“As a fact finder I need to know answers to some of these questions. It’s not going to be sufficient for you today to simply say, ‘somebody else is investigating, I can’t comment.’ Yes you can comment and yes you must,” said Judge Alegon L. Marbley during Wednesday’s (Feb. 24th) hearing.

Attorneys representing protesters in the federal protester lawsuit Alsaada et. Al. vs. City of Columbus questioned former Chief Thomas Quinlan on Wednesday for several hours, asking him who had made final decisions on pepper spraying and firing wooden bullets at protesters during the early days of George Floyd protests downtown.

The lawsuit charges that ineffective training and vague policies resulted in many individual officers to go rogue against mostly peaceful protesters who had the right to assemble and express free speech.

The suit also claims Chief Quinlan failed to offer meaningful orders against using excessive force before the protests and failed to stop the use of excessive force as the protests continued.

Miriam Vargas walked into First English Lutheran Church on June 29, 2018 and was sheltered by the church in sanctuary from a deportation order issued by  Immigration, Customs and Enforcement (ICE).

Nearly 1000 days later, on February 23, 2021, she walked out of the ICE office in Westerville, Ohio freedom. Due to a memo send to ICE on January 20, 2021 from the Biden administration, priorities were set to deport only undocumented individuals that were aggravated felons. 

Previously, the Trump administration determined that all undocumented and documented immigrants were subject to deportation.

Miriam is currently in no danger of removal.

Miriam is now under an Order of Supervision (OSUP) which is a way that ICE can keep tabs on immigrants before immigration court hearings.

According to Ms. Vargas' immigration attorney, Jessica Rodriquez Bell, the benefits of the OSUP are that Miriam Vargas can leave the sanctuary of the church without the threat of deportation. She is required to report weekly to ICE via telephone to document where she is located.

She can also apply for and obtain a work permit and legally obtain a driver’s licence.

The federal lawsuit against the Columbus Division of Police’s overly aggressive and war-like response to mostly peaceful protesters is underway this week with People’s Justice Project’s Tammy Fournier Alsaada as lead plaintiff and former Chief Thomas Quinlan, the City of Columbus, and other officers as defendants.

Mayor Ginther testified on Monday for two hours, and Quinlan is scheduled to testify Wednesday morning 9 a.m. The trial can be accessed by calling 646-749-3112 with the access code 347 407 869.

On the fateful day of May 30, 2020, Alsaada was near Broad and High when she learned protesters were being arrested. She peacefully sought out Division commanding officers for explanations and to resolve any ongoing conflicts. But when she approached a line of officers, she was pepper sprayed without provocation.

An additional12 other plaintiffs were protesters.

Long-time Columbus activist attorney Fred Gittes is a lead attorney for the suit. His social justice history is well-documented, representing athletes from Ohio State who were assaulted by police to Somali residents killed by police.

Joe Motil, former Columbus City Council candidate and longtime outspoken critic of Mayor Ginther and City Council’s blanket tax abatement policies, once again blasted them at last night’s City Council meeting for approving of a $1.1 million 10-year 75% tax abatement to the T. Marzetti Company.

T. Marzetti’s has been in business for 125 years and Lancaster Colony has owned Marzetti’s for 52 years now. Marzetti’s is headquartered here in Columbus along with five of its company’s operations and two additional ones are located elsewhere in Ohio. 

Wednesday, February 24, 7-8:30pm, this on-line event requires advance registration

Protesting pipelines, fracking wells, power plants, and other polluting and dangerous “critical infrastructure sites” just got a lot harder now that Ohio S.B. 33 is law.

What does this mean for you if you engage in public witness events? What are the new rules about liability for social justice organizations, churches, etc.? Find out in our free webinar discussion, “Your Protest Rights and Risks With Ohio S.B. 33,” on Wednesday, February 24 at 7pm.

Panelists include:

• Larry Bresler, Organize! Ohio

• Gary Daniels, Ohio ACLU

• Tadd Pinkston, Pinkston Law and UU Justice Ohio

Please register in advance for this webinar by using this link.

After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the meeting.

Learn how to protect yourself and your organization.