ClevelandUrbanNews.Com Blog, Ohio's Leader In Black Digital News

  Clevelandurbannews.com and   Kathywraycolemanonlinenewsblog.com CLEVELAND, Ohio — The City of Cleveland, which is led by new Mayor Justin Bibb, the city's fourth Black mayor who took office in January, is looking for qualified applicants to fill three seats on the nine-member Civilian Police Review Board with the application deadline set for Aug 26 . Candidates for these positions must be residents of the City of Cleveland at the time of the appointment. Selected applicants will be appointed to one of the following four-year terms:  One position's term lasts from Dec. 21, 2021, to Dec 20, 2025. The individual appointed to this term would also be eligible to apply for the new full four-year term that would begin Dec. 21, 2025.  Two positions' terms last from Aug. 9, 2022, to Aug. 8, 2026.  The compensation for CPRB members is $8,963 annually. To apply, submit a resume with work history and a cover letter to Ryan Puente, chief government affairs officer for the city, at rp

Cleveland Police Chief Wayne Drummond   Clevelandurbannews.com and   Kathywraycolemanonlinenewsblog.com   By Kathy Wray Coleman, associate publisher, editor (To hire this political and investigative reporter (Coleman) call 216-659-0473 or email us at editor@clvelenadurbannews.com) CLEVELAND, Ohio — During a press conference on Thursday, Cleveland Mayor Justin Bibb, alongside Chief Director of Public Safety Karrie Howard, Council President Blaine Griffin, Ward 8 Councilman and Safety Committee Chair Mike Polensek, and faith and community leaders, announced the permanent appointment of interim chief Dornat "Wayne" A. Drummond as Cleveland's 41st chief of police.   The appointment comes as city lawyers have reached a tentative collective bargaining agreement with the Cleveland Police Patromen's Association and an affiliated raise for the police rank and file. At the time the deputy chief of police, Drummond stepped up as chief after former police chief Calvin Williams,

Clevelandurbannews.com and   Kathywraycolemanonlinenewsblog.com By Kathy Wray Coleman, associate publisher, editor-in-chief ATLANTIC CITY, New Jersey - Vice President Kamala Harris spoke at the NAACP National Convention in Atlantic City, New Jersey on Monday, saying the Biden-Harris administration remains wholeheartedly in support of the nation's oldest Civil Rights organization. Air Force Two landed at about 10:35 a.m at the Atlantic City International Airport and Harris was greeted there by Atlantic City Mayor Marty Small, and the media. Upon taking the podium at the Atlantic City Convention Center in downtown Atlantic City, the vice president thanked NAACP President and CEO Derrick Johnson for his public service, and his commitment to furthering Civil Rights. "President Johnson, thank you for your years of dedicated partnership and leadership," said Harris to a wealth of applause, adding that Johnson has stood tall "on the issue of voting rights and so many more

From left: Steve Dettelbach, the newly confirmed director of  the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives (ATF), Ohio 11th Congressional District Congresswoman Shontel M. Brown, and U.S. Senator Sherrod Brown of Cleveland WASHINGTON, D.C - U.S. Sen Sherrod Brown of Cleveland and U.S. Rep. Shontel M. Brown (OH-11), a Warrensville Hts. Democrat whose largely Black 11th Congressional district in Ohio includes Cleveland and several of its eastern suburbs of Cuyahoga County, issued statements after the U.S. Senate last week confirmed Steve Dettelbach as the director of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives (ATF) A Cleveland native, Dettelbach's 48-46 confirmation by the Senate makes him only the second Senate-confirmed director in the gun regulatory agency’s history. Republicans Rob Portman, an Ohioan who is retiring at the end of the year and did not seek reelection this year, and Susan Collins of Maine joined Democrats, including Sherrod Brown, in voti

Former Cleveland councilman Basheer Jones Clevelandurbannews.com and Kathywraycolemanonlinenewsblog.com   By Kathy Wray Coleman, associate publisher, editor CLEVELAND, Ohio — Former Cleveland Ward 7 Councilman Basheer Jones, who ran unsuccessfully for mayor last year instead of reelection, is under attack by the FBI and the mainstream media, a reminder of how Black elected officials are subjected to a double standard. And it appears that the only one's shielded are the five new members of city council and new mayor Justin Bibb, Cleveland's fourth Black mayor who, like the new city council members, took office in January. "It's racist," said one council person, who spoke on condition of anonymity "He [Jones] is a Black man and has not even been indicted and they did not give this much attention to former Ohio House Speaker Larry Householder, who was indicted and is accused of participating in a $60 million pay-to-play scheme." A Democrat, to date Jones

  Jayland Walker Clevelandurbannews.com and   Kathywraycolemanonlinenewsblog.com   AKRON, Ohio -Funeral services were held Wednesday afternoon in Akron, Ohio for Jayland Walker, the 25-year-old Black man from Akron whom eight Akron cops unceremoniously gunned down late last month with 94 bullets as he tried to get away from police. Walker' s home-going celebration, which drew hundreds to an Akron theater, included family members, community activists, Black elected officials and Civil Rights leaders from the NAACP in attendance, and it went forward with an open casket. The day prior city officials deemed the day a day of citywide mourning for the police shooting victim.   Akron is a city some 30 miles south of Cleveland It has a population of some 200,000 people and is the hometown of NBA megastar and Los Angeles Laker LeBron James Services began with musical performances and speeches, followed by a touching eulogy “Jayland was a kind and gentle soul who loved to make others laugh,

  Timothy Russell and Malissa Williams Jayland Walker Clevelandurbannews.com and   Kathywraycolemanonlinenewsblog.com     By Kathy Wray Coleman, associate publisher, editor in chief CLEVELAND, Ohio-   The "137 shots" Cleveland police shooting deaths of unarmed Blacks Malissa Williams and Timothy Russell, which occurred the deadly night of Nov. 29, 2012  when Cleveland police chased the duo via the car Williams was driving from downtown Cleveland to neighboring East Cleveland and gunned them down execution style, still haunts the two largely Black cities. And the recent shooting by eight Akron, Ohio cops of unarmed Jayland Walker, 25, whom they gunned down with 90 bullets late last month, is a reminder of what Blacks routinely face when confronted by trigger-happy cops, regardless of the city, cops who are hellbent on gunning down unarmed Black people.   Community activists and other community members generally protest annually at Heritage Middle School