The Opposition: Opportunities to Act

Resistance by any other name is resistance to injustice

6/30/25: Chop Wood, Carry Ohio is a cool political action substack.

6/22/25: Comment on Randy’s Rants. Great points Randy. However, gerrymandering can’t explain everything including the inability of the Dems to hold on to Brown’s seat or win other statewide offices. Clearly, voters have concluded, the Dems can’t even competently run county governments in Cuyahoga and other counties, so why trust them with statewide office?

The Dems are happy with whatever patronage and power they can wield in blue areas, and seem to have given up on the outlying counties. I went to No Kings Day in Mentor (over 1000 people all over the sidewalks at Mentor Mall). Veterans are furious at Trump, and sick of the Republicans.

Lets form “sister precinct” relationships between key CLE and CUY precints and those in now-Read areas and do what we can to turn things around, and try to do this statewide between the big cities and surrounding counties.

6/20/25: No Kings day was amazing, I’m all in with the coalition around this. See this analysis from In These Times.

6/15/25: Tim Snyder on No Kings Day. See Rev. Barber early on here.

5/29/25: Responding, perhaps, to criticism that some of the mass protests have not been diverse enough, Moral Mondays and Indivisible have accounces a collaboration.

5/26/25: This beat, a stub for a future essay and op-ed, has not developed further mainly because I felt the focus had to be on ending the war on Gaza and the way it also involves repression within Israel of opponents of the war and continued fear among Israelis of the resumption of large scale attacks from several directions on Israel itself. But I want to draw attention to The Jerusalem Declaration on Antisemitism, an approach to understanding antisemitism that is seen as an alternative to the IHRA definition. Three elements of the Jerusalem declaration are very consistent with what I call anti-ZionISTism:

6. Requiring people, because they are Jewish, publicly to condemn Israel or Zionism (for example, at a political meeting).

7. Assuming that non-Israeli Jews, simply because they are Jews, are necessarily more loyal to Israel than to their own countries.

8. Denying the right of Jews in the State of Israel to exist and flourish, collectively and individually, as Jews, in accordance with the principle of equality.

6 and 7 are directly related to anti-ZionISTism, a growing form of left antisemitism globally and on the US left. People not very frequently inquire of their friends and others in progressive spaces if they are “anti-Zionist,” although it is unclear what they mean by that. Furthermore, I’ve found, many young Jews especially have undertaken that identity, “I am an anti-Zionist,” without thinking it through very much. In fact, it was almost a non-existent mass identity until after 10/07/23.

Prior to that, even ardent supporters of BDS would point to the fact that it takes no position on a two-state solution. Yet, as #8 above shows, to deny “the right of Jews in the State of Israel” to live in such a state with full equality with non-Jews in that state is itself antisemitic. Anyone who supports the continued existence of a State of Israelis in some accounts a Zionist, but one can also be a non-Zionist who supports the existence of Israel. Neither men that you support the ideology of Zionism, but in both cases it means you support the formation of Israel following WWII as a world-historical decision to recognize the need for a state which had priority preference for immigration from Jews and Jewish refugees of the Shoah. Also, Israel may become—if it has not already become—a pariah state, if a majority of Israelis do not come to their senses and reject the right-wing drift, accompanied by growing militarism, anti-Arab prejudice, and anti-Palestinianism, which produces more and more settler violence, IDF repression in the West Bank and so forth.

Now, however, especially over the last year, there has been a massive growth in the number of primarily younger Jews who proudly declare they are “anti-Zionist.” Now they can feel comfortable in progressive spaces or even on campus, without worry they will be hated and excluded as rotten Zionists or even worse, “liberal Zionists,” but feminist Zionists, progressive Zionists, socialist Zionists are all unwelcome in growing numbers of progressive spaces, in DSA (whose NPC passed an declaration that DSA is an anti-Zionist organization in July 2024).

Many chapters passed resolutions saying that Zionists could be disciplined, required to undergo re-education, or even expelled. Who decides who are Zionists? The fearless leaders, who apparently have no fear that their acts are fundamentally antisemitic and contrary to every known principle of antiracism and anti-oppression. Perhaps they should read the Jerusalem Declaration on Antisemitism and ask: is their blithe support for DSA being an “anti-Zionist” organization (a “whereas” in a current DSA convention resolution about countering the influence of the IHRA definition) an example in and of itself of antisemitism per that definition? Yes, in my view.

5/25/25: Veteran activists form All of Us to try to connect people to organizations. Here is how to list your organization. Here is the initial list of groups. But you can sign up to be on their mailing list here.

5/24/25: 198 forms of nonviolent action by Gene Sharp. Meanwhile, I'm signed up to volunteer June 14: 6/14 2-4 pm No Kings Day Cleveland Nationwide protest in Cleveland organized by MTV NEO, Indivisible NEO and CDWC. Counter the toddler-in-chief’s $45 million military/birthday parade. Join Me? Sign up here: https://lnkd.in/e5HXFCE8.

5/25: I posted this on LinkedIn to connections only, you would have to connect with me to read it. LinkedIn marked it “not eligible to be boosted”, not because of what I wrote no doubt but the link to the Nonviolence Academy. They do the same think with some of the links from Standing Together of accounts of protests by Israeli Jews and Palestinians in Israel. What is it about nonviolent protest they do not like? https://www.linkedin.com/feed/update/urn:li:activity:7329584471878287361/

\Friends/colleagues, I highly recommend a listen to this episode of Nonviolence Radio, with a discussion with Joe Worthy, formerly of Children's Defense Fund, who is now working to form https://lnkd.in/eydX-Mft.

