NOTE: I am taking a break from my series on “Taking a Stand” to share a concrete example of how an organization taking a stand in Ohio has come under attack by the FBI. It illustrates the extent to which the Trump administration will go to disrupt full and fair elections this coming November.

An FBI Raid

Last Thursday, June 11, an estimated 125 FBI agents raided the offices of the community organization, the Ohio Organizing Collaborative (OOC), known for its voter registration work. They also raided the homes of several volunteers, civil rights leaders, community leaders, and staffers of OOC.

OOC  is a nonprofit organization whose website describes itself as “

          A  grassroots people-centered power organization. We unite base-building community organizing groups, student associations, and faith organizations with labor unions and policy institutes throughout Ohio. It is           our mission to organize everyday Ohioans, building transformative power organizations for racial, social, and economic justice. Our vision is to build a democratic multi-racial populist governing coalition in Ohio.”

Founded in 2007, OOC has offices located in every major city in Ohio. Among other things, the organization is known for its voter education work. Thus, it is not surprising that the focus of the FBI investigation is voter fraud. However, the real objective is not to stop a crime (because there isn’t one) but rather to intimidate and halt voter registration and organizing efforts. In addition, OOC has filed objections to the state legislation seeking to gerrymander voting districts in favor of Republican candidates and spoken out against conservative Ohio legislators who have sought to pass a bill designed to create barriers for low-income voters and voters of color from casting their votes in elections. These barriers include such things as requiring identity cards and requiring mail-in votes to arrive by election day.

In addition to voting rights, OOC has worked on criminal justice reform, economic justice, funding for public education, and access to higher education. In their vision statement, OOC states:

     We believe that every Ohioan has value. Whether white, black, or brown, we believe that people who work for a living ought to make a living. We believe that Ohioans should be able to retire with dignity and prepare       our kids for the future. We believe everyone should have access to quality food, housing, transportation, and medical care. Everyone means everyone, no matter your ZIP Code.

 OOC has been targeted not because of voter fraud but because of their effectiveness in organizing everyday people around the issues that really matter, as the vision statement above stresses. They are being harassed because they care that people have their basic needs met and basic human rights protected.

The True Reason for the Raid

Now that the midterm primaries are over, the Trump administration is out to disqualify or intimidate people from going to the polls this November. Ohio is not the only state being targeted by the administration. Grassroots organizations in swing states like Pennsylvania, Wisconsin, Michigan, and others will most likely find themselves under attack like OOC. So we must communicate and cooperate with each other in-state and across states. POWER Interfaith Executive Director Rev. Dr. Gregory Edwards issued a statement that when an organization like OOC is raided and attacked, we must pay attention and not remain silent. This is not the only attempt to discourage voters in Ohio. Last month in Louisiana, the US Supreme Court (SCOTUS) ruled that the state voting map designed to ensure that Black candidates have a chance at getting elected was no longer valid. States like Mississippi and Alabama have rigged their voting districts away from racial equity as well.

The Trump administration has used the accusation of voter fraud ever since Trump lost the 2020 election and encouraged several hundred supporters to raid the Capitol building in an attempt to overthrow the valid election results. Trump can see the polls showing his decline, and so he is doing whatever he can to raise the voter fraud banner once again.

We must not only vote for this coming fall in the midterm elections, but also stop and protest any and all efforts like has been inflicted OOC, so that every citizen can vote their conscience and for the candidates they choose.