Local
Help us reach our goal of $100k between now and May 1st!! We remain focused on the goal to free as many Black mothers, guardians and caretakers from bondage prior to Mother’s Day on Sunday, May 9th. We cannot reach this goal without Our community. Please consider making an investment in the lives of countless families in Columbus to #FreeBlackMamas.
This evening City Council passed an ordinance allocating its annual payment from the Hotel/Motel Excise Tax to the Affordable Housing Trust Fund. The fund receives 8.43 percent of this Excise Tax which amounted to $976,000. The following is my testimony regarding this matter for your review:
We are all well aware that the decrease in revenue from the Hotel/Motel Excise Tax which goes towards the Affordable Housing Trust Fund would be considerably less this year due the impact that the COVID pandemic has had on our city’s tourism and convention business. And I think it’s fair to say that nearly everyone is optimistic that our city’s tourism and convention business will rebound in the next year or two as more and more people get vaccinated, and rates of infection are reduced.
And sure the $976,000 that is going towards the Trust Fund is better than nothing, but in my opinion even the 2019 expenditure of $1.9 million in lodging excise taxes could be even more. And the solution to that lies on who is receiving a share of these taxes and how much of a share.
“Waiting is full.” That’s what my husband Eric always says: waiting is full of whatever we put into it. It could be irritation, anxiety, excitement or boredom.
We are all in a waiting game here. Waiting to see what’s going to happen next. Hour by hour things change and evolve; that outcome uncertain.
Not only are we waiting, with all of its baggage, but we’re being told to do it inside, away from others. “Shelter In Place” is what it’s called, really hard is what it is. “Stay home, when you’re out, stay 6’ apart and wear a mask.” For many, your jobs are on hold and for most that is a scary prospect. So, there’s fear in the waiting.
But you know what? There’s so much love in there too. It’s everywhere from the balconies in Italy to our own neighborhoods. People are singing and howling to one another saying “I’m here, too. You’re not in this alone. We’ve got this!”
CINCINNATI, OH — April 1, Planned Parenthood Federation of America, along with Fanon A.
Monday, April 5, 7pm, this event will be occurring via Zoom
Do you want to
• learn about mutual aid and how to get involved?
• share ideas?
• offer help?
• communicate needs?
• meet the community?
• ask questions?
• just say hi?
Central Ohio Food Not Bombs is holding a general community meeting! Food Not Bombs is a mutual aid group, not a charity. That means that you are part of our group and you are invited to join us to discuss your thoughts and ideas.
This meeting will be open to the community. All individuals and identities are welcome and respected.
This will be a virtual meeting! We will be hosting the meeting on Zoom. You can download the app or join from your web browser or phone.
Please use this Zoom link to join this event.
Hosted by Central Ohio Food Not Bombs.
Facebook Event
Former Columbus City Council candidate Joe Motil has been an outspoken critic of Columbus City Council’s charade of its appointment process and the musical chair schemes it uses to control who holds a seat on Columbus City Council.
Motil states that, “Today’s announcement of Columbus City Councilman Mitch Brown stating that he will be retiring on December 31, 2021 and will not be seeking re-election, will now open the door for two new appointed candidates on the ballot who will be running for City Council this November.”
From ACLU Ohio: Police contract negotiations are complicated, technical, and usually occur behind closed doors. To make this process more accessible and transparent, we created a police negotiation toolkit for Columbus activists! Police union contracts often serve to protect police officers and help conceal abuses of power, and therefore work against the interests of our communities.
Just when you thought Ohio’s nuclear bailout scandal couldn’t get any wilder, the twists and turns of our state’s historic bribery saga now seem reminiscent of a spy thriller or conspiracy theory novel. It has been over nine months since the FBI announced its investigation into the infamous HB6 bailout, which since has only shed more light onto the rampant corruption going on behind the scenes in Ohio’s Statehouse. Since July 2020, some frustrating, tragic and fortuitous events have taken place, which hopefully hint at potential silver linings somewhere on the horizon when it comes to political justice and energy policy in the Buckeye State.