Here is the link to the interview:
https://lnkd.in/ePqK7E7a for Systems Change

Having earlier worked with Joe as one of his "elders" during early stages of the Tamir Rice justice movement, I'm so glad he is consolidating his global experience as a nonviolence strategy trainer in a new academy for training movement leaders.

I particularly liked this comment: "But what I've seen, having been in struggle before and seeing people struggle, and their struggles right now, is that the heart works, the heart piece, right? Your internal center is among the most important things because it informs everything that we do, right? And we like to try to maybe leave it off to the side because it's not the most immediate thing. But when you take a step back, and you look at it, it is, in fact, the most immediate thing. Because who you are being on the inside and how you are interpreting this world affects everything from your ability to build relationships with people. It affects your ability to formulate coherent strategy and it affects the community's ability to stick together in the toughest of times."

Since early this year, I have had a sign on my wall, "It's not too late to get centered." This podcast is a good reminder.

Coming Soon - Strategic Nonviolence Academy

strategicnonviolenceacademy.org

5/8/25: Jeremy Brecher to the rescue, here is his great account of the recent protests, a real must read. Also, Our Revolution has a Monday discussion, you can sign up here. I’ve decided to affiliate with the “nonpartisan” Indivisible rather than Progressive Democrats of America or Our Revolution. I commented and posted this note: “Jeremy, thank you so much for this rendition (link). I worry about a narrowing of the coalition and efforts of far left groupings to insert themselves as self-proclaimed leaders, in a way that can turn-off and demobilize. We on the left should recognize that what we are seeing, like the mass rallies in defense of Science a few years ago, are mobilizing forces we have never been able to mobilize. We might think that these forces are older than typical protests and not "left" enough and not diverse enough, but what is it about the left-center coalition in defense of democracy we do not understand? In our focus on "left unity" and a "united front" we may be losing sight of the popular front in defense of democracy arising before our very eyes.

5/3/25: I haven’t yet seen a solid report on national rallies on 5/3, but sone small rally attracted many first time protestors in Cleveland, one of whom I talked to, and members of nearly all the organized groups who have participatted in the larger previous marches participated and had speakers (see my 5/1/25 list below). Unfortunately pouring rain depressed turnout.

5/2/2025: Talk about Opposition, read this from JJ Johnson, a member of the Fort Hood Three who refused to serve in Vietnam.

5/1/25: Nationally, there were nearly 1000 events, per this account from The Guardian. Although at the beginning of this thread, I said the movement was too large to be taken over by small far left groups, there are indications that sniping among groups, is beginning to impact unity and effectiveness.

5/1/25 The Cuyahoga County Progressive Caucus, a caucus of the Democratic Party has released a new sign-up not to join but to receive regular information such as their great up to date notices of local events. For those wishing to become involved with local DP clubs and affinity groups, see this list.

5/1/25: For the 5/3/25 event, starting at 11:00am, I won’t arrive until noonish, at the Free Stamp in Cleveland next to City Hall), May Day Strong Rally. For more info, see Cleveland May Day Coalition on Instagram and Facebook, Cleveland May Day Coalition: Endorsing Organizations.

AAUP Tri-C Chapter, ACLU Ohio, Avanzamos Unidos, Cleveland Peace Action, Cleveland Palestinian Advocacy Community, Cleveland United Against War, Cleveland Votes, Cuyahoga County Progressive Caucus, FRSO Cleveland, IRTF on Central America and Colombia, JVP Cleveland, Legal Aid United NOLSW 2320, Northeast Ohio Coalition for the Homeless, Northeast Ohio Worker Center, Ohio Poor Peoples Campaign, Ohio Working Families Party, OPAWL, Palestinian Youth Movement, Party for Socialism and Liberation Cleveland, People’s World, Red Triangle Cleveland, REACH, SURJ NEO, Starbucks Workers United, Unite All Workers for Democracy, Workers United Local 2843, Workers World Party

4/30/25: Indivisible to the Rescue? At least it was Indivisible that alerted me to this: NEO United: Pro-Democracy Events Across N.E. Ohio: https://tockify.com/neohiounited/pinboard. I started this “Beat” to try to keep myself informed of events, but this may mak it obsolete! If you click on Subscribe, it has instructions for how to add an adjacent calender of these events next to your existing Google or other calendar, and if are sure not to make it public, it won’t show if you share your calendar with someone else and wnat them to know when you are not available because you have another event. If you do choose to go to an event, you can put it in your own portion of the calendar so Calendly or another app will show you are not available. It also has a Submit Event link so you can propose an event to be on the calendar.

4/30/25: Indivisible NEO has a monthly newsletter and is a nonpartisan electoral and political action group I support with a monthly donation. See their Indivisible: A Practical Guide To Democracy On The Brink. Their NEO Ohio FB joint page is here. They have a weekly email newsletter and here is more information: We encourage you to join our Facebook group, Indivisible NEO, and go to Indivisible.org for your free copy of Indivisible: A Practical Guide To Democracy On The Brink. All resources are free. Sign up for weekly emails with the national group to keep in touch with pertinent information and actions. Fill out this form to join our email list, and this form to help contribute your specific talents and efforts to our cause. For more information on Indivisible's approach, check out this article in The Nation.

4/29/25: The ACLU here in NE Ohio has an action team that meets regularly by Zoom. I can’t take that on but here is the link to sign up!

4/24/25: Rally to oppose deportations of students in Ohio and elsewhere! Saturday 4/26, Noon. The best weekly updates of Opposition actions is available by signing up with the Cuyahoga Progressive Caucus here. MD: I missed this as the agenda said it was indoors, and trying to avoid large indoor gatherings due to danger of infectious diseases and so forth, but the publicity showed they fanned out with signs!

