Local

I tell the students in my African American History Post-Emancipation class that the blinding of Sgt. Isaac Woodard is the police beating that time forgot. Woodard had been discharged from the United States Army in 1946. A decorated veteran, he left Camp Gordon in Augusta, Georgia, on his journey home. A short distance from Augusta, there was a rest stop, and Woodard asked if he had time to visit the restroom. He and the driver exchanged words, but he was allowed to go. In Batesburg, near Aiken, Georgia, the drive stopped, notified the police, and Woodward was put off the bus. Several police asked Woodard for his discharge papers, and then took him to an alley nearby and beat him. He was then arrested for disorderly conduct and put in jail. During the night, Lynwood Shull, the chief of police jammed Woodard in the eyes with the end of his nightstick, allegedly because he said yes, instead of yes sir.

Monday, July 22, 2019, 7:00 – 9:00 PM

In 2017, the year that Donald Trump was inaugurated, there was a 17% increase in hate crimes within the United States from the previous year. Due to the prejudiced rhetoric spoken by the new leader of the free world during his campaign, some accused him publicly of being responsible for the rise in these kinds of crime. President Trump has not had much to say on the matter.

However, the number of hate crimes within the demographics his campaign demonized (people from the Middle Eastern and Latin America, Muslims, and LGBTQ+ people) were particularly notable. As reported by Roll Call:

Most of the 7,175 cases in 2017 involved race-based bias, though there were at least 1,564 cases that involved bias against certain religions. People were targeted for their sexual orientation in 1,130 cases.

Sunday, July 21, 2-3pm
North CC, 2040 N Henderson Rd.
Just North UCC is welcoming a new family that is seeking asylum from Honduras. The family of four (which has chosen to remain anonymous for reasons of safety) fled Honduras after receiving death threats, crossed the border and went to Columbus. Now they need our support for legal counsel, applications fees and daily living expenses until they receive a legal work permit and a home.
Join us to welcome these new residents and friends!

Saturday, July 20, 2019, 6:00 – 11:00 PM
In support of our 2019 election campaign, Yes We Can and Franklin County Grassroots Democrats will be throwing a live concert event featuring local Columbus artists, hosted by Wild Goose Creative. We believe that our arts community is one of the most amazing parts of Columbus culture and we're excited to partner with these artists to support this initiative.  $20 suggested location.  BYOB.   Capacity is 100 people and we expect to sell out, so buy your tickets ahead of time!  Location:  Wild Goose Creative, 2491 Summit St., Columbus 43202.  More information and tickets on Facebook. If you have any questions, comments, or concerns, please email chase.irwin@yeswecancolumbus.org

Friday, July 19, 3-6pm
Northside Library, 1423 N High St.
While serving a prison sentence in 1997, Dan Cahill composed a letter to announce an upcoming work stoppage in protest of Ohio's 1996 "truth in sentencing" law. All new prisoners were to serve the exact time length given to them by a judge, but those already in prison were still subject to continuations from the Parole Board. Using the name of another prisoner, Dan sent his letter about the work stoppage to Cleveland black newspaper The Call and Post, which published it. Unfortunately, the other prisoner informed staff of Dan's activities and he was put in isolation as retaliation. One time while corrections officers were being especially violent with him, another guard physically intervened and fought him off. That was the moment when Rob Jones knew his career as a corrections officer was over.

Earlier this month it was still looking like Prohibition 1920s for CBD oil and industrial hemp in the Buckeye State, but the Ohio General Assembly on Thursday passed Senate Bill 57, allowing for the cultivation of hemp and the legal sale of CBD.

Every single state bordering Ohio, including staunch right-wing Indiana, was moving forward with cultivation of marijuana’s non-intoxicating cousin, industrial hemp, which can be used to make CBD oil, fuel, paper and textiles, among other things.

Nevertheless, Ohio House Speaker Larry Householder said on July 6th that Senate Bill 57 wouldn’t pass until this fall at the earliest.

However, small changes to the bill were made this week making state representatives have a change of heart before their summer break. Ohio farmers struggling with tariffs and bad weather could have been a factor.

Thursday, July 18, 2019, 5:30 PM

Call your Ohio state senators and tell them to vote NO on House Bill 6. The bill would:

* Bail out First Energy's unprofitable, crumbling, and leaking nuclear plants;

* Eliminate Ohio's energy and efficiency programs which employ about  
100,000 people and which have saved Ohioans about $5 billion since it  
was created;

* Shut wind power out of Ohio's energy future;

* Slash renewable energy portfolio standards (House eliminates them,  
Senate slashes them by 1/3);

* Bail out two of the dirtiest coal plants in the United States, one  
in Indiana; and

* Signal that Ohio is moving backwards on energy policy.

We have one last chance to call our Senators. Ohioans oppose HB6 three  
to one. We need to speak for the people and contact our Senators TODAY  
to tell them "No On HB6!"

January 25, 2001 - Imagine Columbus Alive's surprise last week when Nigel Rosser, a British journalist and reported confidant of the royal family, contacted us to inquire about Prince Andrew's central Ohio connection. Rosser had read two award-winning Alive stories--"The Shapiro Murder File" and "Spook Air"--and wanted to chat about our own Leslie Wexner and his top aide, the mysterious Jeffrey E. Epstein.

Rosser's article, published in the London Evening Standard on January 22, described Prince Andrew's recent behavior as "erratic" and "greatly upset[ing]" the royal family. The Prince has been so busy partying with his new American pals, even his ex-wife Fergie is complaining.

Who's to blame for Andrew's failure to babysit for his daughters Beatrice and Eugenie, according to Rosser's article? None other than Ghislaine Maxwell, who has been spotted in the Prince's company at hotspots-of-the-rich-and-famous around the world. Ghislaine is the daughter of the infamous financier Robert Maxwell, who died after falling overboard from his yacht in 1991.