Everyday People for Positive Change, a citizen ballot issue committee, announces that yesterday (October 30th) the group submitted a certified pre-circulation petition to the City Clerk for a proposed ballot issue to reform Columbus City Council.  The proposed charter amendment would continue the effort to bring Columbus’s antiquated council make-up up to date to fully and unquestionably comply with the Voting Rights Act of 1965 and its prohibitions against “minority voter dilution,” which question was raised to Columbus leaders by the NAACP Legal Defense Fund in a series of communications in 2017.

The proposed charter amendment would:

1.       Create a 9 member council effective January 2020 (2021 elections)

2.       Require each member to live in one of the districts and be elected by the voters of the district in which each resides.

3.       Establish the initial apportionment plan, outlining the 9 districts.

The march is November 2nd, 2019 at 5:30. We will be meeting at the intersection of North High St and West Poplar before marching north. Route details and more detailed schedule at Facebook Event.

The hideous treatment of WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange continues and many observers are citing his case as being symptomatic of developing “police state” tendencies in both the United States and in Europe, where rule of law is being subordinated to political expediency.

Julian Assange was the founder and editor-in-chief of the controversial news and information site WikiLeaks. As the name implies, after 2006 the site became famous, or perhaps notorious, for its publication of materials that have been leaked to it by government officials and other sources who consider the information to be of value to the public but unlikely to be accepted by the mainstream media, which has become increasingly corporatized and timid.

WikiLeaks became known to a global audience back in 2010 when it obtained from US Army enlisted soldier Bradley Manning a large quantity of classified documents relating to the various wars that the United States was fighting in Asia. Some of the material included what might be regarded as war crimes.

Another shocking, divisive police video pops up in the news. This one shows a 16-year-old boy getting shot in the back of the head as he runs from the officers about to arrest him.

And as he lays dying — unconscious, bleeding to death — a second officer cuffs the boy’s hands behind his back, kicking him over on his stomach to do so, as though he were no more than a piece of hunted prey.

The shooting of Isiah Murrietta -Golding occurred in April 2017, in Fresno, Calif. The incident was reviewed and found to be justified. The official determination was that the officer feared for his life.

No surprise: The video was not willingly released.

The Free Pressis proud to congratulate our friend and WGRN community radio volunteer Nikki Wireman as she is now Ms. World Bear 2019! She won the title at the competition in Cincinnati during the first weekend in October. Nikki the LezBear was also awarded the first Spirit of the Bear award named in honor Jason William Hall, a friend who had passed away last year -- given to the person who best exemplifies his message of inclusivity, respect and hope. We all appreciate Nikki's charitable activities, community spirit and especially her infectious enthusiasm for everything she does!