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Due to its unusual choice of subject matter, Next to Normal is a very brave show. Sure, there have been stage and screen works galore about insanity and other mental disorders. Shakespeare dealt with related themes, such as depression, notably in Hamlet (although there is, as the Melancholy Dane remarks, “A method to [his] madness”). Just about every Bond villain has been certifiable, John Malkovich perfected the onscreen lunatic and some movies have made light of psychological disorders, from 1966’s Morgan: A Suitable Case for Treatment to 1970’s Where’s Poppa?, which found much humor in dementia.
When Columbus residents come to City Hall to voice their concerns, City Council members always thank them for their advocacy, often in tones that stop just short of being patronizing. The City Council meeting on September 26 was no exception.
“We’re grateful that you’re taking time out of your day to be with us this evening,” City Council President Zach Klein told 150 audience members who came to protest the police killings of Tyre King and Henry Green. “It’s really important with all issues facing the City of Columbus that we have an engaged citizenry,” he said. “I’m grateful for the activism, the determination, the passion, and the resolve for justice, accountability, and transparency.”
The crowd was not interested in Klein’s gratitude. After sitting through two of Council’s agenda items, a woman stood up and shouted, “Will you amend the Columbus city budget to remove the Summer Safety Initiative and replace it with neighborhood programs?”
“I thank you for your advocacy,” Klein responded. “But I respectfully ask that you follow the rules of Council —”
“Yes or no, sir?” the woman shouted. “Your rules are killing us!”
Monday, September 26, 4:30-6:30pm, Columbus City Hall, 90 W. Broad St.
Nonprofit Organizations Join to Demand Reform of Rogue Agency
Washington, DC – More than 180 organizations representing communities across America called on leaders in the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee and House Energy and Commerce Committee to hold congressional hearings into the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission’s (FERC) extensive history of bias and abuse. The groups are also requesting reform of the Natural Gas Act, which the groups say, gives too much power to FERC and too little to state and local officials.
“The time has now come for Congress to investigate how FERC is using its authority and to recognize that major changes are in fact necessary in order to protect people, including future generations, from the ramifications of FERC’s misuse of its power and implementation of the Natural Gas Act,” says Maya van Rossum, of the Delaware Riverkeeper, a primary organizer of the effort.
Two lawmakers in the Ohio House of Representatives have introduced a non-partisan resolution calling on state and federal legislators to support an amendment to the U. S. Constitution “that would abolish corporate personhood and the doctrine of money as speech.”
State Reps. Kent Smith (D8 Euclid) and Nickie Antonio (D13 Lakewood) today announced the introduction of House Companion Legislation to Senate Resolution 187.
House Companion Legislation corresponds to Ohio Senate Resolution 187 introduced in 2015 by Senator Mike Skindell (DLakewood). Both resolutions follow the spirit and the letter of the 28th amendment to the U.S. Constitution advocated by Move to Amend (MTA), a national nonpartisan coalition of hundreds of organizations and hundreds of thousands of individuals.
Join us for a book event with Bill Ayers, part of a national tour to celebrate the release of his latest book, Demand the Impossible!: A Radical Manifesto. Wednesday, September 21, 6-8pm, University Hall, room 014, Ohio State University. https://www.facebook.com/events/1675303502790715/
In an era defined by mass incarceration, endless war, economic crisis, catastrophic environmental destruction, and a political system offering more of the same, radical social transformation has never been more urgent. We must imagine a world beyond what this rotten system would have us believe is possible.
On September 14, two candidates for Franklin County Prosecutor answered questions about how they would respond to officer-involved shootings, if elected. As the candidates’ forum at Mt. Olivet Baptist Church proceeded, only one mile away 13-year-old Ty’re King was pursued and shot multiple times by Columbus police. He was taken to Nationwide Children’s Hospital and pronounced dead a few minutes after the candidates’ forum ended.
Adrienne Hood spoke at the beginning of the forum. Her son Henry Green was killed by Columbus police on June 6. “It’s unfortunate that the person who can give me the justice that my son deserves is not here,” she said, indicating the empty chair reserved for Ron O’Brien, the incumbent County Prosecutor candidate. O’Brien has not responded to demands by Green’s family to indict the officers who shot him and appoint an independent prosecutor to oversee the case.
Diversion programs
On Thursday evening family, friends, and neighbors of 13-year-old Ty’re King gathered in a field on South 18th Avenue in the Near East Side, close to where King was killed by Columbus police Wednesday evening. Over 200 joined the vigil, including the Columbus Day Stars, King’s middle school football team.
Police say that King was fleeing officers who were investigating an armed robbery, and pulled out what appeared to be a handgun. He was shot multiple times by officer Bryan Mason, a nine-year veteran of the Columbus Police Department. A toy pellet gun was recovered at the scene.
“Ty’re King was a 13-year-old boy,” said Amber Evans of the People’s Justice Project. “For black children, playing with toy guns is considered being armed in the eyes of police. But it’s not the same for white children.”
Students and community people gathered on OSU's south Oval at 5pm today to mourn the death of Tyre King, shot to death by Columbus police last night, September 14. Police stated that the 13-year-old had a BB gun. NBC 4 news reported that Bryan Mason, the officer who shot King, had been involved in another fatal shooting in 2012. News reports throughout the last 24 hours have offered differing facts regarding the shooting. Activists were skeptical of the information about the incident given at the Columbus Mayor's press conference and that there would be any repercussions for the officer's actions. Signs at a memorial at the site of the incident clearly indicate the community's distrust in the city of Columbus and Columbus police and or that anyone will be held accountable.