Action Alerts

Stepping Up to Help Neighbors in Need 
Funding for SNAP benefits are scheduled to end 10/31. ICO recognizes the potential humanitarian crisis of millions of people being without access to food. Now is the time for all of us to step up to help our neighbors! Please consider making a donation to one of these organizations. 

• Mid-Ohio Food Collective: cash donations (to our own ICO link) are most wanted as they have buying power in bulk and can provide more food for people.  

• Clintonville Beechwold Community Resources Center, providing meals directly to people in need.

The Ohio Redistricting Commission just released their proposed Congressional map, and what's at stake couldn't be clearer: the political future of Ohio for the next decade.

Here's what the new map does:

• Threatens seats currently held by Cincinnati Rep. Greg Landsman and Toledo Rep. Marcy Kaptur—the longest-serving woman in congressional history
• Reshapes Akron Rep. Emilia Sykes' district to be more Democratic
• The proposal would fend off Republicans’ plan to pass a 13-2 Republican favored district map in November, when the GOP doesn’t need Democratic votes. Republicans, in turn, would avoid a ballot campaign to upend a congressional map.

This map will lock in our representation for ten years. We cannot sit this one out.

Ohio Statehouse: 1 Capitol Square, Columbus, Ohio 43215

House Finance Committee Hearing Room (Room 313)

TOMORROW at 10:00 AM

October 30, 5 p.m. Eastern / 2 p.m. Pacific. Join us online! 
(Please note: This link will take you to a third-party website, youtube.com.)

What this nation has experienced at the hands of the Trump administration over the past several months is as troubling as it is illegal.

From intensified attacks on free speech to large-scale and warrantless immigration raids to military troops in cities across the country – the president is using the immense power of the federal government to try and silence opposition through fear.

As alarming as these escalated abuses of power continue to be, we the people have proven time and again that we will never stop showing up for each other and for our democracy. Together, we can win – and that is why the ACLU is bringing together our entire community for a crucial event next week.

SB 172 would require all public officials (state and local) to allow all immigration-related arrests with or without a warrant, even if the person is only “suspected” of being undocumented. It has passed the Senate and is moving in the House Public Safety Committee. 

Find your state rep and tell them to HELP STOP SB 172, which just came over from the Senate, as it hurts all of us.

Wednesday, October 29, 12pm
Columbus City Hall, 90 W. Broad St.

Columbus neighborhoods are currently part of a thoughtful case-by-case review process for building Accessory Dwelling Units (ADUs) – sometimes called in-law suites or granny flats. The system is slow and unclear, so it makes sense to streamline the process; but the solution shouldn’t be to silence residents.

A proposal from Councilmember Otto Beatty III would allow ADUs (essentially a second house) on all residential lots without any neighborhood review or input. Residents would lose the opportunity to weigh-in on whether an ADU is appropriate for their community.

While a simpler process may help homeowners with $110,000+ to build a unit, the main beneficiaries will be developers and investors (e.g., see https://www.leasethelawn.com/ ) Without community input, investor-driven ADU projects could irresponsibly harm neighboring property owners and erode neighborhood character.

Every Tuesday

BOO! $2 Tuesday is back! Community care doesn't have to be spooky, it can just be fun!

Cashapp: @theheertoserve

Venmo: $heer2serve

Tuesday, October 28, 2025, 12:00 – 5:00 PM
Oval on Ohio State University campus
All funds raised will go to supporting the Middle East Children’s Alliance (MECA) in their efforts to provide necessary resources to those in need.
Sponsored by Students for Justice in Palestine.

One of the symptoms of late state capitalism is CORPORATOCRACY; the merging of government with the greed of the business world. Now you know what to call it!

Ohio experienced this when Republicans sold their souls to AEP and coordinated the largest corruption scandal in state history. Not to be outdone, Columbus City government has adopted the same strategy embracing Zone-In as a disguise for the corporate take-over of the city. Phase one was a MASTERPIECE of political theater coordinated by a professional marketing company (that worked behind the scenes with developers and real estate investors). Still no master plan, less than 4 percent of the city involved in the decisions, and MILLIONS of TAX-PAYER DOLLARS spent on hiring outside consultants to help make the decisions. Need another example?

You may have heard about the federal SAVE Act, which would prevent millions of eligible American citizens from voting.

But there’s also an Ohio version of the SAVE Act moving through the Statehouse. It’s even more dangerous, and more likely to pass.

It’s hard to explain how unAmerican Ohio’s SAVE Act is. This bill (SB 153 and its identical twin HB 233) would stop tens of thousands (potentially hundreds of thousands) of eligible Ohio citizens from voting.

The bill would also make it much harder for Ohioans to gather hundreds of thousands of signatures to place constitutional amendments on the ballot — already an incredibly difficult task.

Due to an unprecedented number of applications, the Fund for Immigrant Legal Assistance (FILA) has exhausted its resources. Donations—always tax-deductible—are urgently needed to continue supporting immigrant families to pay their legal fees and expenses. What can you do?

1. Send a tax-deductible donation to FILA.

2. Hold a collection at your religious congregation or social club for FILA

3. Hold a house party for FILA

Do you have fundraising expertise? 

Contact us at the HUB by responding to this email or emailing directly at fila@firstuucolumbus.org

Learn more about how to help fundraise or donate to FILA.