#BLM #ChristopherColumbusStatue Comes Down- C Austin

Published: June 27, 2020, 3:16 p.m.

5:00pm EST GrassRoot Ohio radio, 94.1FM & streaming at wgrn.org, Host Carolyn Harding w/ Christopher Austin, the originator of the petition to take down the Statue of Christopher Columbus in front of the Columbus City Hall.\nhttp://chng.it/brNFFqVm72\n\nChristopher Austin graduated from Otterbein University with a major in Theatre and received his Master\u2019s Degree in Pastoral and Professional Counseling from Methodist Theological School. He has received awards for his theatrical performances and completed his first feature film \u201cThings Are Tough All Over,\u201d directed by local film maker Chris Bournea. Christopher has worked in the field of counseling and social work for 6 years and has received recognition and awards for his work in the field. He is active in the Columbus community with the goal helping people find their voice of empowerment through the arts, volunteering in religious and community outreach, and social activism. \n\nOn Memorial Day, Monday, May 25), George Floyd was murdered by Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin, and was aided and abetted by officers J. Alexander Kueng, Thomas Lane and Tou Thao. \nSince then there has been no peace in Minneapolis, all over the states and around the world. Here in Columbus there are rallies, protests and marches daily and nightly. The Columbus Police have used aggression and violence -pepper spray, mace, wooden and rubber bullets, flash-bang grenades on those exercising their First Amendment Rights. People are being injured, harmed: A young woman has died from complications after being sprayed by chemical agents, a double amputee protestor was roughed up and left on the ground, 3 prominent African American politicians were pepper sprayed while standing in solidarity with protestors. \nDuring this #BlackLivesMatter movement, there has been a nationwide demand to remove the statues of perpetrators of Racial cruelty, discrimination and Injustice. And here, in our city, Christopher Columbus is coming down. \n\nChristopher you wrote an online petition to do just this, take down the statue of Christopher Columbus.\n\nBlack Lives Matters - policy, protests, rallies, marches, why the statue?\n\nGrassRoot Ohio w/ Carolyn Harding - Conversations with every-day people, working on important issues here in Columbus and all around Ohio!\n\nEvery Friday 5:00pm, EST on 94.1FM & streaming worldwide @ WGRN.org\n\nWe now air on Sundays at 4:00pm EST, at 107.1 FM, Wheeling/Moundsville WV on WEJP-LP FM.\n\nContact Us if you would like GrassRoot Ohio on your local station.\n\nCheck us out and Like us on Face Book: https://www.facebook.com/GrassRootOhio/\n\nAll shows/podcasts archived at SoundCloud! https://soundcloud.com/user-42674753\n\n#GrassRoot_Ohio radio/podcast now has our interviews on video: Show with #ChristopherAustin, #ChristopherColumbusComesDown \nhttps://youtu.be/3eIqQbH9uY8