Chillicothe — Council finally has the long-anticipated “Anti-Racism Ordinance” on their agenda, and it got a tweak at its first reading.
In the October 28th council session, Greg McKeever, chair of Community Affairs, requested to change the name of the item and move its origin from the Parks & Recreation Committee to his.
It was a minor change, and did not affect the text of the resolution. Its central statement:
“The City of Chillicothe, Ohio stands united in condemning all forms of hate, intolerance, and discrimination. We, as city officials, law enforcement, and community leaders, resolve to meet when hate speech or incidents occur and to address them swiftly and with transparency.
“We will continue to educate our community on their rights, listen to their concerns, and work together to preserve the peace and harmony of our great city. We further resolve not to allow the ignorance and bias of any group seeking to disrupt the unity of Chillicothe to break the bonds of our community.
“Together, we will stand as a city where all are welcome, where diversity is celebrated. and where hate has no home.”
McKeever’s new name replaces “A Resolution Denouncing the Practice of Racism in the City of Chillicothe” with:
“A Resolution Denouncing and Condemning All Forms of Hate, Intolerance, and Discrimination in the City of Chillicothe.”
This proposed legislation is in response to an incident this spring. After flyers from the KKK were found on windshields in Chillicothe’s West End on March 17th, a flurry of condemnations and community concerned followed. That resulted in several speakers on the topic in Chillicothe Council March 25th.
As the Scioto Post reported March 20th, such flyers allegedly from a Kentucky chapter have been reported in other communities across Ohio, West Virginia, and Kentucky. (Similar “Keep America American” flyers from “Patriot Front” were posted in Circleville.)
The flyers also led to a formal community response August 28th when six officials gave short presentations in the “United Against Hate” forum held in the library annex.
The Chillicothe-Ross League of Women Voters also promoted dialog and diversity in yet another follow-up on October 29th.
Hear McKeever in his own words (during his struggle to pull up the email with the text of the resolution) and read the uncorrected text below.
The item has two more reads, when it should be passed by council.
