast already underway in homes across the country – it has perhaps never felt more important to pause, take a breath, and reflect on the meaning of the season.

On Saturday, November 16, a small group of neo-Nazis marched through the Short North, near downtown Columbus, Ohio. 

The group chanted vile expressions of racism and white supremacy, including the phrase “Bow down, [N-word]!” according to Rev. Derrick Holmes, senior pastor at Columbus’ Union Grove Baptist Church, speaking on behalf of members of his congregation who witnessed the vulgar display firsthand. The cowardly neo-Nazis spouted this hateful rhetoric while carrying black flags with red swastikas and spinelessly hiding distinguishing features behind black concealing outfits and red masks.

The City of Columbus has opened four new food scraps drop-off locations. You can now bring food scraps to:

Beatty Park Community Center: 247 N Ohio Ave

Howard Recreation Center: 2505 Cassady Ave

Linden Park Community Center (behind building): 1350 Briarwood Ave

Carriage Place Community Center: 4900 Sawmill Rd

These join our existing sites at Bill McDonald Athletic Complex, Dodge Park, Scioto Southland Park, and the two Waste and Reuse Convenience Centers. Accepted items include fruits, vegetables, grains, dairy, meat, bones, and soiled napkins.

Learn more at columbus.gov/foodwaste.

The coalition of voting and civil rights organizations behind the Ohio Voters Bill of Rights releases the following statement in response to the Ohio Ballot Board rightfully certifying its proposed ballot measure as a single amendment:

“We are grateful that the Ohio Ballot Board made the correct decision today to keep our proposed Ohio Voters Bill of Rights amendment intact. This ruling affirms our position that the amendment relates to a single purpose: voting rights for eligible Ohioans. 

The decision marks another crucial milestone in our journey to put these popular and necessary pro-voter policies before the people of Ohio. 

The Ohio Voters Bill of Rights is fundamentally about restoring and protecting the people's power. We remain unwavering in our commitment to enshrining voting rights into our state constitution, ensuring that every eligible Ohioan has the opportunity to make their voice heard at the ballot box. And the positive outcome from the Ballot Board brings us one step closer to placing this vital issue on the ballot. 

As part of its 35th year as central Ohio’s premier LGBTQIA + performing organization, the Columbus Gay Men’s Chorus (“CGMC”) is very proud to announce that they are launching their first-ever Youth Performing Ensemble.

“I’m incredibly proud that we are launching this Youth Ensemble because there are very few opportunities like this across the country,” said CGMC’s Executive Director Donovan Jones. “It’s important to me that we create a space where LGBTQIA+ youth in Columbus can come together, feel seen, and express themselves through music.”

CGMC believes that we are living in a time where members of our vast LGBTQIA+ family are continuing to be persecuted for simply daring to exist as their authentic true selves. This horrific truth is evidenced by the numerous pieces of anti-LGBTQIA+ legislation that have been introduced in governing bodies all across our nation. Specifically, regarding LGBTQIA+ youth, there continues to be too few safe spaces where they can feel accepted and affirmed for being exactly who they are.