Cleveland Heights Democracy Day Brings Community Together

CLEVELAND HEIGHTS, OH - The city held its Democracy Day discussion on Jan. 25. The event was led by Mayor Cheryl Stevens and members of city council and was focused on an amendment passed in 2013 by the citizens of Cleveland Heights. That amendment stated that corporations do not deserve the same rights as people and established annual hearings on the impact of corporate money on politics.

Prior to the public comment period, Stevens took a moment to speak as a citizen and donned a pink hat that had been worn at the Women's March in DC by Cleveland Heights residents. She also added that the public comment session would be a bigotry-free zone.

Many of the comments urged people to get active with local groups that are pushing similar amendments in other cities. However, each speaker had a different focus or angle on how corporate money is impacting life in Cleveland Heights, Ohio, and the nation.

Some of the conversation topics included:

• The privatization of public schools
• The collapse of honey bee colonies
• Becoming a "welcoming city"
• The Commission on Presidential Debates
• And more...

The entire session was captured on video and is available for viewing below.

Photo from YouTube Screenshot