Local

Thursday, June 14, 5-7pm
Goodale Park, 101 Buttles Ave.
March and Rally for justice in support of immigrant children and the ongoing separation of children from families by ICE, Border Control, and the Trump Administration. 

Take a stand to uplift the voices of those who cannot do so for themselves. The March for Stolen Children is a peaceful event in coordination with solidarity rallies and marches across the country. 

We must ensure the safety of our children if not anything else!

The March To #EndFamilySeparation will be held on June 14th, 5:00 p.m. – 7:00 p.m. **Location details coming soon!
#FamiliesBelongTogether

Tuesday, June 12, 2018, 6:00 PM Open meeting of the Central Committee, 7:00 PM Public meeting with guest speaker
Guest Speaker: Brett Joseph, Green Party candidate for Ohio lieutenant governor
Brett will discuss Green Party key talking points related to economic revitalization and sustainability. He’ll address how the seemingly favorable jobs report is misleading and doesn’t tell the whole story. He will talk about how to present the Green Party message of unity around common values while also offering a powerful and transformative challenge to the dysfunctional status quo.
Northwood Building, 2231 N. High St., Room 100
Parking available behind the building in “R” spaces.
fcgreenparty@gmail.com
Donate to the Franklin County Green Party!

While crossing High Street at Graceland Boulevard in Clintonville the other day, I noticed a bumper sticker stuck to one of the light poles. It read “Fluoride: There is poison in the tap water” with a link to the ultra-conservative, white supremacist site InfoWars.

Though I know it’s nearly impossible to have political ubiquity in a neighborhood as large as Clintonville, one doesn’t expect to see InfoWars stickers peppering a neighborhood that probably went overwhelmingly to Hillary in the last presidential election. It’s much more common to see yard signs with slogans like “hate has no home here” and “no matter where you are from, we’re glad you’re our neighbor” in six different languages. While the anti-fluoride sticker is among the more benign of InfoWars’ stances, it’s still jarring to see.

I thought about what a thing like that said about my neighborhood and how someone who’s perhaps not versed in media literacy might see it and decide to check out the website. And how the internet is full of rabbit holes for one to fall down.

Drink Water? Breathe air? Depend on safe soil? Then this urgent message is for you.

Central Ohioans have less than a month to protect our water, air and soil from the fracking waste passing through our watershed. According to industry spokespersons, this “brine” poses little danger to those of us living downstream.

Citing state-of-the-art technology of its injection wells, they boast of their ability to direct millions of gallons of the toxic and radioactive waste safely through our watershed to a final resting place miles underground. Common sense argues that over time injections wells leak and liquids migrate. It also recognizes that the massive volume of Ohio’s fracking waste cannot be safely disposed of anywhere, and certainly not in our watershed, our city’s most precious resource upon which we depend for our very survival.

Monday, June 11, 6-8pm, The Vanderelli Room, 218 McDowell St.

Pride started as a riot — and Marsha P. Johnson, legendary Black trans activist and elder, was there to see it through. Marsha worked throughout her life to protect and support transgender youth and sex workers, building S.T.A.R. [Street Transvestite Action Revolutionaries] to serve and house her community. She wasn’t about white-washed and exclusive gay “movements” — and neither are we.

Marsha’s work paved the way for Black trans organizers today — and her politics are at the root of Columbus Community Pride. Join us on Monday, June 11, at the Vanderelli Room, for a celebration of Marsha. Learn about her legacy and impact, and work alongside community members to create a collaborative art project.

This is an all-ages event; families (including chosen family) are encouraged!

This event will feature:

• Art and information about Marsha’s life and contributions

• A talk and discussion of Marsha’s legacy

• A collaborative, community collage to celebrate what Marsha means to us today — QTIPOC especially are encouraged to contribute!

This is a music story that begins, oddly enough, in a courtroom at the United States Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit in Cincinnati, Ohio. Around a month ago, I happened to be present when arguments were being made in the case of PGP, LLC vs. TPII, LLC, et al. PGP is a corporation owned by a Nashville talent manager named Herbert Graham. TPII is the corporate face of Keith Burns and Hattie Newfield, two of the three founding members of the pop-country band Trick Pony.

Trick Pony is godawful. I’m not sure if their songs “Pour Me” and “On a Night Like This” were the absolute nadir of late 2000’s pop-country dumbassery, but if they weren’t it certainly wasn’t for lack of trying. Every cheap trick (sorry) in the book, from exaggerated accents to American flag themed guitars. Their website even features an adorable listing of the band members likes and dislikes. For the record, Newfield dislikes mean people and blue cheese and Burns is a fan of cold beer.

Saturday, June 9, 6:30-11pm
1021 E. Broad St.
Network and socialize with progressive friends, food, drink, music and a political presentation. Free. No RSVP required. colsfreepress@gmail.com or 614-253-2571.

Cleveland.com is reporting that Senator Sherrod Brown has strongly denounced yesterday’s aggressive, military-style raids on the Corso’s Flower and Garden Center in Sandusky and Castalia, calling them “immoral” and an “insane policy.”  Sabrina Eaton reports:

"Tearing families apart will not fix our broken immigration system," said Brown. "It will mean more problems for all of us. There is no good reason, ever, to separate children from their parents." "I don't want to be the kind of country where federal agents split families up and send kids who knows where without being able to account for them," said Brown, who is running for re-election this year against GOP Rep. Jim Renacci of Wadsworth.

To our knowledge, Sen. Brown is the first member of the Ohio congressional delegation to speak out publicly against the raid.  Taking one look at these photos of children whose parents were arrested yesterday, posted by Veronica Dahlberg of HOLA, will make it clear why. 

As summer starts to take over the Midwestern air, we’re approaching what is easily one of the best times in Ohio -- festival season. From the recent Nelsonville Music Festival to the Columbus Arts Festival on June 8-10 and the beloved ComFest on June 22-24, there really is something for everyone as Ohioans find themselves getting into the summer season spirit.

Growing up in Columbus allowed me to experience most of these festivals firsthand and appreciate them more and more every year. As a student at Ohio University, I saw how the entire Hocking Hills region would flock to the Nelsonville Music Festival, even during its humble beginnings. This year it was obvious that it appeals to people from all over the state and elsewhere as the concerts and musical acts have only gotten bigger and better. The economic benefits are proving to be invaluable to the Nelsonville area as well, as it’s become a tradition for performers and audience goers alike.

It felt like last football season we weathered the President's attempts to use racism to make himself appear patriotic.

In 1985, our president (pre-presidency) tried to move the USFL into direct competition with the NFL. After winning a lawsuit regarding monopoly laws his method of conflict ran the USFL into the ground.

Is it weirder that the guy is using racial divisiveness during football season instead of caring about American citizens, or that the NFL wouldn't sell this guy a team 30 years ago so he ran another league into the ground out of spite?

One of the people who seemingly led the victory over the president's divisiveness is Lebron James, who showed complete class in uniting sport fans. In 2018, my guess is whoever the MVP of this month's NBA finals will not be visiting the White House.

In Columbus, Ohio, you can't think Lebron James without thinking about his support of local Hip Hop group Fly Union. Jay Swifa of Fly Union just released his first solo album called Enigma.