Recent events resulting in the deaths of Michael Brown, Eric Garner, Tamir Rice, John Crawford and others have highlighted ongoing police brutality and the lack of accountability for law enforcement in Ohio and around the country. Ohio faces a health crisis in the form of untreated addiction and mental health disorders, and the “war on drugs” has operated by design, criminalizing millions from low income and communities of color suffering from addiction instead of providing help, treatment and alternative job opportunities into our economically struggling neighborhoods. Furthermore, our children are being forced out of school and shuttled into a “school-to-prison pipeline” due to harsh zero-tolerance policies. In short, the current structure of our justice system is failing. We say enough is enough.

It is time to speak out against the injustices that our “justice” system has created in our communities. It is time to stand up and shape a new agenda for opportunity, for safety, and for justice for all Ohioans.

Please join The Ohio Organizing Collaborative and United Returning Citizens on Thursday, January 22, 2015 at the Statehouse in Columbus as we host hundreds of engaged leaders and community members from around the state for The People First Assembly: Our Lives Matter.

Registration: http://action.ohorganizing.org/page/s/15-01-22