Local
1. One company benefits from HB 104. The original version of HB 104and its predecessor HB 771tell a more complete story of the actors behind this bill. A single small private entity, eGeneration of Cleveland, had a heavy hand in writing the bill and is its major beneficiary. Language on their website confirmed this.
Monday, December 14, 5-6pm
Bethel International United Methodist Church, 1220 Bethel Rd.
We invite ALL to stand with us for Casey Goodson, Jr. Wear masks, bring friends, and stand against brutal and racist acts that continue to take the lives of our Black brothers and sisters. It may be cold, it may be raining, it will be dark, but justice - and injustice - knows no boundary. Join us. Stand up. We will not be silent.
At the December Free Press Second Saturday Cyber-Salon, we discussed a progressive agenda for 2021, both locally and nationally. Many local activists reported on their goals and events for the new year.
Connie Hammond described the work of the Central Ohio Worker Center (COWC) and their victory in having Columbus City Council pass a Wage Theft Ordinance. Their main issue is wage theft and they will hold a seminar on it in February 2021. Their new member orientation will be January 16:
At the December Free Press Second Saturday Cyber-Salon, we discussed a progressive agenda for 2021, both locally and nationally. Many local activists reported on their goals and events for the new year.
Connie Hammond described the work of the Central Ohio Worker Center (COWC) and their victory in having Columbus City Council pass a Wage Theft Ordinance. Their main issue is wage theft and they will hold a seminar on it in February 2021. Their new member orientation will be January 16:
Most Free Press readers are familiar with Ohio House Bill 6, the infamous $1.3 billion electric ratepayer bailout of FirstEnergy’s nukes and coal. And the bribery and racketeering scam revealed by the FBI last July, implicating FirstEnergy in illegally funneling money to legislators and later into opposition to a signature gathering campaign that would have overturned the bill.
There has been a lot of publicity, anger, and citizen outrage directed at the legislature to repeal House Bill 6 since the scandal broke. Yet the legislature, which took only 96 days to pass the bill, somehow cannot act on repealing House Bill after 145 days—until now.
Although this is not a milestone that we wished to have reached, we would like to come together to recognize and reflect upon the 900 days that Miriam and her family have spent living in sanctuary. Let’s continue the fight (¡Que siga la lucha!) to ensure that Miriam does not spend a day more in the shackles of sanctuary.
Please join us on Sunday, December 13th at 6:00pm for a Zoom event that will include music, an update from Miriam herself, a call to action, ways to help Miriam and her family, and an hour to spend in the uplifting company of community.
ZOOM LINK for the event: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/84893189981?pwd=RG1MKzJvU3VOYmJNelRMc2pNdXBUZz09
If you would like to help Miriam and her family directly but cannot attend the event:
Please visit our GoFundme and contribute what you can. All donations go directly to Miriam to cover basic needs and legal fees for when she is finally free: https://www.gofundme.com/f/miriam-and-family-at-first-english
Event plan:
Many questions remain surrounding how Casey Goodson was killed and the officer who killed him, Deputy Jason Meade.
As more details emerge about Meade – like his background as a pastor and his controversial Christian views on policing – activists are asking: have these views affected his judgment on the job?
Meade’s recently resurfaced 2018 interview for the Franklin County Sheriff’s Office “Connecting with the Community” YouTube series, along with a 2018 audio recording of a sermon he gave at a convention for the Ohio State Association of Free Will Baptists, offers insight into Meade’s contentious logic between police use of force and the teachings of Jesus.
In his sermon at the Baptist convention, he said, “I learned long ago why I’m justified in throwing the first punch. Don’t look up here like ‘Oh police brutality’.”
He continues his ramblings about use of force ending with, “Jesus was the manliest man in the history of mankind.”
Saturday, Dece,ber 12, 12noon
Ohio Statehouse, 1 Capitol Square
A day of peaceful protest in solidarty with Columbus, Ohio. #JusticeforCaseyGoodsonJr.
Friday, December 11, 6pm, Franklin County Municipal Court, 373 S. High St.
Enough is enough. After months of demonstrations against police brutality and the disproportionate murder of Black people, it has happened again.
Join us in a peaceful protest to demand justice for Casey Goodson Jr., the beloved son, brother, cousin, friend, neighbor, and community member.
As always, wear masks, social distance, and bundle up! Bring your signs and help us demand justice, accountability, and transparency.
Casey, aka Tank, was murdered by a 17-year-experienced Franklin County Sheriff Deputy who was working with the U.S. Marshal to capture an individual who was not Casey.
The media has reported multiple lies and facts that don’t add up. Casey was murdered as he entered his home, holding a Subway sandwich, in front of his family. His back was to officers and he was not a threat. Yet they killed him anyway.