Local
Tuesday, August 22, 11am-12pm
Columbus City Hall, 90 W Broad St
Six black men and one black boy have been shot and killed by Columbus Police since last summer:
- Henry Green
- Kwame Patrick
- Tyre King
- Jacquarius Robinson
- Chris Wade
- Jaron Thomas
- Kareem Ali Nadir Jones
Mayor Ginther must act. Columbus clergy and people of faith are gathering on the steps of City Hall to urge implementation of simple policies that are proven effective to de-escalate situations and will keep everyone in Columbus safer. Please join us and bring members of your faith community with you!
Saturday, August 19, 2-3pm
Columbus City Hall, 90 West Broad St.
Human history is peppered with dreadful accounts of minority communities who were deliberately demonized before atrocities were committed against them. Though the global Muslim community is not under a clear and present danger, dark clouds are indeed gathering. The upsurge of belligerent Islamophobia and violent ethnic nationalism in the West, the mass deportation of refugees in US and other Western countries, and the institutional ethnic-cleansing of the Rohingya—a Muslim minority community in Myanmar—should raise red flags.
Yes, there are some Muslims out there who wreak havoc; who cause destruction of lives and properties only to get themselves, their people, and nations destroyed. Whether they are ISIS, al-Shabaab, Boko Haram or any other, they have been the fatal curse that destroyed or gave the pretext for mightier nations to invade and destroy many Muslim nations.
Saturday, August 19, 10am-1pm
First Unitarian Universaist Church, 93 W. Weisheimer Rd.
From National SURJ:
The events last weekend in Charlottesville have laid bare the true, vicious, and violent reality of white supremacy in this country. Our hearts and prayers are with the people of Charlottesville, with all those who put their bodies on the line to fight racist violence and hate, and with everyone - especially those from communities of color and our Jewish sisters and brothers - who experience violence and terror daily. We grieve for the loss of life, offer condolences to the families of those killed, and extend care to those in critical condition and others who were physically attacked and otherwise harmed.
In several “news” articles posted over the past few weeks, oil and gas industry and their allies argue that a local Community Bill of Rights ballot initiative submitted by Youngstown voters is “too expensive” for the community. Inside Sources (http://www.insidesources.com/activists-costing-youngstown-anti-fracking-bill-of-rights/), WKBN News (http://wkbn.com/2017/07/27/keeping-fracking-issue-on-ballot-costly-for-youngstown/) and The DailyDigger (http://www.thedailydigger.com/) present facts and figures provided by the industry (note: Inside Sources and The Daily Digger are the industry), leaving out the full story.
The Bigger Picture
On August 13, the day after activist Heather Heyer was murdered and many others injured at the Unite the Right rally in Charlottesville, about 500 leftists gathered at Goodale Park and marched to a solidarity vigil at the Ohio Statehouse.
Several who spoke from an open mic at the vigil addressed a fundamental question: What is the most effective way for the Left to combat racism and white supremacy? Can racism be eliminated in a capitalist system? Or is racism inextricably linked to and driven by capitalism?
“We cannot rely on the police to protect us from violence,” said Rachel Reiser of the International Socialist Organization. “Right-wing vigilante violence, in many ways, is beneficial to the state. Right-wing violence against black people, Muslims, queer people, women, leftists, and activists is not prosecuted like it should be, because they are doing the state’s job for them, which is to keep oppressed people scared to death of fighting against the system.”
Thursday, August 17, 6-8pm
Driving Park Public Library, 1422 E. Livingston Ave.
Facebook event
Join us this Thursday at 6 PM in conference room 1 at Columbus Metro Library Driving park!
How to fight the alt-right? The urgency of confronting the new surge in fascist, racist, and other ideologies of hate has become obvious with this weekend’s terroristic attack. But besides simply showing up to rallies and protests, how do we fight the alt-right more effectively, with more persistence, and over a long period. How do we undercut their movement, while also building our own? These questions and more will be discussed this weekend and hosted by Socialist Alternative.
Tuesday, August 15, 2017, 6:00 – 8:00 PM.
Location: COSI, 333 W. Broad St., Columbus 43215.
Facebook Event
Columbus turned out by the hundreds to protest the rally by the KKK, neo-nazis and white supremacists in Charlottesville and the subsequent terror attack on the counterprotestors. On Sunday, August 13, a large group gathered at the gazebo in Goodale Park for speeches and a report from some activists who were on the scene in Charlottesville.