Massachusetts peace activists will join the tens of thousands of protesters expected at this week's Democratic National Convention in Chicago.

At least two hundred social justice organizations plan to march near the convention site, with many protesting U.S. support for Israel's war in Gaza.

College Student and Massachusetts Peace Action Intern Lee Stevens of Attelboro said young voters see Vice President Kamala Harris as more receptive to their message.

"This is a great opportunity to shine some more light on the situation," said Stevens, "and pressure the Harris campaign to commit to an arms embargo and ceasefire immediately."

Harris has repeatedly called for a ceasefire but says she will not commit to an arms embargo.

An estimated 40,000 Palestinians have died since the October 7 Hamas attack on Israel, which killed more than one thousand Israelis.

College students have taken the lead in pressuring the Biden administration to end arms shipments to Israel.

Throughout the spring, police and college administrators clashed with students demanding their schools divest from Israeli companies. More than 3,000 people were arrested.

Stevens said believes the campus protests worked to raise public awareness about what he calls the "genocide" in Gaza, and said actions at the DNC will help reignite students this fall.

"The hope is that people will see that people are still fighting for this," said Stevens. "This is still visible. This needs to be fought for."

Stevens said he didn't witness any of the anti-semitism reported at some encampments, and that he works with many Jewish students also calling for a ceasefire.

According to a recent Reuters/Ipsos poll, more than 40% of Democratic registered voters disapprove of the U.S. handling of the war.





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Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth has ties with a controversial church based in Idaho and critics said the church's Christian nationalist views could guide his role in the Trump administration.

Hegseth is part of a church in Tennessee associated with the Communion of Reformed Evangelical Churches, founded by Doug Wilson in Moscow, Idaho, in the 1970s. The church holds extreme beliefs, including that the United States should follow biblical law.

Julie Ingersoll, professor of religious studies at the University of North Florida, has studied Christian Reconstructionists like Wilson. She said Hegseth's church is not like a megachurch in which you walk in and think of yourself as a member.

"That's just not how this kind of a church system works," Ingersoll explained. "In order to join, you have to attest to believing the same things and in order to remain a member you have to continue to believe those things."

Ingersoll added membership is strict and if people's beliefs change, they can be brought before the church courts on heresy charges. Wilson began his movement in part because he found a lack of sufficient Christian school options for his daughter. Hegseth has expressed similar views for his children.

The Communion of Reformed Evangelical Churches has congregations in almost every state and holds other extreme views, such as criminalization of people in the LGBTQ+ community. They are also deeply patriarchal, which Ingersoll noted is a label the church itself uses, with some arguing women should not have the right to vote.

Ingersoll pointed out Hegseth backtracked during his confirmation hearing on whether women should serve in the military.

"He kind of switched it in a soft way to not believing that women should be in combat," Ingersoll recounted. "That gives a flexibility to allow people to hear what he's saying and go, 'Oh, yeah. Maybe that's not a terrible thing.'"

In 2020, Hegseth published a book which mischaracterized the Islamic faith and positioned Muslims as historic enemies of the West. Ingersoll stressed the belief also flows from the church to which he belongs.

"For him, Islam and all other world religions and all other ideological systems, all isms, flow out of original sin in the Garden of Eden because they're all based in this idea that humans can reason apart from God," Ingersoll explained.


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Gov. Mike DeWine's recently released biennial budget keeps funding for domestic violence services at $20 million, maintaining the same level as the previous budget cycle.

Lisa DeGeeter, senior director for policy and prevention for the Ohio Domestic Violence Network, said while it prevents cuts, it falls short of addressing the growing demands they have seen over the past three years for crisis services.

"If five people showed up at the door, there was space for four and one was turned away," DeGeeter pointed out. "Two years ago, that number became one in three. Last year, it was nearly one out of every two. It was about 45% were turned away."

The Ohio Domestic Violence Network requested double the current funding to keep up with rising demand. While the level funding avoids cuts, federal reductions could mean fewer available services. She stressed shelters and crisis programs are already struggling to meet the need.

Some Ohio cities are adopting new approaches to combat domestic violence. Cleveland, for example, has implemented a fatality review and lethality risk-assessment program aimed at preventing homicides.

"If the offender has access to a weapon, if they've made threats, histories of mental health issues, there are things that law enforcement officers can screen for," DeGeeter noted. "Targeting those kinds of things so that additional services can get out to folks who are at greater risk."

DeGeeter added advocates plan to ask for the level funding to remain as the state Legislature reviews the budget. They argued without sufficient resources, more survivors may be left without the support they need to escape dangerous situations.

In Minnesota and Washington, D.C., marches will take place this weekend as President-elect Donald Trump nears the start of his second term.

An organization specializing in building peace around the globe will have a presence. Nonviolent Peaceforce, which has a location in Minnesota, was invited by organizers of the People's March to ensure demonstrators feel safe as they express their views.

Anna Zaros, director of organizational advancement for the group, said they take a nonpartisan approach in helping out. She considers Saturday's march a "low-risk" event but added they will be on the spot to carry out de-escalation tactics, if needed.

"What we do is really about leaning into the humanity of other people," Zaros explained. "People often escalate because they're not being heard and because they feel vulnerable. So, if we can reach out to that person proactively, if we see tension rising and listen to them; kind of divert the attention."

Zaros noted they will also escort attendees as they depart if they're worried about personal safety, should they encounter any threats. In 2017, before Trump's first inauguration, the event was called the Women's March but has been rebranded as progressives worry about actions like mass deportations. Companion rallies are scheduled across the U.S., including a handful in Minnesota.

Zaros stressed preparation is key to setting a peaceful tone, noting they have trained roughly 200 volunteers in recent weeks. She acknowledged in today's political climate it can be tricky to encourage tolerance as a lot of people have strong feelings about where we are as a country but she insisted it is still worth it, even if it feels out of reach.

"Sometimes, the work of nonviolence can feel like, 'No, this isn't what we need. Our problems are too big.' But that is exactly when we do need nonviolence because when we see these fissures in our ability to relate to other human beings," Zaros emphasized. "Nonviolence at its core is about being able to see that person for who they are."

She added building tolerance usually takes longer when teaching it to people surrounded by conflict. The weekend assistance will not foster deep political discussions if tension arises but rather, those "on-the-spot" efforts to lower the temperature. Saturday's marches in Washington D.C. are scheduled to begin at 10 a.m. ET with local events happening at different start times.