4/23/25: See Notes in Movement Time on the latest suggested ways of thinking about the fightback.

4/22/25: Today I attended two face to face gatherings, as part of my motto for the Opposition, stolen blatantly from AOC: Building Community, which I link to from my two part essay Surviving the Next Four Years in my Essays section. Just briefly on the first; National Association of Social Workers Region 3 led by Stephanie Ash held a networking session and training that was lively and had valuable discussion about strategies for pushing back on SB1, attacks on DEI and defending our clients and our own practice against the MAGA regime. I will be devoting much of my movement building time, as I have since 1978, to working in my own vocational back yard: the profession of social work.

I also attended a downtown Cleveland rally outside the County HQ, sponsored by four groups, (1) NEOCH, (2) the Fair Housing Center, (3) the Northeast Ohio Black Health, and (4) the Cuyahoga County Jail Coalition, and the Northeast Ohio Black Health Coalition. I’ll cover each group and their conribution below in turn. Channel Five was there from start to finish and ran this story.

(1) NEOCH, the local group that combats homelessness and is part of the national Housing Now movement, which annually has events aroung now done by the National Coalition Against Homelessness (and see FB for video of yesterday in DC). In 1989, while working for a housing justice movement agency in PA, we organized our workers and clients to go to DC for one of the annual rallies. The Trump administtation can try to cut the funding for these groups, but they are part of a movement which will fight back. It seems to me local governments should find a way to ensure they can continue their work. An inspiring young housing organizer spoke representing NEOCH abd delivered the following remarks:

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Housing NOW! Day of Action. There are some items on the agenda today that I’d like to highlight:

- The County is set to authorize a contract with Cleveland Housing Network tonight: over $800,000 (in the next 2 years) in Down Payment Assistance for eligible home buyers. -

- They’re awarding nearly 10 million dollars to community-based organizations like Catholic Charities, CMHA, the Centers, and others.

- Frontline will be funded to run Coordinated Intake until February 2027. These are victories!

• But another proposed $4.8 million will go toward the Justice Center Complex Project, though. Executive Ronayne is asking Council tonight to extend an already 6 year contract another 4 years - and another 5 million dollars. This just as Executive Ronayne moves to borrow another $40 million for our $1 billion jail. I mention this all as a microcosm of the County’s priorities. The money we see going toward housing and human services isn’t insignificant - it’s just miniscule in comparison to our investment in the “justice” system.

Some Councilmembers are trying to rein in this spending. Sunny Simon, Michael Gallagher and Michael Houser have introduced legislation that would effectively disband the Downtown Safety Patrol unit of the Cuyahoga County Sheriff's Office. Last month, what started as a traffic stop for tinted windows turned into a high speed chase that ended in two civilian deaths. 24 year old Nigel Perry died in his car, swallowed by flames. 48 year old Tamya Westmoreland’s car flew off of the interstate, dropping 40 feet. She died in the hospital two weeks later. The Downtown Safety Patrol unit costs us about $1.2 million dollars a year. All that money and still the patrol officers didn’t have working fire extinguishers in their car - let alone supervisor permission to engage in a high-speed chase. These deputies remain on regular duty as the investigation proceeds. We put millions of our dollars toward policing. We give units like the Downtown Safety Patrol the ability to engage in high-speed pursuits for minor crimes.

We might not have laws that criminalize homelessness in the explicit ways seen in other cities, but it is still obvious that we prioritize HANDCUFFS over HOUSING. The County faces a $25 million budget deficit. It’s no small amount to make up. And the changes they’re considering tonight are just an indicator of County priorities. We the people operate with less than we need all the time - a power deficit. We pay our taxes and cast our votes and wait for the government to decide where the money will go. And it’s disheartening, doing the work that we do and living the lives that we live, to see Executive Ronanyne move to borrow another $40 million to build a new jail.

This is borrowing against all of our futures. It's an investment of our hard-earned money into a jail complex, into mass incarceration, into militarized policing. And with our limited budget, it’s a conscious disinvestment in housing and health. These are 40 million dollars we are committed to spend on a jail - in addition to the 1 billion already allocated. These are $40 million plus $1 billion dollars we won’t be spending on housing the homeless or alternatives to police response or stabilizing Cleveland’s families.

But we’ve made an investment, too. It might not be millions of dollars, but it’s a commitment to each other, to our community. It’s a commitment to keep fighting for housing as a human right. It’s a commitment to solidarity over division. It’s a commitment to keep up the work even when government shows it’s not a priority. Because what we lack in capital, we make up for in mutual aid. Our stories fuel us. Our belief in what’s possible carries us through. And community organizing can help us realize those possibilities. We’re building a powerful campaign right now to advocate for Fair Chance Housing ordinances, policies that limit housing providers’ ability to consider criminal records when selecting a tenant. We’re educating and empowering our neighbors to organize around the changes they want to see in their own buildings. We’re angling for Source of Income protections that would make it illegal for a landlord or property management to discriminate against anyone based on their legal income source - be it voucher, pension, childsupport or other subsidy. Because housing is a human right.

We know these changes are possible because they’re happening in communities all around us. With intention and engagement, we can have a hand in shaping political will. Without action, we’ll remain low on the list of priorities. We each have a voice. We each have our own strengths, talents, connections. We each bring a unique lived experience to the table. And even when those in power ignore us, especially then, we can’t ignore each other. Thank you for being here today and showing your solidarity. We demand housing NOW, not funding cuts, tickets, or shiny new jails. We demand policies that prioritize a stable roof over everyone’s head. Everyone.

