News

March 21, 2-23

Good afternoon everyone. Thank you for joining me.

Andy Ginther just finished presenting yet another of his state of the city addresses. He repeatedly proclaims advancements in nearly every aspect of what impacts the lives of neighborhoods, individuals and working families both socially and economically. He once again paints a picture of neighborhood improvements across the city. He continues to make promises that Columbus’ great economic growth leads directly to well-paying jobs that are plentiful to everyone.

Andy Ginther’s regular refrain that never has any credible evidence-is, “he believes in doing the right thing, and not what’s easy or politically expedient” and “investing in roads and sidewalks that connect our community.”

The THC. Testing. Taxes. Testimony. Timeline.

City of Columbus mayoral candidate Joe Motil states, “Today’s Columbus City Council press conference previewed their Housing Initiatives. In almost all their points, they all but copied and pasted the proposals that I have been advocating for over a year.” This is the Columbus Way.

Motil continues, “For more than a year, as part of my Affordable Housing proposals, I have advocated for an ‘Empty Homes Tax.’ This is exactly what Councilman Rob Dorans suddenly proposed,  calling  it the ‘Columbus Rental Registry.’ Of course, the City Council members do not acknowledge me or anyone else.”

Motil stated, “My proposed Empty Homes Tax will increase the supply of urgently needed housing. It will incentivize property investors who leave homes vacant until the market favors them to list and then rent or sell the property. It will also force slumlords to renovate housing that sits vacant and contributes to crime and deteriorating neighborhoods. The Empty Homes Tax revenue generated from property owners goes into an Affordable Housing Trust Fund.”   

Hundreds of crime survivors and families of murdered loved ones from 35 cities across Ohio gathered at the statehouse atrium today, urging lawmakers to expand support for crime victims and make communities safer. Crime survivors were joined by elected officials, including Reps. Tavia Galonski (D-Akron) and Brett Hillyer (R-Uhrichsville), at Survivors Speak Ohio – an annual event organized by Crime Survivors for Safety and Justice (CSSJ) – with families holding photos of murdered loved ones and advocating for public safety reforms.  

Ohio archaeology has a problem. All around the globe, a movement has been underway to change the imperialist names once given to archaeological sites to names indigenous to the cultures that created those works. This is called “the decolonization of archaeology” in Canada, which includes such names as the Kay-Nah-Chi-Wah-Nung Mounds in Ontario. It’s a sign of basic respect to the peoples of authorship.

Meanwhile, Ohio remains a bastion of unrepentant Anglocentrism, with the important exception of the Adena name, which Thomas Worthington likely borrowed from the Shawnee. But the Adena Mound “type site” – or the model of a particular archaeological culture – was completely destroyed and now lies below Orange Street in Chillicothe.

For a second time, Ohio Attorney General David Yost’s office has rejected the Ohio Coalition to End Qualified Immunity (OCEQI) summary of petition. Undeterred, the OCEQI plans on submitting for a third time, but their patience with AG Yost is wearing thin.

“This is normal for the AG,” said OCEQI’s Cynthia Brown, who lost a nephew to Columbus police. “Most ballot initiative petitions are turned down multiple times.”

However, added Brown, “Yost doesn’t want government officials held accountable, or jobs terminated when they violate clearly violate Ohioans’ civil liberties or individual rights.”

The OCEQI is seeking to end qualified immunity by placing a citizen-led initiative on a future ballot hoping voters will amend the state Constitution. Their proposed amendment this time around was titled, “Protecting Ohioans Constitutional Rights”.

Environmental activists, after Wednesday’s public meeting (March 1st) of the Oil and Gas Land Management Commission, called on commission members to seek emergency adoption from Gov. Mike DeWine of Proposed Rule 155-1-01, which sets the regulations regarding oil and gas industry leases for fossil fuel extraction from Ohio public lands. 

The Oil and Gas Land Management Commission approved Proposed Rule 155-1-01, along with a draft Standard Lease Form, at its February 1 meeting and sent these items on for consideration by the Common Sense Initiative and Joint Committee on Agency Rule Review. 

The reasons why a loved one takes their own life is an agonizing question a bereaved family has to deal with for the rest of their lifetime. But if a person decides to take their life at their place of employment, it’s a distinct possibility the stresses of the job played a role.

On the Westside of Columbus, sandwiched between Upper Arlington and Hilliard, is a mostly industrial area where one of the region’s largest employers – the United Parcel Service or UPS – has a massive hub. A 90-acre packaging distribution center to be exact, which employs roughly 800 full-time and part-time workers, and processes over 60,000 packages an hour. The hub’s address is 5101 Trabue Road and can be seen driving west on I-70.

Late last December, a full-time UPS employee, believed to be an assistant manager, took their own life at the hub while on the job. A large Columbus police presence showed, and according to several UPS workers there that night, the incident was severely traumatizing.

The wrongful death case of a Cincinnati-area Kroger employee Evan Seyfried, who took his own life, will go forward, ruled a judge. The future trial could reveal the level and intensity of politically motivated bullying Evan faced before he passed in March of 2021. 

Evan’s family says two managers at Kroger targeted the 40-year-old assistant manager because he wore a mask. They also nicknamed him “Antifa” and encouraged Evan’s co-workers to do the same. Evan had no prior history of mental illness, and, by all accounts, was popular and well-liked by his co-workers.

Kroger, which now rivals Walmart in size and profit, tried to have the case dismissed arguing there’s a “Suicide Rule” in Ohio. It prevents legal blame being placed on a company, institution or even a person, for death caused by suicide. It’s a pro-Robber Barons law if there ever was one, and the Seyfried family is seeking to challenge the rule.

City of Columbus mayoral candidate Joe Motil states, “The OSU student newspaper The Lantern reported today that the warming center for the unsheltered, located in the Summit United Methodist Church is closing Monday at 6PM because of increased safety concerns. “According to 10TV, the Division of Police reported that two people were stabbed February 10th at the warming center.” But this is only publicized a week later. Motil adds, “The other 24-hour  warming center located at 501 East Broad Street closed its doors about two weeks ago.”