Protestors demand city, county end Dayton Regional Israel Trade Alliance

Cornelius Frolik, Dayton Daily News, Ohio
·1 min read
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Feb. 14—A handful of protestors gathered outside the Dayton Metro Library on Wednesday ahead of Dayton Mayor Jeffrey Mims Jr.'s State of the City address to demand that Dayton and Montgomery County end the Dayton Regional Israel Trade Alliance, known as DRITA.

Members of a group called Codepink say that it's wrong and unacceptable that the city and county support a trade alliance with companies in Israel that are involved with country's military operations.

These community members say that the city and county seem to be complicit in the genocide of the Palestine people by using tax dollars to fund DRITA.

Speakers at Dayton City Commission and Montgomery County Board of County Commissioners meetings earlier this month said DRITA facilitates the purchase of weapons that could be used in illegal war activities.

Officials have said more than 1,000 business agreements and documents have been signed between companies in the Dayton area and Israel in recent years.

A city of Dayton spokesperson on Wednesday said the city has no comment about the issue at this time.