(2) The Fair Housing Center in Cleveland, formally named the Housing Research & Advocacy Center, is a member of the National Fair Housing Alliance. Kris Keniray, Associate Director, delivered informative remarks about the state of fair housing in the area. Kris’s remarks follow:

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Hi, all. I’m Kris Keniray. I’m here on behalf of The Fair Housing Center. We are here today in coalition on this National Day of Action, to uplift housing as a human right, to call for more housing, not less housing, to affirm that no human is illegal and that transgender people exist, and to support a vision for a future where we ensure safe, accessible, and affordable housing for all people. At The Fair Housing Center, we work to educate the community on their fair housing rights and responsibilities. We work one-on-one with members of the community to address their individual fair housing needs. We rely on the law in our work to protect folks from eviction, to stabilize housing, and to get folks in to housing they would otherwise be denied.

Less than 2 months ago, on February 27th, The Fair Housing Center, along with dozens of other nonprofit civil rights organizations like us, received letters by email sent after 8 o’clock at night, telling us that our federal fair housing grants - grants we rely heavily on to support the important work we do and services we provide to the community - were terminated, effective immediately. Our office had two grants terminated in this manner, a general community education and outreach grant and a specialized education and outreach grant intended to “advance racial equity.” These were grants that HUD had invited proposals on, we had applied for in a competitive application process, been selected to perform, and were working on under grant agreements in accordance with the proposals they chose to fund.

The termination letters stated: “The United States Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), at the direction of the President of the United States pursuant to the Executive Order 14158, “Establishing and Implementing the President’s ‘Department of Government Efficiency’”, and at the direction of said Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), issues this notice of termination according to 2 CFR 200 subpart D. This notice serves to inform Housing Research & Advocacy Center that HUD intends to terminate the subject award effective February 27, 2025.”

And went on to say: “HUD is terminating this award because it no longer effectuates the program goals or agency priorities.” That line has become a familiar refrain for federal grantees with grants from the Department of Education, to the National Institute of Health, and more. The Fair Housing Center and 3 other agencies filed suit against HUD and DOGE in federal court and sought certification by the court to proceed as a class action with all the impacted organizations. The court initially granted a Temporary Restraining Order, or TRO, to prohibit the termination of these active grants under which we were all performing work requested and approved by HUD with funds Congress appropriated for the purpose of fair housing. In the TRO, HUD was ordered to “immediately restore plaintiffs to the preexisting status quo by reinstating any Fair Housing Initiatives Program (FHIP) grants terminated by means of the February 27, 2025 Termination Letter.” So our grants got turned back on. But then, in a matter of weeks, following a Supreme Court ruling in another case, HUD called upon the court to dissolve the TRO and the judge did so.

We are still pursuing this matter in the courts, but we are back to waiting and wondering now whether we will be able to continue our important work at a time when housing is as important as it ever was.

• We don’t believe the people want us to stop protecting their civil rights in housing.

• We don’t believe the people want students, immigrants, or their neighbors snatched off the streets to be deported or imprisoned abroad.

• We don’t believe the people want mixed status households to be forced out of their homes or out of this country.

• We don’t believe the people want folks with disabilities and older adults to live in fear that their social security or Medicare will be cut.

• We don’t believe the people want funding cuts to domestic violence shelters.

• We don’t believe the people want to deny the existence of, threaten or harass transgender people.

• We don’t believe the people want HUD to stop enforcing the fair housing rights of LGBTQ+ people.

• We don’t believe the people want it to be a crime to be unhoused or to need to use the restroom.

• We don’t believe the people want fewer employees working at HUD, providing essential public services and supporting our affordable housing programs, our emergency shelters, our Community Development Block Grant programs, our Lead Hazard Control Program which aims to prevent childhood lead poisoning, the Federal Housing Administration which underwrites home mortgages and increases access to homeownership for lower income homebuyers, or fair housing!

• We believe that the people want reliable and affordable healthcare.

• We believe the people want public education.

• We believe the people want safe and affordable housing.

• We believe the people want clean air and environmental justice.

• We believe the people want to be able to afford their rent or their mortgage AND the food they put on the table.

• We believe the people want diversity, equity, and inclusion.

• We believe the people want accessibility.

• We believe the people want more housing, more resources, more support and more human dignity.

• That’s why we’re here to call for Housing NOW! [END]

(3) The Northeast Ohio Black Health Coalition. The purpose of the groups is: “NEO Black Health Coalition’s vision is to achieve health parity (equality) in the African American/Black population. To create equity in the African American community addressing the cumulative health impact of racial, economic, environmental and social justice inequities in education, employment, housing and health by working to educate, advocate for and empower the community.” Its Executive Director, Yvonka Hall, MPA, gave remarks but no transcript is available at this time.

