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I begin with a partial disclaimer. My knowledge about the failures of Columbus city government comes largely from the middle-to upper-middle-level officials with whom I have the pleasure of speaking with. They strive to make a deeply flawed “system” work as well as it does.
My efforts since last winter to stimulate more responsive and responsible actions, including enforcement and revision of existing laws, led to my collaboration with City Council legislative aides, the City Attorney and his office, Neighborhoods Engagement, Zoning/Code Enforcement, 311, and the Columbus Police Department (CPD).
The connections are primarily through personal contacts with individuals and their programs; they are selective and not systematic. The degree of disconnection, however, defies comprehension. City Councilmember and city departments are poorly aligned. Departments are not well connected. Therein lay multiple clues to the problems.
“Earlier this afternoon, Kyle Rittenhouse was found not guilty of killing two men in Kenosha, Wisconsin during last year’s racial justice protests, mere days after the shooting of Jacob Blake. This verdict represents the latest in a disappointing trend in which the American judicial system preferences white agency at the expense of true equity. It is yet another instance demonstrating the longstanding issues of structural racism and inherent bias that inform the operation of this nation. A nation where liberty and justice purportedly for all is shown to be false and hypocritical.
Those who have been victimized for centuries by these structures are again forced to bear the burden. America will not move in the direction of becoming the most just version herself if we are not willing to be honest about her misgivings. The verdict that was passed in Wisconsin is not a sign of justice, nor is it a representation of the standards that we should hold our judicial system to. This moment is not one of fairness but of pain for our communities. This is not a matter of politics; it is a matter of ethics.
Earlier this year, when they received 1300 emails from constituents, Senators and Representatives prevented the demolition of Al-Maleh school in the West Bank's Jordan Valley! Despite a 96-hour demolition order, the school is standing! But on October 25, 2021. the Israeli Army confiscated a prefabricated classroom & clinic built with funding from Middle East Children’s Alliance, an American nonprofit organization, and took away the shade above the playground. Ask Congress' help to bring it back.
When and where is non-conforming high density new development appropriate? For several years now, residents from across Columbus, especially in urban neighborhoods (but not limited to) have been at odds with developers and city officials on this question.
For example, the University District’s Pavey Square initially proposed to demolish an entire city block of historic structures and replace them with a 10-story apartment complex. A 5-story 117-unit apartment building at South 18th and Oak Streets in Old Towne East brought concerns from nearby residents about height and density. And most recently, the fight over the Pizutti proposal to re-develop the former Giant Eagle site in Schumacher Place with a 262-unit 62-foot-tall mixed use apartment complex. Although zoning variances were approved by Columbus City Council, the project has been allowed to proceed but the re-zoning is being appealed in the courts by nearby homeowners. Many more examples of contentious developments could be added to this list.
Retired Army and Air Force Reserve Sergeant Adrienne Hood waited five years and five months to prove to a jury that Columbus Division of Police officers Zachary Rosen and Jason Bare used excessive force causing the death of her son, Henry Green V, during the summer of 2016.
After the first full day of deliberation on Tuesday at the federal courthouse in Columbus, the three men and five women on the jury claimed they could not reach a consensus. US District Judge Edmond A. Sargus, Jr., instructed them to return the next day and try again. Two jurors left the courtroom in tears.
The following morning the only Black juror explained to the judge that she and other jurors felt pressured by some of the jurors. She insisted that she was not going to change her vote. Sargus sent her back to the jury room to work toward a consensus one more time.
A new defense budget looms. Maybe we’re running out of wars to fight, but no matter. The proposed figure before Congress is bigger than ever: $778 billion.
The Green Party Peace Action Committee (GPAX) will be presenting this webinar with speakers directly involved in these struggles followed by Q & A.
The webinar comes at a critical time when the system is tightening its grip and people are looking for creative ways to fight back. The Extinction Rebellion is blocking streets in New York City and the Veterans for Peace are doing Civil Disobedience-CD in Las Vegas over “killer Drones.” Direct actions are taking place across the country with a coalition of dozens of environmental organizations doing mass CD in Washington DC with over 600 arrested and Indigenous leaders occupying the Bureau of Indian Affair. Protesters have blocked the Miami Port to demand an end to Haiti deportations and continuing actions are taking place to stop Line 3.
The Green Party Peace Action Committee (GPAX) will be presenting this webinar with speakers directly involved in these struggles followed by Q & A.
The webinar comes at a critical time when the system is tightening its grip and people are looking for creative ways to fight back. The Extinction Rebellion is blocking streets in New York City and the Veterans for Peace are doing Civil Disobedience-CD in Las Vegas over “killer Drones.” Direct actions are taking place across the country with a coalition of dozens of environmental organizations doing mass CD in Washington DC with over 600 arrested and Indigenous leaders occupying the Bureau of Indian Affair. Protesters have blocked the Miami Port to demand an end to Haiti deportations and continuing actions are taking place to stop Line 3.
The grassroots Ohio Citizens Redistricting Commission (OCRC) slammed Ohio Republicans on Tuesday following the release of their updated congressional map proposal which would make 13 of the Ohio’s 15 congressional districts favor the GOP in a state already trending conservative and more MAGA.
The OCRC and other voting rights activists say the updated map was tweaked behind closed doors and rushed into an Ohio Senate vote which easily passed. (The updated map pictured above left.)
“The passed map fails to uphold any of the basic tenets of a fair map – it does not keep our communities together in representative, sensible districts. It does not reflect how we vote, giving the GOP 80% of our seats in a state where they win just 54% of the vote,” said OCRC spokesperson Katy Shanahan to the Free Press. “It dilutes the power of communities of color to elect representatives of their choosing. It does not live up to the promise or demands of our reform nor the letter of the law.”