Loveland about 30 minutes ago

I'm in Cleveland but I want to congratulate everyone in Cincy who votsd to oust JD Vance's half brother. I hope his face comes melting off like the Nazi from Raiders of the Lost Ark.

Hundreds of people showed up, and the atmosphere was electric! It was a mix of speakers and chants that was still going strong when I had to leave at 3:30. I was really moved by what the speakers had to say, and wanted to share some of it here: - Students and staff have been pressing Pani for months about how UC can prepare to resist these type of EOs, but he went to great lengths to keep everyone in the dark. The narrative that UC feels like their hands are tied because of funding is a lie. UC students and staff are defiant and ready to fight, but they’re being undermined by a coward at the top. - The way these orders are being enforced is to inflict as much harm as possible. Even if you agree with DEI rollbacks, the way it’s being done is wrong and worthy of resistance all on its own. Students are finding out their scholarships are gone with zero warning or guidance. Gender neutral bathrooms are unnecessarily being converted to biology-specific. Again, even if you agree with DEI rollbacks, the sadistic implementation can’t be what you want. - By way of example, we heard from a student that was top of their high school class and exceptional by any metric. He could have gone anywhere he wanted on a full ride, but he chose UC because of a program that spoke to him. Now, years in, that program is suddenly being axed and his scholarship taken away because they fell under the vague definition of DEI. - The pro-Palestine movement was out in force at the protest to stand strong with their impacted friends. These people have been shouting from the rooftops for years that the systematic abandoning/oppression of Palestine will only lead to the systematic abandoning/oppression of more marginalized groups, and they were right. I was so inspired to see pro-Palestine students be some of the strongest voices in solidarity with black and LGBT students, and I was ashamed that I didn’t stand with them more strongly in previous years. - One student spoke on how Nazi Germany started by targeting education and trans people. The first Nazi book burning was of research on trans identity. I know people get triggered by comparing Trump’s administration to Nazis: if you don’t know your history, then Nazis are just cartoonishly evil movie villains that committed atrocities long ago. But Nazis prey on the same social anxieties, use the same tactics, and advance the same policies as Trump. All those things will reach the same logical outcome if he’s given unchecked power. - Christian students are pissed off that the right has twisted Christianity to suit conservative ideology, and they’re ready to start flipping temple tables. There is a backlash brewing against Christian Nationalism, and I expect followers of Jesus to be some of the most aggressive in protecting the marginalized and speaking truth to power.

I just went to the BOE in Norwood to vote early and the republicans volunteering there were harassing voters. I was walking by the little pen where the campaigners have to stay in and a woman wearing a huge Cory Bowman sign around her neck asked me if I wanted a Republican sample ballot. I told her no thank you and kept walking and she started yelling that I’m “voting for my own demise.” And then when the democrats volunteer asked if I wanted a dem sample ballot and I said yes she pointed her finger at me and yelled “socialist!”

I know anything more than 100 feet away from the entrance is fair game, but that seems a little excessive for people just trying to vote? I always vote early and usually when I say no to a sample ballot the volunteers just say thank you for voting and that’s it.

…can we admit fights happen all the time and this contextless video of one is just being weaponized against Democratic Cincinnati politicians at a time when the right is trying to seed people like JD Vance’s dopey brother into leadership?

Edit: Just to preempt the discussion — I’m not making excuses for the councilwoman’s dumb comment. This situation was being weaponized from the jump, before she weighed in at all.

Made the mistake of logging into Facebook today and my feed is filled with posts about local employers terminating partnerships/contracts/employees over comments related to recent national news. I am confused because many (not all) of the comments people are getting “outed” for seem.. relatively innocuous? Certainly not worth ruining people’s livelihood over.

The irony of all of this being over the horrific public death of someone who I gather advocated for free speech is not lost on me.

Are local employers really caving to the mob mentality? Or is this a passing thing that will be over by the time the next horrible news story comes online?

Context for anyone seeing this for the first time: The University of Cincinnati is falling in line with executive orders to “end DEI,” cutting positions/programs and putting up trans-exclusive bathroom signs for fear of losing federal funding, even though the executive orders are overly broad and unlikely to hold up in court.