(4) The Cuyahoga County Jail Coalition, which my mentor and friend Ed McKinney long supported for its work for justice for those caught up on the county jail system. Evan O’Reilly spoke and the text of his talk is important not just for the Cleveland area but nationally as county jails are in crisis nationally due to growing us of huge corporations who contract to provide health services and food services to jails, the subject of one scandal after another. His remarks:

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“Hello everyone, I am Evan O’Reilly, here representing the Cuyahoga County Jail Coalition. Since 2018, we have organized across our community to promote more holistic and humane approaches to public safety while confronting the abuses and neglect at our County Jail that have led to the deaths of 31 people since 2018, as well as the deep socioeconomic disparities that drive our system of mass incarceration. Homelessness is without a doubt among them. Today marks the anniversary of the Grant’s Pass case being introduced to the US Supreme Court, unfortunately a major landmark in our progression towards a society in which we try to solve all of our social problems through incarceration. According to a February report by the Prison Policy Institute, approximately 205,000 unhoused people are booked into local jails every year across this country, representing a little over 25% of the estimated total population of unhoused people. Although unhoused people are significantly less likely to be charged with violent offenses than the broader population, on average they are more likely to be booked multiple times a year and for longer stays. Advocates like those gathered here today have long argued that incarceration only perpetuates the struggles of people struggling with homelessness, unemployment, drug addiction, and mental illness. A pernicious cliche has endured in our society that jailing unhoused people serves as a form of respite from the streets by providing “2 hots and a cot”. But the reality of deplorable conditions in our local jails reveal the absurdity of this outlook.

I want to uplift specific stories of a few community members who died in our county jail. In 2020, Lea Rayshawn Daye, a black trans woman, was found unresponsive in her cell at only 28 years old. Lea had spent the last 105 days of her life in the County Jail, after being booked at the 2100 Men’s Shelter after getting into a fight. Because Cuyahoga County lacked a reliable shelter that was safe for trans women, Lea was bullied and threatened by others at the men’s shelter and allegedly defended herself by throwing a brick. She was arrested and then taken to the men’s section of the jail for the rest of her life.

After her death, her mother found a letter she had written detailing the unsanitary and alarming conditions she experienced. She wrote that the food was cold, smelled bad, tasted like cleaning chemicals, and that the portions they served to inmates were too small.. “I think a six year old would [eat] more than that,” she wrote.

She describe that the jail failed to do inmates' laundry and provided no supplies so the inmates could clean their cells. Lea passed away from an apparent fentanyl overdose, and her cellmate was charged with manslaughter for her death, although the extensive availability of fentanyl within the jail is due to institutional corruption.

Last year, two more community members who had struggled with homelessness died in our County Jail, Fred Maynard, who was 60, and Glen Williams, Jr., who was 39. Glen had complained of chest pain for several days and been ignored by jail staff before collapsing in January of last year. He laid on the ground for 9 minutes before anyone administered CPR and was declared dead of a ruptured aorta. Fred Maynard was a double amputee who choked to death on a peanut butter sandwich within hours of being booked at the jail while staff watched. Recent reporting by the Marshall Project on their two deaths has revealed that jail staff are not receiving adequate training in how to handle medical emergencies at all.

These stories really only scratch the surface of the issues in a facility that has claimed the lives of two more people in just this last month, Jennifer Wade and Nathan Kinney, amidst additional reports that there has been a massive outbreak of legionaire’s disease among inmates and staff due to bacterial contamination of the water supply. The perpetual drum of deaths and other crises in county custody speak to deep institutional problems with training and management that the County has failed to resolve for decades. It is a policy choice to treat people this way and hold them under these conditions, and jail is no replacement for community services, safe shelters, and paths to housing for people living on the streets of our community.

Fortunately in Cuyahoga County, we have been lucky to have a robust ecosystem of nonprofits that cater to the needs of our unhoused population, as well as organizations like NEOCH that also advocate for their dignity and rights. Unfortunately, the funding for many of these resources is under threat due to cuts to HUD and other federal agencies under the Trump administration, which has never made any pretense of caring for the less fortunate in our society.

Meanwhile, our county is pushing ahead with a plan to construct a new County Jail in Garfield Heights to the tune of $889 million, funded by a sales tax that was extended in such a way as to deliberately exclude the opinions of voters. While we have been collaborative with the county as they attempt to develop a plan for a more humane facility with access to robust wrap around services, we cannot help but wonder if this new building represents a proper use of funds during a time of fiscal crisis, especially when the problems with the current facility cannot be blamed on its construction or location.

We are calling on County Officials to consider rescinding the legislation that restricted the use of the sales tax to only capital expenses related to the new Jail project. The impending funding cuts could be partly made up using his money, and ensure that there is a continuity of care and resources for our most vulnerable community members, including the unhoused. This will help prevent more stories like Lea Daye’s, Glen Williams, and Fred Maynard’s.

This is about the priorities we set as a county, and making the affirmative choice to center people’s basic needs. Investing in more incarceration when the foundations of our social services are being yanked out from underneath us will leave us in the long tea3½rm with incarceration as the only robustly funded and reliable tool for dealing with our housing crisis, which is sure to be exacerbated by economic downturns over the next few years.

It is my sincere hope that the County will choose to prioritize compassionate care in this hour of urgency, and see that we have options that will prevent that future from coming to pass. By prudently redirecting the use of funding sources that have already been created, we can maintain the health and safety of our community and weather the storm together. Together, we set the floor for how we treat our neighbors, and how we deploy our shared resources to uplift and protect the most vulnerable. We cannot allow the Trump administration to smash that floor out from underneath us all, and we don’t have to. Thank you.

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4/21/25 Newsweek managed to interview an actual person who is spokesperson for 505501, Hunter Dunn (here is Hunter’s facebook, presumably), and Newsweek printed a list of all the protests. Here is the Wikipedia for 50501. It soon partnered with Political Revolution, a group that helped launch Bernie’s 2016 campaign, not to be confused with Our Revolution, which was formed to carry it on. So if you see https://www.pol-rev.com/about-us/, it is that, not some kind of weird fringe group. Good to know!

4/20/25: One local activist involved with yesterday’s great 4/19/25 Public Square rally and march around downtown shared this guide, which is interesting! I’m hoping to compile some of the cool signs and slogans!

