Cleveland activists are upset that Blacks are rapidly dying in the Cuyahoga County Jail and Cleveland Judge Michael Nelson Sr. has their support as to his stance of not sending defendants accused of minor crimes to the county jail, which merged with the city jail last year...."Thank you Judge Nelson for caring," said activist Frances Caldwell on the controversial issue....Activist Art McKoy said he is alarmed and supports Judge Nelson, a former Cleveland NAACP president, and activist Alfred Porter Jr, president of Black on Black Crime Inc, said that "there will be more pickets"....Activists picketed the county jail this past summer over police misconduct, judicial and prosecutorial malfeasance and overcrowding in the jail.... By editor Kathy Wray Coleman of 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
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| From left: Cleveland activist Art McKoy, Cleveland activist Alfred Porter Jr., Cleveland Judge Michael Nelson Sr, and Cleveland activist Frances Caldwell |
CLEVELANDURBANNEWS.COM-CLEVELAND, Ohio- Community activists are backing Judge Michael Nelson Sr., a former criminal defense attorney and former president of the Cleveland Chapter NAACP who won a seat on the 13- member largely Black Cleveland Municipal Court bench last year, relative to his stance that he will not send defendants cited for traffic citations and charged with lower level misdemeanor crimes to the Cuyahoga County jail since six deaths have occurred there in four months.
Ohio's second largest county behind Franklin County, which includes the capital city of Columbus, Cuyahoga County, a Democratic stronghold, is roughly 29 percent Black, and includes the largely Black major American city of Cleveland.
Ohio's second largest county behind Franklin County, which includes the capital city of Columbus, Cuyahoga County, a Democratic stronghold, is roughly 29 percent Black, and includes the largely Black major American city of Cleveland.
The Cleveland jail merged with the county last year and the jail, run solely by the county, is overcrowded with inmates stacked on top of each other, an ongoing investigation by Clevelandurbannews.com and Kathywraycolemanonlinenewsblog.com reveals.
People, some of them Black and at least one Hispanic, are dying in the county jail in droves, data show, including Allan Martin Gomez, 44, an inmate who died four days after being booked into the jail.
A Democrat, Nelson, 69, said he will not set personal bonds in minor criminal cases for now, and he has support in the Black community on this aggressive stance.
A Democrat, Nelson, 69, said he will not set personal bonds in minor criminal cases for now, and he has support in the Black community on this aggressive stance.
"Thank you Judge Nelson for caring," said Cleveland activist Frances Caldwell, also executive director of the Cleveland African-American Museum. "Judge Nelson actually cares about what happens to people and it is obvious that he is not just seeking a paycheck like too many of our judges and elected officials."
Longtime Cleveland activist Art McKoy, founder of the grassroots activist group Black on Black Crime Inc. and who this past summer picketed in front of the Cuyahoga County Justice Center with other greater Cleveland activists over judicial and prosecutorial malfeasance, police misconduct, and the overcrowding of the county jail, is outraged over the jail deaths.
"We're at a critical point when jail inmates are found dead at an alarming rate," said McKoy. "We definitely support Judge Michael Nelson and everyone who supports an investigation of the county jail on this and numerous other matters. "
Activists say that some city and common pleas judges, county officials and other officials are apathetic and must be held accountable.
"We are thankful to Judge Nelson for stating what the community and activists have always pointed out about the Cuyahoga County Jail," said activist Alfred Porter Jr., president of Black on Black Crime Inc. "There will be more pickets on this because this issue is far from over."
"We're at a critical point when jail inmates are found dead at an alarming rate," said McKoy. "We definitely support Judge Michael Nelson and everyone who supports an investigation of the county jail on this and numerous other matters. "
Activists say that some city and common pleas judges, county officials and other officials are apathetic and must be held accountable.
"We are thankful to Judge Nelson for stating what the community and activists have always pointed out about the Cuyahoga County Jail," said activist Alfred Porter Jr., president of Black on Black Crime Inc. "There will be more pickets on this because this issue is far from over."
As to the controversial merger of city and county jail operations, which was pushed and endorsed by Cleveland Mayor Frank Jackson, the city's longtime Black mayor, and by Armond Budish, the county executive seeking reelection this year against Peter Corrigan, the city paid the county $5.6 million during the transition and merger period last year and is now paying the per diem rate.
According to the Cleveland.com article, Judge Nelson reportedly said that "the string of jail deaths disturbed him and he's no longer comfortable setting bonds for people charged with crimes unless they're charged with violent crimes."
Cleveland judges, like other Ohio municipal court judges, have limited jurisdiction to hear traffic and misdemeanor cases and civil lawsuits with damages sought at or under $15,000, though they have authority to bound over felony cases to be heard by the 34-member largely White general division common pleas court of Cuyahoga County.
Nelson plans to meet with the Cleveland court's administrative judge, Michelle Earley, who is also Black, to address the matter, he said Tuesday.
Nelson plans to meet with the Cleveland court's administrative judge, Michelle Earley, who is also Black, to address the matter, he said Tuesday.
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. Kathy Wray Coleman, editor-in-chief, and who trained for 17 years at the Call and Post Newspaper in Cleveland, Ohio. We interviewed former president Barack Obama one-on-one when he was campaigning for president. As to the Obama interview, CLICK HERE TO READ THE ENTIRE ARTICLE AT CLEVELAND URBAN NEWS.COM, OHIO'S LEADER IN BLACK DIGITAL NEWS.
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