Aharon Brown

Interview with Waycross Community Media

2022-02-16T00:00:00+00:00

Statement on Recent Mass Shootings and Hate Crimes Against the Asian-American Community

2021-03-25T00:00:00+00:00

It has been 1 week since the horrendous murder of 7 people in Atlanta, GA including 6 Asian American Women and 1 Man. As we grieve this loss as a nation, on Monday 3/22 we learned of yet another shooting incident in Boulder, Colorado in which 10 people lost their lives.

The unfortunate reality is that as we continue to fight the pandemic, America is still plagued with an epidemic of mass shootings that happen in our country with stunning regularity. In the last week alone, the United States has seen at least seven shootings in each of which at least four people were injured or killed. After a year of so much loss we should not be forced to imagine returning to a sense of normalcy means a return to fearing for our lives from gun violence.

It is time that our leaders stand up and create solutions to combat gun violence. We can and must take action to ensure this doesn’t continue to happen in our country. Until we can root out the racism and misogyny that fuel the hatred at the core of mass shootings, we must pass sensible gun laws and increase background checks.

I stand in solidarity with the Asian American community to bring attention to this issue and stand against violence against women. My prayers go out to the families of the victims in these senseless tragedies.

Statement on Breonna Taylor Decision

2020-09-23T00:00:00+00:00

Today, after months of protests nationwide, a grand jury has announced that charges would be levied against Brett Hankison, only one of the three police officers responsible for killing Breonna Taylor. Hankison will be charged with three counts of wanton endangerment in the first degree but no charges regarding ending Ms. Taylor’s life. Additionally, the grand jury has announced that two other officers, Jon Mattingly and Myles Cosgrove, will not be charged and claimed they were justified in their actions when they fired more than 20 rounds into the apartment fatally shooting Ms. Taylor. Let me be very clear, this is not justice.

It is incredibly disheartening, but not surprising, that all three officers were not charged and have alluded facing the accountability for their actions. This is a miscarriage of justice and confirms what millions of demonstrators protesting for police and criminal justice reform have been demanding. We need real police and criminal justice reform! Every instance of police violence and evasion of justice diminishes faith in our legal system and is an affront to the ideals our system claims to stand for.

We must continue to place pressure on AG Daniel Cameron and Governor Beshear to do what is right: arrest and charge all of the officers involved in fatally shooting Breonna Taylor. We cannot allow her memory to be yet another casualty of institutionalized racism in the United States. Justice must be brought to Breonna and her family. Black Lives Matter.

Statement on the passing of Ruth Bader Ginsburg

2020-09-20T00:00:00+00:00

We have lost a legal giant of our time. Our nation mourns the loss of the incomparable Ruth Bader Ginsburg. She was a champion for gender equality and the architect of the legal fight for women’s rights. Originally a Clinton appointee in the early 90s, she would go on to serve on the nation’s highest court for nearly 3 decades and one of it’s most prominent figures. A towering figure of the virtues of our legal system, Ginsburg’s life is one to be admired and an inspiration to women and girls everywhere. Her popularity knew no bounds as she became a colossal cultural influence in her 80s acquiring the moniker “Notorious RBG.” Most fittingly, it is her legacy of tireless devotion to our democracy and its ideals that will ultimately change the trajectory of this nation for us all. As we draw closer to the 2020 election, let us follow her shining example. We cannot be drawn towards nihilism or defeatist attitudes, instead let her life be a continual inspiration and commitment to organizing and working for justice.

Opinion: Transit levy will make us stronger (from the Cincinnati Enquirer)

2020-08-25T00:00:00+00:00

This opinion piece from Aharon, co-written with Jill Meyer, P.G. Sittenfeld, and Celeste Treece, originally was published in the Cincinnati Enquirer on August 19th, 2020. To view the original article, click here.

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For the first time in history, the residents of Hamilton County voted to support public transit, infrastructure and the communities those services connect by passing Issue 7. This win is a ray of hope in the midst of the pandemic and is in line with the calls for racial justice and equality that our country must act on if we want to heal and become a more perfect union.

It is certainly true that public transit has been hard hit by a pandemic that has forced many to stay home and convinced others to avoid public spaces – including public transportation – as much as possible. However, increased funding provided by Issue 7 becomes much more vital as investments in public transit and infrastructure aid our region as we begin the long road to economic recovery.

