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The following is an op-ed from the Colorado-based PeoplesForBikes, an advocacy group with a mission to transform “the U.S. into the best bicycling nation in the world.”

It was the late 1990s and I thought we were so clever. We had just convinced the San Francisco Department of Parking and Traffic to incorporate an innovative new design into its bike plan, a bold statement conveying “bikes belong” right there in the middle of the street. I had first seen a shared-use marking, or “sharrow” — a white bicycle painted directly on asphalt — in photos of Paris and Chicago, put there to help bicyclists get through intersections by indicating their path of travel. In 1993, James McKay, a bike planner in Denver, used it on a trial basis to emphasize a bicyclist’s right to ride in the middle of the lane. 

It’s quite a high hurdle to appeal to a country that’s been militarily invaded — after decades of military defense (and offense) preparations and the accompanying cultural indoctrination in the supposed necessity of military defense — to appeal to said country to construct on-the-fly an unarmed civilian defense plan and act on it despite near-universal lack of training or even comprehension.

We’re finding it to be a high hurdle just to get access to bring in an unarmed team to defend a nuclear power plant in the middle of a war.

A more reasonable proposal is for national governments that are not at war to learn about and (if they really learned about it then this would necessarily follow) establish departments of unarmed civilian defense. World BEYOND War is putting together both an annual conference in 2023 and a new online course on this topic. One place to get the very beginning of an understanding that unarmed actions can repel militaries — even without serious preparations or training (so, imagine what proper investment could do) — is with this list of nearly 100 times people successfully used nonviolent action in place of war.

Irene (Rebecca Marder) is a young Jewish woman leading a vibrant life, in the summer of 1942 in Paris. Her family watches her as she grows and discovers the world around her, making new friends, finding new love, and her passion for theater. Irene wants to become an actress and her youthful days go by without a care in the world.

At the very beginning of the film, one may wonder: What's this movie about? And it only takes one line, “You've to put the 'Jew' stamp on the papers” to understand where you are. And as everyone knows what happened in 1942, there’s really no need to add more by showing a German soldier or a German flag.

Thursday, February 23, 12noon-1pm, this on-line event requires advance registration

Ohio Voice’s February “Lunch and Learn” is all about abolition! This is back by popular demand. Black Queer and Intersectional Collective (BQIC) organizers will give an outline of how the police grew into an institution in the United States, situating its legacy within our country’s violent history of chattel slavery, genocide, and capitalistic greed. They will then define what police and prison abolition is, why it’s necessary for creating a free world for the most oppressed, and how we can continue working towards it here in central Ohio with BQIC’s #12ToAbolish12 demands and supporting other abolitionist organizations and efforts.

BQIC Bio:

Black Queer and Intersectional Collective is a grassroots community organization that works towards the liberation of Black queer, trans, and intersex people from all walks of life through direct action, community organizing, education on our issues, and creating spaces to uplift our voices.

City of Columbus Mayoral candidate Joe Motil states, “ The last of the three 24/7 warming shelters that were created to remain open from mid-December until March 15 closes its doors tomorrow.” The Community Development for All People on the city’s south side made an announcement today stating, “The city of Columbus has unexpectedly terminated its funding for winter overnight warming centers. Community Development for All People is one of the recipients of that funding, and as a result of the city’s decision, the last night of our warming center will be Thursday February 23. We do not support the city’s decision. We are concerned for the impact it will have on the community members that have been staying with us each night and for the staff who worked so hard to make our warming center a safe and welcoming place. Columbus must have a better safety net for those experiencing homelessness.”     

