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| Photo By Andrew Houston |
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Leo Achondo, national director of Justice for Immigrants, addresses the Cincinnati rally.
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Often portrayed as a menace, undocumented immigrants are, in fact, one of the most vulnerable parts of American society, often working low-paying jobs and fearing deportation at every turn. Last weekend the Archdiocese of Cincinnati called on Catholics to welcome and help people who are new to the United States.
The Justice for Immigrants rally, held March 11 at St. Peter in Chains Cathedral downtown, was part of a national campaign of the same name. Catholic bishops in the United States and Mexico are calling for: a broad-based legalization of the undocumented of all nationalities, reform of the U.S. immigration system to allow family members to reunite with loved ones in the United States, abandonment of the border "blockade" enforcement strategy and restoration of due process protections for immigrants.
Leo Anchondo, national manager of the Justice for Immigrants campaign, was the rally's keynote speaker. He spent four days in Cincinnati to discuss Catholic teaching on migration and immigrants and to help build solidarity for immigration reform.
Another group that's needlessly persecuted is people who like to smoke pot. If City Councilman Cecil Thomas gets his way, they'll face jail time in the city of Cincinnati.
Under Ohio law, possession of small amounts of marijuana is punishable by a citation and $100 fine. But Thomas is pushing an ordinance that would impose up to six months in jail (see "Blowing Smoke," issue of Feb. 22-28).
Leaders of Safer Alternative For Enjoyable Recreation (SAFER) came to town March 14 to encourage council to reject the proposal, as it did last year. Increasing marijuana penalties will lead to more alcohol-related crime, according to Mason Tvert, SAFER's national campaign director.
"Councilman Thomas is a former police officer who must know alcohol contributes to violent and problematic behavior while marijuana does not," Tvert said. "In addition, state and federal laws selectively prohibiting marijuana are already sending the dangerous message that adults should choose alcohol over marijuana simply because it is legal. Piling on a city law will further increase the incentive to use alcohol instead of marijuana, when in fact alcohol is far more harmful to both the user and to society. We trust the council will understand that preventing alcohol-related problems -- such as domestic abuse, sexual assault and other acts of violence -- is more important than preventing an adult from using marijuana."
The Ohio Patients Network and the National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws have also urged defeat of Thomas' proposal, which was scheduled for a March 14 vote by council's Law and Public Safety Committee.
Mos' Def Good Deeds
Elementz, the Hip Hop Youth Arts Center, started as an unlikely dream. But now the center is getting serious funding: a $50,000 grant from the Greater Cincinnati Foundation. Earlier this year the center received $5,000 from the Ohio Arts Council.
Founded as the result of grassroots organizing by Gavin Leonard, the center's director, Elementz bills itself as "a safe place where 14-to-24-year-olds have access to Hip Hop-based resources." Youth in Over-the-Rhine and the West End can learn to be DJs, study graffiti art, take dance classes and participate in other programs. The new funding enables Elementz to hire its first paid staff, including an administrative assistant, a DJ teacher and a recording studio manager. To learn more about the center, visit www.natiyouthcenter.org.
Jim Berns of Cincinnati, founder of Travel Donations, leaves Thursday for Beijing, China to deliver donations to orphanages. He'll take suitcases of children's clothes and other items that friends, neighbors, the Cincinnati Chinese Church and co-workers have donated.
"One hundred forty pounds of much needed clothing, toys and school supplies doesn't sound like much," Berns said. "But if more travelers did the same thing, it would make a huge difference, and delivering a donation personally makes quite an impression on the people at the orphanages."
Travel Donations, founded in 2003, has sent more than 400 donations to 19 different countries, including Mexico, Chile, Peru, South Africa, India and Arkansas (see "Traveling Mercies," issue of Aug. 6-12, 2003).
The organization's method is simple. Airlines allow each international traveler to take checked pieces of luggage weighing up to 70 pounds. Most travelers take only one suitcase, according to Berns. The objective of Travel Donations is to have travelers take second suitcases filled with items that charities need and deliver them to the cities they visit. To learn more, visit www.traveldonations.org.
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