Dayton protesters question spending for NATO conference instead of addressing local needs
They were small, as of noon, with about 200 people spread over three sites outside the NATO meeting area, including one officially designated protest zone. They were polite, too, compared to protests in November outside the last NATO gathering in Montreal, where Reuters reported that two cars were set on fire and police deployed smoke bombs on the crowd.
This time, at Jefferson and 4th streets in Dayton, a local police officer applied sunscreen to his head and face and joked that his wife would be angry if he came home with a sunburn.
Among issues that drew protesters' ire Saturday was the amount of money spent — $6.3 million in federal and state funds for security — to host NATO officials in Ohio.
"NATO spends billions on war, weapons and power struggles," said Lauren Lorraine, of Cincinnati, who's part of a group called the Poor People's Army.
More NATO news: NATO chief says Europe will pay more for defense, keeps mum on Ukraine talks
She listed after-school programs, job-training, health clinics and housing as areas that could have benefited from the money spent to host NATO in Ohio. "It's morally wrong to spend more on war than well-being," she said.
Sandy Bolzenius headed from Columbus to Cooper Park in Dayton's downtown to talk to others about the "We the People Amendment," a nationwide effort to adopt local, state and federal rules to reduce the influence of corporate money in politics and government.
Others collected signatures to put Senate Bill 1, the Ohio General Assembly's overhaul of higher education in the state, on the fall ballot for possible repeal.
Ann Bollheimer, of Fort Loramie, a village about 40 miles north of Dayton, joined other members of Veterans for Peace at the protests. She said she opposed the idea of Dayton hosting an international conference when it could help its unhoused residents instead.
Asked why she chose the messages, "No to NATO" and "Invest in People, Not Weapons," for the placard she held, Bollheimer said: "I could only hold one sign."
Reporter Bob Vitale can be reached at rvitale@dispatch.com.
This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: Dayton protesters speak out against NATO conference spending
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