4/16/2025: 4/16 and Every Wednesday @ 10:30 am NOTE NEW TIME

• Special event this week! Recess at Bernies

• Bernie Moreno office visit and rally. Click Here to Sign Up

• Dress for the weather, and bring a letter or statement to leave with the office.

• 4/17 and 4/22 - Every Tuesday & Thursday @ 5:00pm (virtual):

  • Phone Bank with Common Cause! STOP THE SAVE ACT! Register Here

• 4/16- 7:00pm - League of Women Voters Forum - Journalism in the Age of Political Polarization, Shrinking resources and Fragmented Audiences15911 Aldersyde Drive Shaker Hts High School.

• 4/17, Demonstration at The City Club Cleveland featuring Ohio Sen. Jerry Cirino @10:45 am Cirino is the architect of SB1, the bill attacking academic independence and DEI at Ohio colleges (see the cartoon below, he’s a bad dude). Sign up here.

• 4/17 Register new voters. We’ll be at Mission Kitchen, 2421 Community College off West 24th for voter engagement at food giveaway. Sign up here for this and other upcoming events.

• 4/19 Protest with Chagrin Valley Dems. More info and register.

• 4/21, Dyngus Day Voter Engagement. Meet at Happy Dog, 5801 Detroit, Detroit Shoreway, 1-3 or 3-5 pm. (a celebration of Polish culture and traditions) Sign up here.

• 4/24, Register First Time Voters at East Tech HS, 9:30-noon. Sign up here.

4/11/25: This is a thoughtful piece about the dilemmas of collective action from The Ink.

4/8/25: Sue Dean reports the Cleveland PD said 5000 different people participated in the Market Square event. I was late due to public transportation problems and having to walk from Detroit Avenue, so I arrived afer the speakers, but that 5000 estimate seems high, and may have been used to justify police overtime. I’d say half that.

The crowd was not very racially diverse. Part of this may be that while there may have been many rank-and-file union members, I didn’t see a lot of formal labor presence, which is surprising given Brian Pearson’s editorial in the PD. Honestly, the venue was n-o-t ideal: Market Square is too small. Even small towns attracted a couple of thousand throughout the country.

My estimate and that of some others was that less than 1 in 50 were African American and even less Latino presence. There is lots of debate as to why. A number of African-American YouTubers and social media influencers launched a #SitYourBlackAssDown boycott of sorts and complained the list of issues didn’t adquately stress racial justice or for instance passage of the George Floyd Justice bill. I tend to look for diverse pairs of activists, as when people who are diverse come to a rally together, they are just the kind of folks I like to talk with about www.wimby.org. I talked to about a half dozen such couples of various ages. Clearly, however, there were not enough efforts by the largely white suburbanite Indivisible folks and other key organizers to build a real coalition as opposed to an online call to action. And the Democratic Party in CLE has long failed to emphasize voter registration, as it protects safe seats and doesn’t want to risk the unknown; it also does a poor job supporting the top of the ticket. Building left-center unity is never easy.

But I want to focus in this commentary on Grey Power and yes I saw at least a dozen people whose hair was grey but skin was not white. At the time, I estimated that there were two grey-haired women for every grey-haired man (says I, a still blonde 76 year old—but don’t unbutton my shirt, I’m getting there.

I’ve said in the past (the past is pre-substack) that the revolution may not be televised but its demographic will be disproportionately retired people! Here are some great photos from the Radical Elders. And one thing about them: They actively have striven for diversity since the onset. We all must do so, but let’s just do it instead of complaining afterwards. One approach, pair up in diverse pairs and go to rallies together! I try but am a bit isolated.

4/7/25: See this excellent account of the April 5 protests here in the People’s World. Twice the nation’s oldest daily or weekly “alternative press organ”, the People’s World (PW)—continuing the Daily Worker—tried to attract me to its staff. Once was in 1967, when Tom Foley met this young Liberation News Service/Student Communication Network reporter in Cleveland at a University Student Peace conference, and then in the mid-70s when I was working in Chelsea for the anti-poverty Chelsea Action Center, and had written a couple of articles for the People’s Daily World as well as the Chelsea News, about youth jobs and tenant activism in Chelsea.

You see, this journalism thing, it has been a constant for me, and this substack now gives me my own outlet! In the end, they didn’t make an offer in the 70s, conveying to me via Judy Gallo, that I was not considered a “developed Marxist-Leninist.” True. Judy and John Gallo, a musician, ended up as friends over the decades and later lived out their lives as activists here in Cleveland. The fact is that if you want a reliable sources of social movement news and labor news, the PW has the largest staff and most experience and contacts of any left publication in the US. I often disagree with particular editorial stances. But as this mass movement of opposition and resistance continues, you will see that the PW everywhere (e.g. tables at both Cleveland Resistance Fairs).

(4) Northeast Ohio Black Health Coalition. The purpose of the group is: “NEO Black Health Coalition’s vision is to achieve health parity (equality) in the African American/Black population. To create equity in the African American community addressing the cumulative health impact of racial, economic, environmental and social justice inequities in education, employment, housing and health by working to educate, advocate for and empower the community. Yvonka Marie Hall, MPA, RA, CTTS, GRMS, Executive Director, delivered remarks.

4/7/25: See this substack on how to protest safely!

4/6/25: Marc Cooper’s observations are similar to mine: these events came from mainstream folks like Indivisible, unions, and so forth. Marc linked here in the Times as well.

