"Shenanigans on the Glendale Village Square"
On April 15, talk of guns and dirt bags raged in the center of Glendale. The Village Square was used as a venue to promote the Tea Party and a former and most likely future political candidate, Mike Wilson. How inappropriate.
The March 17 minutes of The Glendale Village Council's Finance Committee reported, " The Glendale Tea Party requested permission to hold a rally in the village square and was turned down by the Mayor with a suggestion they consider a park instead; the Tea Party wants to serve liquor and would require a license and security."
At the April 4 Council meeting, no Finance Committee report was given and not a word was said about the April 15 rally.
The Cincinnati Tea Party website was avidly promoting the Glendale Square rally . The Village was mum.
On April 11, a postcard from the Tea Party was mailed to all the residents of Glendale announcing the April 15 rally and promoting "Glendale Merchant Tax Free Day."
Hamilton County Commissioner, Todd Portune was asked, "The April 15 event seems to imply Glendale businesses aren't paying their County sales tax on April 15... Most likely they are paying, just discounting their own price. Sort of a sham. Any problem with this?"
Todd Portune replied,
"I think your assumption is correct. So long as they actually do pay, it's ok. Besides they would love nothing better than for us to do something about it. Better left alone I think."
At the event, two members of the Glendale Village Council served as "celebrity wine and beer pourers." There was a couple carrying a sign saying "Obama is a SOCIALIST and TRAITOR." Radio shock host Doc Thompson called U.S. Representative Steny Hoyer a "dirt bag." Mike Wilson followed labeling Democrats as "dirt bags." Glendale resident, Paul Breidenbach responded, " I don't want to over dramatize, but that kind of language over a microphone reminds me of radio campaigns of de-humanization that got the Rwandan Hutu population ready to kill their neighbors. And that speech came twenty minutes after the guitarist, who opened the entertainment, crooned a song telling the crowd it was time to get a gun."
A Village official, when asked about the rally, stated, "The Village is not a sponsor and did not agree to shut down the Square."
True, the Village did not promote the event and the Square remained open, but the Village has obviously been a facilitator in support of this political rally. To me, the terms complicity and collusion aptly describe the Village role in the April 15 event.
There is so much wrong with all of this.
We have a right to imagine a Glendale much finer.
Richard O. Schwab was formerly associate head of school and middle school head, Cincinnati Country Day School. He is also neighborhood team leader, Glendale Organizing For America Community Team (www.gofact.blogspot.com) He lives in Glendale.
