The Columbus Division of Police has a new chief in Elaine Bryant but this isn’t ceasing the mission of the Columbus Police Accountability Project or “C-PAP,” which is one month into taking sworn testimony from the community as it seeks to convince the United States Department of Justice (DOJ) that the Division “is out of control and needs federal oversight.”

So far over 30 individuals have come forward, testifying to the C-PAP’s volunteer citizen leaders in the Columbus Black community, which was announced by civil rights attorney Sean Walton at a press conference in late April.

They’re retelling stories of unconstitutional stops with no cause, unconstitutional detentions, and unlawful uses of force, among other complaints. Their treatment by Columbus police is something they vividly remember and will never forget. Many of those testified about being abused or arrested in retaliation for peacefully exercising their Free Speech rights at the George Floyd protests last summer.

“If you have stories to tell, come tell them. We can, must and will fix this,” C-PAP organizers stated in a recent press release.

The political discourse of Mahmoud Abbas, the head of the Palestinian Authority in the West Bank, is similar to that of an ineffectual king who has been isolated in his palace for far too long. The king speaks of prosperity and peace, and tirelessly counts his innumerable achievements, while his people are dying of starvation outside and pointlessly begging for his attention.

 But Abbas is no ordinary king. He is a ‘president’ by name only, a designated ‘leader’ simply because Israel and the US-led international political system insist on recognizing him as such. Not only had the man’s political mandate expired in 2009, it was quite limited even prior to that date.  At no point in his career did Abbas ever represent the entire Palestinian people. Now, at 85 years, chances are Abbas will never serve this role.

Wednesday, June 2 and Thursday, June 3, this on-line event requires advance registration

The 2021 Faith and Fair Food Summit is an opportunity for clergy and lay leaders of all faiths across the country to come together to reflect upon, strategize, and grow our farmworker solidarity network. This virtual space will orient allies to the legacy of faith organizing within the Coalition of Immokalee Workers’ impressive history and provide an opportunity for us to co-create the next chapter of faith and fair food solidarity. Programming will include interactive sessions on the history of faith organizing in Immokalee, the expansion and operation of the Fair Food Program, and the ongoing boycott of Wendy’s. Join us as we forge meaningful connections and relationships that power the Alliance for Fair Food’s work for farmworker justice.

Selected bites of cannabis news sliced from the headlines, with a legislative flavor and sweet Ohio twist. Sources are linked.

Editor’s Note:New tables of pending cannabis legislation: federal, Ohio and Ohio decriminalization.  

The Feds

Several things are happening simultaneously. Most important, Israel has lost the public opinion war in much of the world through its brutality during the recent attack on Gaza and it continues to lose ground even in the wake of a cease fire due to mass arrests of Palestinians and armed police intrusions in and around the al-Aqsa mosque. The government of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is by its actions making clear that the ethnic cleansing of Palestine will continue at a time that he chooses.