Local
Sunday, Feb 19, 6:30 PM - 9:30 PM
Ohio Union at The Ohio State University
1739 N High St, Columbus, Ohio 43210
Saturday, February 18 at 2 PM
Battelle Riverfront Park, 25 North Marconi Blvd, downtown Columbus, by the river
Jewish Voice for Peace Central Ohio was saddened to learn of the recent vandalism of the Ahlul Bayt Society Islamic Center on Dublin-Granville Road. Surveillance cameras at the mosque caught the perpetrator writing anti-Muslim messages on the front glass doors of the mosque after morning prayer on Saturday, February 11, 2017. The case has been referred to local law enforcement, who will investigate this as a possible hate crime. This mosque is a center of prayer for fellow Ohioans, and as such deserves to be treated with care and respect.
This act does not represent the values and ideals of our community. We stand in solidarity with all those who are targeted by such hateful behavior and all who are made to feel insecure by the ignorance that produces it. We believe that security, strength, and understanding is fostered and sustained when the community stands up in dark times and vocally opposes the normalization of such events. The Jewish tradition teaches that we take ownership over the character of our community and advance tikkun olam (or repair of the world) by exchanging hate for love.
Federal agents from the US Immigration and Customs Enforcement Office, also known by the chilling acronym ICE, have ramped up their efforts locally since Trump’s immigration ban. According to the Columbus-based Ohio Hispanic Coalition, ICE is waiting outside the homes of suspected undocumented immigrants, following them in unmarked cars, pulling them over without cause, and in some cases, arresting them when they cannot provide proof they are American citizens.
So far six Columbus families have had loved ones arrested by ICE after they drove away from their homes, says Josue Vicente, the executive director of the Ohio Hispanic Coalition, a non-profit for Ohio’s Latino population. He suspects there are more families who are too afraid to come forward with similar stories.
Vicente says some of undocumented immigrants arrested are believed to not have criminal records or outstanding warrants in the US or their home country.
I gave this letter to DNC Chair Candidate Sam Ronan to give to every DNC candidate. He has promised me that he will deliver it. I am also emailing it to their campaigns.
Greetings,
My name is Bijan Nader Sharifi, I am a former U.S. Army infantryman, first generation Iranian-American, and currently I teach high school art in a juvenile correctional facility. I have been concerned with U.S. policy in the Middle East since my time serving in the Army. I remember watching the events of Sep 11th, 2001 in our company training room on a small television surrounded by 150 other soldiers. We immediately knew after the second plane hit that there would be a war. I remember the conflicted feelings of shame and ethnic pride hitting me in the gut when my platoon sergeant thought out loud “that it was probably the Iranians”. I was relieved to find out that Iran had nothing to do with the attack and that there was a spontaneous candlelight vigil in Tehran that night. Soldiers in my unit unfortunately did not recognize the difference between Arabs and Persians and had not heard of the candlelight vigils all over the Middle East.
Saturday, February 11, 2017, 6:30-11:00pm
1021 E. Broad St., parking in side driveway, front or rear parking lot
Join progressive activists for food, drink, art music and a presentation:
A former gang member, Sean Stevenson was incarcerated for 20 years as a result of his gang activities. He is now in a unique position to talk to youth about avoiding gang activity and violence. In his program stop the violence he does outreach to at risk youth in Columbus. He and his organization encourage young people to focus s on education family and work instead of the gang lifestyle.
Connie Gadell-Newton is a criminal defense attorney in Columbus who represents the general public and activist in civil disobedience cases. She will give a know your rights presentation that covers what to do and what not to do when a person has police contact in their home, car, or at a protest.
Free, no RSVP required.
614-253-2571
WASHINGTON DC -- Moments ago, Reuters reported that in a phone call between Russian and U.S. Presidents Vladimir Putin and Donald Trump, Trump rejected the possibility of extending the New START Treaty and derided the nuclear arms control agreement as favoring Russia.
The New START Treaty requires that both the United States and Russia reduce their deployed strategic nuclear warheads to no more than 1,550 accountable offensively deployed weapons by 2018, the lowest level since the 1950s. It also caps the number deployed land- and submarine-based missiles and nuclear-capable bombers. It does all this under rigorous on-the-ground inspections by both countries.