As The Enquirer said in its editorial endorsing Issue 7, “It is a myth that public transportation is just a social program for poor people who don’t have cars. We need to view a healthy transportation system as vital to the economic health of our region.”

That remains as true now as it was before the pandemic’s impacts began to be felt. Cincinnati’s outdated public transportation system was hindering economic opportunity. Riders deal with lengthy and convoluted commutes, many workers simply can’t get to their workplace using public transit, and thousands of commuters worry about a hillside slippage or falling concrete as they traverse our roads and bridges.

Issue 7 will provide consistent funding to implement the Reinventing Metro plan that will ensure that buses run longer hours, arrive more frequently, and reach riders across the entire county.

This plan will enable public transit riders, 75% of whom are African American, to get where they’re going faster and more conveniently. This will enable residents in our communities – from Forest Park to Bond Hill and Westwood – to get to their jobs using public transportation, transforming the lives of so many people in our community for the better. With an expanded system that reaches more than just the urban core, business owners in Norwood, Sharonville and Blue Ash now have the opportunity to hire employees that had previously been inaccessible to them.

The passage of Issue 7 also provides a new revenue stream for much-needed infrastructure repair related to mass transit, including updates to roads and bridges that carry bus routes.

Improvements to the bus system give people time back in their day to spend with loved ones rather than waking early to start their trek across town several hours before their shift starts. It will mean fewer potholes and broken down bridges that puts fewer families one blown-out tire away from financial distress. This levy will change the lives of so many people in our community.

These changes will help Cincinnati, Hamilton County, and beyond to grow and come back from the pandemic stronger, with a system that makes our community more equitable.

The coalition that came together to support passage of Issue 7 was a wide array of community stakeholders who understand that investing in transportation means strengthening our region. It included transit riders who wanted a system that served them better, environmental groups invested in cleaner air and more sustainable transportation, and many local civic organizations who knew how long our community has needed to address this issue.

The business community invested deeply in this effort because local business leaders know that a strong public transportation system is the key to the Cincinnati region’s economic health, now and into the future.

Absolutely nothing seems normal or right as we deal with disease, economic distress, and a much-needed reckoning with racial inequity. Amidst all of it, however, our investment in a transit system that meets the needs of our community will help us emerge stronger with every resident having more access to build greater prosperity.

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Aharon Brown is a member of Forest Park City Council. Jill P. Meyer is president and CEO of the Cincinnati USA Regional Chamber. P.G. Sittenfeld is a member of Cincinnati City Council. Celeste Treece is the director of government relations for CommEN Strategies.

Statement on Winton Woods City Schools Name Change

2020-07-28T00:00:00+00:00

I am glad to see that the Winton Woods School Board has voted unanimously to remove the Native American logo. If we claim to be a nation that prides itself on diversity, we must acknowledge the harm we cause to the people who are effected by symbols like these. Cultures are not costumes or mascots and these sort of displays have always been antiquated and offensive. From here we can move in a new direction.

Statement on Arrest of House Speaker Larry Householder

2020-07-22T00:00:00+00:00

The events today regarding the federal investigation into Speaker of the House Larry Householder on charges of bribery come as a tremendous shock to all Ohioans. We are facing unprecedented times fighting the pandemic and an ever growing economic crisis and today’s news only serves as a distraction from our work to provide relief to Ohioans. These allegations also act as a betrayal of the public trust and hurts Ohioans faith in our institutions.

We demand that Representative Householder resign immediately and that House Republicans announce new leadership for House speaker. It is crucial that our representatives act decisively to get back to work for Ohioans across the state and rebuild trust between public officials and the communities we serve.

Statement on the Supreme Court’s ruling on reproductive rights

2020-06-29T00:00:00+00:00

The recent Supreme Court ruling protecting abortion clinics in Louisiana is a massive victory for reproductive rights. As the Supreme Court has acknowledged, the right to choose is one that shall not be infringed upon and is one that must be protected by the Constitution. Women and pregnant people are under attack every day for what they choose to do with their bodies, and this is just a reminder that some will stop at nothing to restrict that right. The next step is to make Roe v. Wade a federal law. Until then, we’ll always have the risk that the right to choose can be taken away.