On the occasion of the Board of Trustee’s February 2023 meeting, Ohio State’s shortest serving, and soon-to-be unemployed ex-president, millionaire Kristina Johnson broke two-and-a-half months of ignoring repeated calls from faculty, students, and the community by launching an anti-factual and myth-making campaign for face-saving and rehabilitation. (In general, see my “The Ohio State University: Not ‘a failed presidency,’ by itself, but a failing university, Part One,” Busting Myths, Columbus Free Press, Jan. 7, 2023. See also my “The United States’ most disorganized university? Ohio State’s ‘5½ D’s’: Disorganization, dysfunction, disengagement, depression, dishonest, and undisciplined, Part One,” Busting Myths, Columbus Free Press, Aug. 28, 2022; “The United States’ most disorganized university? Ohio State’s ‘5½ D’s’: Disorganization, dysfunction, disengagement, depression, dishonest, and undisciplined, Part Two,” Busting Myths, Columbus Free Press, Aug. 31, 2022: “The OSU Way: Slogans over Truth and Honesty in Graduation Rates and Student Well-Being,” Busting Myths, Columbus Free Press, Oct.

I trust that you’ve now fully settled into your position as this city’s Chief of Police. You’re not likely to remember me, but we’ve met twice.

The first was during the Faith Forum held at the Mount Herman Missionary Baptist Church last May. Specifically, it was May 31, 2022: two years to the day that the nation first heard of a murder that would galvanize the entire country into a reckoning the likes of which had been long overdue. You were asked a series of difficult questions that day, so I’d completely understand if you’d forgotten about it. In light of recent events, however, it behooves me to repeat it. 

My question then and now are the same: In the event that one of your officers shoots someone under questionable circumstances, what will you do as this city’s chief law enforcement officer?

Wednesday, February 22, 2023, 9:00 – 10:30 PM
The Oregon Community Rights Network’s Webinar Wednesday will meander through a variety of water topics, from current conditions of water access and water quality to how the law sees water, to the growth of rights of nature to protect and preserve water, to our cultural relationships to water and its value to life in Oregon and everywhere else on the planet.  

“Water Is Us” will be moderated by ORCRN board member and Community Environmental Legal Defense Fund organizer Kai Huschke. Joining him will be Craig Kauffman – UO Political Science Professor: environmental politics, ecological law, rights of nature, and sustainable development, 

Kunu Bearchum - Filmmaker & Multimedia Producer and Chief Petitioner: Lane County Watersheds Bill of Rights, 
Michelle Holman – Community Rights Lane County member, and Chief Petitioner: Lane County Watersheds Bill of Rights.  

Please send your request for the Zoom link to: info@orcrn.org. 

The wrongful death case of a Cincinnati-area Kroger employee Evan Seyfried, who took his own life, will go forward, ruled a judge. The future trial could reveal the level and intensity of politically motivated bullying Evan faced before he passed in March of 2021. 

Evan’s family says two managers at Kroger targeted the 40-year-old assistant manager because he wore a mask. They also nicknamed him “Antifa” and encouraged Evan’s co-workers to do the same. Evan had no prior history of mental illness, and, by all accounts, was popular and well-liked by his co-workers.

Kroger, which now rivals Walmart in size and profit, tried to have the case dismissed arguing there’s a “Suicide Rule” in Ohio. It prevents legal blame being placed on a company, institution or even a person, for death caused by suicide. It’s a pro-Robber Barons law if there ever was one, and the Seyfried family is seeking to challenge the rule.

Tuesday, February 21, 2023, 8:00 – 9:00 PM
Join CODEPINK Congress and special guests to discuss what has transpired in the one year since Russia's invasion of Ukraine. One year after Russia invaded Ukraine, the US and NATO continue to escalate the war with sophisticated weapons and military training of Ukrainian troops on US soil.

While President Biden bemoans the need for an exit strategy for Russian leader Vladamir Putin, there seems to be little evidence of diplomatic efforts to push for a ceasefire and peace negotiations. Instead, Congress budgets over $100 billion for the war in Ukraine, with roughly half the money filling the coffers of military contractors in what some would call a giant money laundering scheme. Is there any hope on the horizon? Can the United Nations broker a peace? Does China hold the cards? What about a Korean-style armistice?