Ohioans To Stop Executions is saddened by the racism that continues in our country and our criminal justice system, and we are committed to join the fight for racial equality. We see ending the death penalty as part of that movement, because this system is not exempt from racial disparity.  As steps are made toward change in the broader criminal justice reform movement, and as OTSE has been gearing up for a legislative death penalty repeal campaign in 2021, OTSE is excited to share with you that HB 136 has started to move in the Ohio Senate this morning. HB 136 would exempt individuals with serious mental illness from receiving a death sentence. It passed the House by a 76-17 vote last summer.

With the recent killings of Black citizens by police that made national and international headlines, Columbus’ troubling history on this topic has resurfaced. A graphic that originally circulated via social media four years ago after the killings of Henry Green and 13-year-old Ty’re King went viral in the past couple of weeks. On June 10th, The Columbus Dispatch posted an article, “Fact Check: Is Columbus the Most likely place in America for police to kill black people?” Their ruling of the graphic is that the information presented is false, however the analysis in this article is deeply flawed.

Let’s start with the title.

As protests recently erupted in response to the killing of George Floyd, we saw something that truly epitomized the American experience. Police in cities around the country responded to protests against police brutality with (surprise!) police brutality. Yes, in a time when everything seems like an Onion headline, seeing police respond to the protests with such profound force became a window into what’s been normal for American minorities for decades. Our country’s criminal justice system is steeped in systemic racism, where bigoted policies are codified and enforced with a well-funded, militarized apparatus. The only bright side is that now it’s finally being exposed for what it is.

Saturday, June 13, 7-9pm
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If the whole state of Vermont, the cities of San Francisco, Los Angeles, Phoenix, Denver, Seattle, Minneapolis, Albuquerque, Davenport, Iowa, and even Oberlin, Ohio can change the name of Columbus Day to Indigenous Peoples Day – could Columbus, Ohio be far behind? Sadly, yes.

Following the Ameriflora controversy in 1992 – the international flower festival at Franklin Park celebrating 500 years since Christopher Columbus invaded North America – Native Americans descended on Columbus City Council playing drums and chanting. Council members refused to change the name of Columbus Day, but as an immediate concession to the victims of genocide initiated by Columbus and to make the Native Americans go away, agreed that a week starting on Columbus Day would be designated Indigenous People’s Week. But we never heard anything about that again.