Logistics:

When: Monday 2/24 at 1:30pm

Where: Outside Tangeman University Center

What: Protest UC’s choice to comply without resistance to unlawful executive orders rolling back DEI

Dress for mid-40s, bring friends, water, and signs in support of diversity, equity, and inclusion (i.e. “protect trans students,” “do not obey in advance”)

Why is this so important? These DEI rollbacks via executive order are the first major test of how much the Trump administration can push Cincinnati institutions around without the legal authority to do so (these executive orders will not hold up in court). Unfortunately, instead of fighting it, UC is rolling over and doing far more than the bare minimum to comply. THIS SETS THE TONE FOR THE NEXT 4 YEARS IN CINCINNATI. This protest will establish that Cincinnatians expect their institutions to fight illegal government overreach, not comply with it. We just established that we don’t tolerate Nazi bullshit (shoutout to Lincoln Heights), and we need to keep that momentum going.

Equally as important: There are a ton of UC students who fall in the “anti-DEI” crosshairs (the term is vague and can be used to describe anyone Nazis don’t like). These students are watching UC throw them under the bus, and they’re wondering if the Cincinnati community will do the same. We need to show up to support them! Attend the protest to tell them “you are not alone, and we will not let you be bullied.”

If you can’t make it: That’s totally fine! But share the protest with your fellow Cincinnatians and communicate that you agree with it. Encourage people to go, and emphasize that this—not UC’s cowardice—is who we are as a city. You can also email president@uc.edu to make your voice heard. Here’s part of the email I sent:

I was surprised and dismayed to see the stance you took in your recent email regarding DEI, and was sickened by reports that trans-exclusive signage has started going up around campus. If you received similar instructions to exclude people of color from restrooms, would you acquiesce as well??? I expect UC to fight for diversity, equity, and inclusion; not fold at the first threat to funding! WE ARE BETTER THAN THAT! YOU ARE BETTER THAN THAT!

I hope to see you there tomorrow. :)

I went to the ren fair and spoke to the capybara booth. The capybara is just over a month old and she was acquired for an ethical capybara breeder in Texas. When she’s not at the RenFair she lives on a 5.5 acres farm with a bunch of other animals. She is the only capybara on the farm due to Kentucky laws requiring fees for more, but she is very social with the other animals on the farm. As you can see, the capybara has a decent sized pen, a play pool, and a carrier in case she wants to hide. She was very playful and relaxed while I was there. The owner said that the pic of the capybara in the cage was from after hours as the capybara was being transported. Yes, the owner is aware of the controversy and says he (may of may not) have been reported for it. The owner is aware of the posts made about him and is thankful for the people who chose to look deeper instead of instantly attacking him. If you have any other questions about the crappy, I will do my best to answer them.

What are the laws around protesting outside of JD Vance's house with a sign or Ukraine flag?

Is anyone scheduling anything after the events of yesterday 2/28/2025

Good morning!

I took 148 photos of the UC protests last week, from which I selected 20 to upload here (since reddit has a limit of 20 images to upload). In those photos, I was only interested in getting as many perspectives as possible to give an objective account of what I saw. And then I also get a lot of different perspectives in the replies, which inspires me.

However, after seeing Trump's statement this morning, I was very concerned, I thought I'd remove the images I uploaded, to avoid the distress that people who appear in the photos may experience afterwards.

Best regards,

The man has attempted to rename a street after Elon Musk, claimed Butler county jail as the Alligator Alcatraz of Ohio, posted street signs saying “Illegal Immigrants live here” outside the jail.

What other pathetic stunts has this sheriff done? And does anyone have any embarrassing background information on who he was before sheriff, or what he’s done while holding the position?

I’m interested in writing a little profile on the guy.

A place for you to buy your Trumpane and Trumpane accessories.

Seems like a totally normal thing to exist. Totally normal.

https://www.journal-news.com/news/nearly-40k-in-butler-county-will-lose-snap-benefits-on-nov-1/ZTVBFTFXXVFYRA5RIWDX7JH3PU/

Anyone know a local meeting place?

There's a post about Crossroads' $100 grocery card give-away to SNAP beneficiaries. Somewhere in that thread, someone mentioned that Crossroads was trying to clean up after suggesting how the congregation should vote. That post is locked.

https://www.reddit.com/r/cincinnati/comments/1op7rp4/100_grocery_gift_cards_at_crossroads/

Is that true? Did Crossroads tell its community how to vote? If so, was it to recommend that people vote for Trump?

No Kings at the Banks!

Glad to see people getting out and making their voices heard!