4/5/25 Report from Cleveland: I managed to fight off the cold I caught participating for www.wimby.org in the Resistance Fair last Saturday and felt well enough to attend, wearing my 2010 DSA hat (10/2/10 Jobs, Justice & Education for All, with Democratic Socialists of America on the back) and J Street tee-shirt ("Pro-Israel & ProPalestinian & ProDemocracy & ProDiplomacy & ProJustice and ProPeace). The protest on W. 25th St. Market Square at Lorain was so huge it overfilled the square and people lined the streets on both sides for two blocks north and half a block south!

Here is video from the Facebook of Ohio General Assembly Representative Tristan Rader.

Every key issue was well spoken for with incredible hand made signs. As I have argued in the intro to this “beat” "What many call Resistance 2.0 but others like to call The Opposition is clearly taking shape. Now is not the time to quibble but to act. The creativity and grassroots quality of The Opposition is showing itself time and again. It is too large and politically varied and diverse to enable any sectarian left group to seize it."

The Cleveland Plain Dealer said "hundreds rallied" and I'd say at least 1000 people ot Market Square alone plus, as the paper reported there were other protests in Ravenna, Medina, and Strongsville.

J Street's contingent was scattered and small as it was impossible to link up. I have dozens of photos and will try to link to them later as this thread matures.

This is a truly mass revulsion and it was primarily anger at Trump and Musk, fear of cuts in SS and Medicaid, and attacks on immigrants and Trans folks and on democracy as a whole, which were the main messaging, with plenty of signs as well about Mahmoud Khalil. It drizzled but the actual rain didn't start until after the rally was over, but a couple of hundred remained to waive signs as passers by. Incredible!

3/28/25 for Event on April 3: Webinar 7:00pm EDT

Breaking the Silence: Courage to Act in the Face of Fear

3/27/25

West Side Resistance Fair Saturday, March 29 from 11 am to 2 pm @ Lakewood Fieldhouse, 1384 Hird Ave. Lakewood 44107. And when you leave the fair Politics and Pints w / CCPC Saturday, March 29 from 11 am to 3 pm @ The Ohio Inn, 11822 Detroit Ave. Lakewood 44107

Tesla Takeover - Lyndhurst Saturday, March 29 from 12:30 to 2 pm @ Tesla Motors Cleveland, 5180 Mayfield Rd. Lyndhurst 44124

Veto Project 2025 with MTV NEO and CDWC Sunday, March 30 from 11 am to 1 pm @ 20200 Van Aken Blvd. Shaker Heights 44122

Tuesdays Q & A with Senator Bernie Moreno Every Tuesday from 9:30 am to noon @ 801 W. Superior Ave. Cleveland 44113

Wednesday at Bernies - Cleveland Office Visit Every Wednesday from 10 am to noon @ 801 W. Superior Ave. Cleveland 44113

Hands Off! Cleveland / NEO Fight Back Saturday, April 5 from 2 to 4 pm @ Market Square Park, W. 25th and Lorain Ave. Cleveland 44113

Hands Off! Strongsville, Berea, Middleburg Hts. Parma, Parma Heights, Olmsted Falls Saturday, April 5 from 2 to 4 pm @ Strongsville Commons, Rte. 82 and Pearl Rd. Strongsville

Tell Your Representative Vote NO on the Save Act!

Keep Immigrant Communities Safe: Report ICE abuses to the Ohio Immigrant Hotline 419 777 HELP ( 4357 )

Sign the Ohio Stands With Immigrants petition

Join the Indivisible Movement

NEO Indivisible

Indivisible: A Practical Guide to Democracy on the Brink

10 ways to be prepared and grounded now that Trump has won

SB 1 Nightmare

Please click here to find out what's in SB 1 and what you can do to help stop the nightmare

SB 1: Re - Making Ohio's Universities in Trump's Image

Running for Office in 2025?

If so, please contact us about participating in the CCPC endorsement process.

Speaking of 2025

Please click Stay Ready in 2025! to update your address and contact information to ensure we are connecting you with the right opportunities to promote progressive change.

Join a Cuyahoga County Dem Club

Some of the Dem clubs are already becoming hubs of local resistance to Trump's agenda and / or Republicans. And it would not hurt to have a progressive presence in as many clubs as possible. Please click here to find the one in your community

Past:

NASW Advocacy Day Tuesday 3/25, I’ll be there.

Per Robert Reich: The next promising action occurs April 5 when Indivisible events, held by various local chapters, will span the whole country.More details: handsoff2025.com

I’m off to save the post office at 4:00pm and then to the Labor/Repo Rights mixer. Best way to know Opposition Action is to belong to the CCPC (Cuyahoga County Progressive Caucus, which just sent all the below until ****

CCPC April Meeting: The State of Labor in Northeast Ohio

CCPC April Meeting: The State of Labor in Northeast Ohio Wednesday, April 23 from 6:30 to 8 pm. Our main topic in April will be the state of the labor movement in Northeast Ohio. Our guest speaker is Brian Pearson, the Executive Secretary of the North Shore AFL - CIO Federation of Labor We'll also have our usual update on the Trump Resistance movement in Northeast Ohio. Please click here to register for the event. After registering you'll receive an email with the Zoom link.

