Local

Wednesday, February 15, 6-7:30pm, Huntington Empowerment Center, 780 Mount Vernon Ave.

Join fellow community members for this important discussion and action plan on how we are focusing on introducing a non-police emergency response program to Columbus!

There will be a panel discussion, discussion of the Columbus Safety Collective budget, and strategy updates, followed by a “question-and-answer” period. Food will be catered by Willowbeez SoulVeg.

Visit this link to register today: tinyurl.com/Feb15CSCPublicSafetyForum.

Learn more about Columbus Safety Collective here.

RSVP for this event by using this link.

Hosted by Columbus Safety Collective and ACLU of Ohio.

Former Columbus City Council candidate and long-time community advocate Joe Motil’s Declaration of Candidacy petitions for Mayor of Columbus  were certified this afternoon by the Franklin County Board of Elections. Mr. Motil and current Mayor Andrew Ginther will face off in the November 7,2023 General Election.   

As a community leader and advocate for fairness, opportunity, equality, and justice, Mr. Motil has been involved with city government for 37 years in numerous capacities. His advocacy and commitment is well known and respected throughout Columbus’ neighborhoods. He is recognized especially for his fights against the city’s tax abatement policies, proposing solutions for truly affordable housing, advocating for the unsheltered, exposing corruption and the unethical conduct of city officials, police reform, and advancing the rights for all Columbus citizens voices to be heard.       

On Sunday, February 5 at about 4pm, I get a phone call from a friend who has access to police scanners and phone calls. He tells me there’s been an officer-involved shooting and have I heard anything about it?

A few minutes before hand, I’d mostly ignored a Facebook Live feed an organizer friend of mine had started regarding the same incident: it wasn’t that I dismissed this organizer’s work; it was that, ten years into my own work, I have come to realize that personalizing every tragedy in this city wears on a person’s mental health and physical well-being. I’m in my early 40s. Too many of my friends and comrades have either taken their own lives or lost them “accidentally” for me to be less than cautious about such happenings.

We're now in the FIFTH week since Kevin Keith's freedom was put squarely in the hands of one person - Ohio Governor Mike DeWine. We've been delivering petition signatures to the governor on an almost daily basis and over 200 people have used the letter-writing tool to send him an email. We still need those actions, but it's time to get on the phone.

Please make a quick, POLITE and supportive phone call to Governor DeWine today at 614-644-4357. If it is busy or you get voicemail that is full, that means we're doing our job. Please make a note to try again later, and each day this week.

The message:

"I live in [City in Ohio] and I am calling to ask you to let Governor DeWine to know that he has my support to grant clemency to Kevin Keith and free him today. Please share this message with him."

To be sure, Governor DeWine is hearing messages from selected Ohio leaders and at least one famous celebrity, but it is equally important that every day Ohioans also weigh in. Please do so now.

Though it was clear that Burkina Faso was eventually going to follow in the footsteps of Mali and the Central African Republic (CAR), Ouagadougou’s decision to break military ties with France was not as simple as media sound bites want us to believe. 

 The conventional wisdom is that these countries are walking away from their former colonial master, France, to forge alternative alliances with a new ally, Russia. These convenient analyses are largely shaped by the geopolitical tug-of-war between old and new superpowers: The US and its NATO allies on the one hand, and Russia and China on the other. 

When I tell some people that the inhabitants of certain mountains in Montenegro are trying to protect their home from being turned into a giant military training ground by NATO, they inform me that the training ground (which, up until that monent, they’d never heard of) in Montenegro (which they’d never heard of) is absolutely required because of Putin.

Needless to say, I think that Putin (and every living U.S. president, and quite a number of other world “leaders”) should be prosecuted for their crimes. But are we supposed to imagine Putin as the enemy of mindless support for militarism we know nothing about? I thought he was supposed to be the enemy of democracy.

Free Press Board member Mark Stansbery facilitated the February salon on Zoom. The theme was “Listen to voices of peace in the world of conflict.”

Watch salon video here.

First, he introduced Yurii Sheliazhenko of the Ukrainian Pacifist Movement who was tuning in to speak with us live from Kyiv, Ukraine at 2am in the morning. It is close to a year from the anniversary of the Ukraine war. His group provides legal aid for war resisters. He spoke about the universal unjust system of militarism – blaming or conquering the enemy just foments more violence. He opposes the war and has been threatened. The hope is for a ceasefire

He noted that officially they say over 7000 civilians have been killed, which is a conservative estimate, and could be 40,000. Counting soldiers, the number could be 100,000 on each side. He pointed out how there have been war crimes on both sides, using people as human shields and setting landmines.

UPCOMING: 

Sunday, February 12, 4-6pm, Old First Presbyterian Church, 1101 Bryden Rd.

Four Seasons City Farm is a 501(c)(3) organization and has been making a difference in the health and well-being of the community on the near east side of Columbus since 2004. Our stated mission is to help “foster a sense of community and renew our urban neighborhood by beautifying our area by converting vacant lots into gardens, creating a self-sustaining and cooperative food system, and demonstrating a sense of belonging through our shared work.”

Our vision is to have a healthy neighborhood and healthier neighbors, where local food might come from across the street rather than across the country. Our vision also includes teaching job skills, creating jobs, and educating the community about the benefits of fresh, local, and organic food.

Four Seasons City Farm is a member of the Care and Share Time Bank, Community Shares of Mid-Ohio, and the Community Growers Network.

Enter the church via the back door; the church is handicap accessible.

Contact: Lynn Stan, 614-218-5613.

Is Said said
he dedicated his books
to dreamers while chasin a dream
and God bless the farmers.
Is Said said
lets drop our guns
and kill no more
and stop making life a mess
I got every right
to be a man
to search my soul
to understand.
Is Said said
help me thank God
for the teachings
of his love
so we might learn
something.
Is Said said
peace is the key
in the whole wide world
people is the answer
to all kinds of love cause
people love world peace.
Is Said said
there is love and peace of mind
to soothe the spirit of any kind
in our afrika
where peace is time.
Is Said said
my people’s skin
is black in color
but that don’t make them wrong
the ways of nature
have a blessing
and that’s what keeps
my people strong.
Is Said said
my life is in your life
my face is blocking your view
your time is running low
for change way over due
Is Said said

Saturday, February 11, 7-8pm
Join progressive friends on Zoom.

Join Zoom Meeting
https://us02web.zoom.us/j/83906590837
Meeting ID: 839 06

Theme: Listen to voices of peace in a world of conflict.
Speakers:
Yurii Sheliazhenko live from Kyiv
of the Ukrainian Pacifist Movement
on Ukraine War resistance
1. Overview of current affairs
2. Status if nonviolent/pacifism/conflict reduction
3. Importance/urgency for Territorial integrity and women leadership on path to “peace”
and
Megan Anderson from Cincinnati
Member of the Black Alliance for Peace Solidarity Network
Co-coordinator for the midwest region
on their 2023 goals and the Shutdown AFRICOM campaign
Q & A included.