Gov Kasich Reduces Felonies To Misdemeanors Of Sharpton Supporter Williams- Bolar Who Was Jailed For Sending Her Children To Better School District

Ohio Gov John Kasich


Kelley Williams-Bolar















The Rev. Al Sharpton

From the Metro Desk of The Kathy Wray Coleman Online News Blog.Com (www.kathywraycolemanonlinenewsblog.com)

In the wake of two third-degree felony convictions and the jailing earlier this year of an Akron, Oh. Black single mother for lying on school applications to send her children to a neighboring predominantly White suburban school district with the hope of getting them a better education away from the housing projects where the family lives, Republican Gov. John Kasich used his executive clemency authority on Wed and reduced the charges to misdemeanors.

“When I first heard about this situation, it seemed to me that the penalty was excessive for the offense. In addition, the penalty could exclude her from certain economic opportunities for the rest of her life," said Kasich in a press release "So, today I’ve reduced those felony convictions to what I think are the more appropriate, first degree misdemeanors. No one should interpret this as a pass—it’s a second chance."

Kelly Williams- Bolar, 40, can now continue pursuit of a teaching degree that would have been barred by the felonies. At the time an Akron schools assistant teacher, she spent nine days in jail for falsifying documents with her father's address to enroll her two daughters in the nearby Copley-Fairlawn School District rather than sending the children to Akron Public Schools, an action that sparked a celebrated case that highlights America's have and have- nots, and one that quickly gained national attention and support from Civil Rights activists like The Rev. Al. Sharpton, president of The National Action Network.

Governor since Jan., Kasich could have issued a pardon but chose to reduce the convictions instead, and after the parole board outright rejected Williams-Bolar's request for a recommendation to the governor for a pardon. And the governor could use some good press as he battles the state's unions on Senate Bill 5, a law passed earlier this year by the state legislature that dismantles collective bargaining but is stalled until voters decide the issue in Nov after unions across the state collected the necessary signatures for a ballot referendum.

"Reducing the felony convictions to misdemeanors is a good thing, particularly because of Ohio's inequitable school funding formula," said Debbie Kline, of Cleveland Jobs With Justice, a grassroots organization that is campaigning against Senate Bill 5 and that fights for a conglomerate of some 42 unions such as The Cleveland Teachers Union.

A long time community activist, Sharpton agreed, at least earlier this year.

“Yes,” said Sharpton to the question from The Kathy Wray Coleman Online News Blog. Com earlier this year of whether Kasich should lead the charge to push the state legislature to comply with the Ohio Supreme Court's mandate to revise its inequitable and unconstitutional system of funding education where through property taxes for schools comes property rich and property poor school districts. And Sharpton said that Williams-Bolar's kids were being discriminated against by the system.

“The issue is about equal education and equal protection and I'm here about a bigger picture,” he said at a rally for Williams-Bolar in Akron in Feb that drew attendance from grassroots organizations such as The Imperial Women. “Where you live should not have any bearing on how you are treated.”

Williams- Bolar also had support from a national group dubbed Change.org whose members reportedly sent Kasich nearly a quarter million emails on her behalf since Jan.


Journalist and Community Activist Kathy Wray Coleman can be reached at 216-932-3114 and ktcoleman8@aol.com

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

Former WOIO 19 Action News Anchor in Cleveland Sharon Reed lands new anchor job, her lawyer says rumors about LeBron James fathering her baby are false, had threatened to sue on her behalf, Reed is famous for posing nude for Spenser Tunick's nude group photo shoot

Corrupt and racist University Heights Mayor Susan Infeld is booted from office by voters following claims of spending irregularities of taxpayers money, racism against Black residents, police abuse of Blacks as city safety director, and of running a theft ring of county residents homes via illegal foreclosure activity led by JPMorgan Chase Bank.....University Heights is a Cleveland suburb....Others involved in the theft ring or retaliation against homeowners who complain include corrupt common pleas judges such as Judges John O'Donnell and Carolyn Friedland, Chief County Foreclosure Magistrate and University Heights Resident Stephen Bucha, and his wife, an attorney with the law firm of Lerner Sampson and Rothfuss, who represents corrupt mortgage companies and banks, including JP Morgan Chase Bank... Others involved include racist and corrupt University Hts Police Sgt Dale Orians, former county prosecutor Bill Mason, who is a partner with Bricker and Eckler, which represents JPMorgan Chase Bank, and current County Prosecutor Mike O'Malley, who was Mason's deputy....Drunken Shaker Heights Judge KJ Montgomery, who also hears criminal cases for University Hts, has Blacks illegally prosecuted who complain of the theft of their homes, as does O'Malley..... Judge Montgomery is top in issuing excessive and illegal warrants against the Black community....All of the aforementioned are corrupt and activists want them indicted and prosecuted....This is Part 1 of a multi-part series on Cuyahoga County public corruption by Clevelandurbannews.com and Kathywraycolemanonlinenewsblog.com, Ohio's most read Black digital newspaper and Black blog with some 5 million views on Google Plus alone.Tel: (216) 659-0473 and Email: editor@clevelandurbannews.com

Chief and unfair Cuyahoga County Judge John Russo loses authority-Part 2 of a multi-part series on Cuyahoga County public corruption: New Ohio law on seeking possible removal of a municipal court judge in a case for bias or conflict via the filing of an affidavit of prejudice takes authority to decide from chief Cuyahoga County Presiding Judge John Russo, other chief common pleas judges in Ohio, and hands it to the chief justice of the Ohio Supreme Court, who also determines affidavits of prejudice filed against common pleas, probate, juvenile, domestic relations, and state appellate court judges....Most affidavits of prejudice are denied regardless of the merits and some judges complained of will retaliate, data show... Community activists, led by Cleveland activist Kathy Wray Coleman of the Imperial Women Coalition, lobbied the Cleveland NAACP for support and asked state legislators via state Rep Bill Patmon (D-10) of Cleveland to change the law but wanted a panel of judges and others to decide when a judge in Ohio is disqualified from hearing a case for bias or conflict....Coleman says she has since been further harassed by Chief Cuyahoga County Judge John Russo, who is White and leads a racist and sexist common pleas court fueled with corruption, malicious prosecutions, excessive criminal bonds, ineffective assistance of counsel to poor and Black defendants, and the mass incarceration of the Black community....By www.clevelandurbannews.com and www.kathywraycolemanonlinenewsblog.com, Ohio's most read digital Black newspapers....This is part 2 of a multi-part series on Cuyahoga County public corruption