Trump Resistance

USPS Day of Action to Save our Post Office's Thursday, March 20 @ 4 pm @ Cleveland Post Office, 2200 Orange Ave. Cleveland 44101

Constituent Town Hall Thursday, March 20 from 6 to 8 pm @ Parma Powers Branch Library, 7190 Powers Blvd. Parma 44129

Musk or Us Town Hall Saturday, March 22 from 10 am to noon @ Fairview Park Gemini Center, 21255 Lorain Rd. Fairview Park 44126

Empty Chair Town Hall, Ohio's 7th District Representative Max Miller Saturday, March 22 from 3:30 to 5 pm @ Medina County Library, 210 South Broadway St. Medina 44256

Cleveland Rally to Save USPS Sunday, March 23 from 1 to 2 pm @ Cleveland Post Office, 2200 Orange Ave. Cleveland 44101

Tuesdays Q & A with Senator Bernie Moreno Every Tuesday from 9:30 am to noon @ 801 W. Superior Ave. Cleveland 44113

Wednesday at Bernies - Cleveland Office Visit Every Wednesday in March from 10 am to noon @ 801 W. Superior Ave. Cleveland 44113

NEO Indivisible General Meeting Wednesday, March 26 @ 7 pm @ St. Paul's Episcopal Church, 2747 Fairmount Blvd. Cleveland Heights 44106

West Side Resistance Fair Saturday, March 29 from 11 am to 2 pm @ Lakewood Fieldhouse, 1384 Hird Ave. Lakewood 44107

Tell Your Representative Vote NO on the Save Act!

Every Wednesday 10:00am, 801 West. Superior, outside Senator Moreno’s office

CCPC April Meeting: The State of Labor in Northeast Ohio Wednesday, April 23 from 6:30 to 8 pm. Our main topic in April will be the state of the labor movement in Northeast Ohio. Our guest speaker is Brian Pearson, the Executive Secretary of the North Shore AFL - CIO Federation of Labor We'll also have our usual update on the Trump Resistance movement in Northeast Ohio. Please click here to register for the event. After registering you'll receive an email with the Zoom link.

****

Thursday March 20, 5:00pm, Ohio Inn, Mixer for Labor and Reproductive Rights, Ohio Inn, 11822 Detroit Ave., Lakewood, sponsored by Jobs for Justice and National Women’s Law Center.

Sunday, March 23rd, 1 pm: The National Association of Letter Carriers, Cleveland Branch 40, is holding a "Rally to Save USPS" at the main Cleveland post office, 2200 Orange Avenue. Image below. (Can’t make it; in NYC). Good Morning! Since the founding of our nation, the United States Postal Service has been a cornerstone of American life, dedicated to delivering mail to every household—no matter where they live. The USPS isn’t just a service; it’s a public institution that connects communities, supports local economies, and ensures universal mail delivery for all.

But today, the Postal Service is under attack. Privatization and harmful restructuring threaten the jobs of hardworking postal employees, like the members of NALC Branch 40, and the essential services that millions of Americans rely on every day. We refuse to stand by while the USPS is dismantled. That’s why on Sunday, March 23, at 1:00 PM, we’re taking action! As part of a nationwide day of action, letter carriers, and union and community allies will rally together to send a loud and clear message: Hands off our USPS! Join us as we fight to protect union letter carrier jobs and defend the Postal Service from privatization. Your support is crucial—our livelihoods, our communities, and the future of universal mail service depend on it. Date: Sunday, March 23, 2025. Location: Orange Avenue Post Office, 2200 Orange Ave., Cleveland, OH 44101 Time: 1:00 p.m. - 2:00 p.m. program. NALC Branch 40 will gather from 12 p.m. - 3 p.m.

Hands Off (check for events)

Why We’re Mobilizing for April 5th

Subscribe to Portside’s Five Daily Emails (You won’t always agree; I don’t, but no better curated source of progressive news and opinion, often from mainstream sources you’ll otherwise miss)

Jeremy Brecher’s wisdom on this.

Bookmark this The Opposition Substack Post on your browser

Introduction Below, Acts of Opposition Above: What many call Resistance 2.0 but others like to call The Oppostion is clearly taking shape. Now is not the time to quibble but to act. The creativity and grassroots quality of The Opposition is showing itself time and again. It is too large and politically varied and diverse to enable any sectarian left group to seize it.

As George Meany famously said (and I heard him say it), “All are welcome.” He said that in 1978 at the first and not as well known Solidarity Day in Washington DC, at an April rally at a football stadium in support of the Humphrey-Hawkins Full Employment Act of 1978. Each year starting in 1975, there had been a left-led/rank-and-file labor effort to have annual April Marches in DC to Honor Dr. King and demand Jobs for All and support the HH Act, which originally—like the Full Employment Act of 1974—had sought to guarantee jobs.

As the size of the annual rallies grew, the AFL-CIO itself joined in. This was a turning point for the labor movement, which began to move away from its cold war McCarthyism and realize it was time to organize and work for transformative changes. The lesson?

Put aside old sectarian divides and begin to work together. If none other than George Meany and his SDUSA can say, “all are welcome,” we must say that today. That means progressives are welcome, moderates are welcome, business folks are welcome, democratic socialists are welcome—along with well-behaved membes of the far left—, and certainly among those who are welcome are members of all of those communities which the MAGA movement is attacking: transpeople and the whole LGBTQ+ community; immigrants including noncitizens, permanent residents, refugees and even naturalized citizens; members of the labor movement; members of professions such as social work who only seek to ethically serve clients and communities, and on and on.

It seems no one is immune to the MAGA viruses in their many varieties, and more and more of those who were originally feeling left out of Resistance 1.0 are becoming attracted to The Opposition.

One prescription to counter the latest virus?: Take one act a day (do something once a day, as part of The Opposition). Repeat daily. Rest, especially on any Sabbath or during any weekly religious observanceyou you observe (the Jewish Sabbath was an early form of resistance, there were surely others before and since in various cultures; rituals which reinforced rest). Rest is Resistance. Exercise Daily (self-care is essential).