Its clear East Cleveland wont be able to clean itself up, said Chris McNeal, an attorney and chief legal officer for the Cleveland Black Lives Matter chapter. Eric Sandy At various times, he has run East Clevelands public-broadcast channel, sat on the city library board, and run for school board. This case raises three claims under the First Amendment. We all pay taxes to pay their salaries and benefits. Get the latest on IJs cases and activities. McDonald is among several East Cleveland police officers named in the letter the Cleveland NAACP sent to the Justice Department. With a population of less than 20,000, and constantly declining, the city is a complete shell of itself as poverty reaches 40% and a total of $16,000 is the average income for East Cleveland's residents and East Cleveland gangs run rampant. In response to the allegations of corruption and police misconduct, the NAACP sent a letter to the Department of Justice requesting the federal agency step in to oversee the East Cleveland Police Department by obtaining a consent decree. East Cleveland is a city in distress, much more so than Cleveland, its larger Rust Belt neighbor. Mundson attempted to stop a 32-year-old man in East Cleveland and was joined in his . Griffin says the DOJ has not responded to the Cleveland NAACP regarding its letter sent to the department in February. The median household income is $19,592. William is fighting back with a lawsuit against East Cleveland to vindicate his First Amendment rights and to hold city officials accountable. They were just allegations and they proved to not withstand the test of investigations, King said of McDonalds alleged misconduct after reiterating we do not tolerate misconduct by our officers., Atlanta Black Star also sought comment from the city on the number of pending litigation cases it has stemming from the police department, and the city of East Cleveland responded by saying, The City of East Cleveland does not keep that information to document the organization, functions, policies, decisions, procedures, operations and/or other activities of its office or offices., East Cleveland has a long-standing reputation of being in a state of a fiscal emergency for its handling of its finances, and according to an Office of Management and Budget report released April of 2022, the city is still at financial risk: In addition to the revenue challenges facing the City, there are a number of legal cases against the City which have exhausted appeals with outstanding damages to be paid by the City and additional cases currently in appeal. East Cleveland Expands and Admits Retaliation Against William for his Political Speech ''There is a new form of corruption,'' said William Bratton, the former Police Commissioner in New York City. Two former East Cleveland police officers who were indicted by a grand jury for allegedly tampering with records and insurance fraud appeared in court on Wed. Griffin says the NAACP was influential in the Justice Department stepping in to oversee the Cleveland Police Department in 2015 after a Department of Justice investigation found Cleveland Police engages in a pattern or practice of using excessive force violating the Fourth Amendment. In response to the allegations of corruption and police misconduct, the NAACP sent a letter to the Department of Justice requesting the federal agency step in to oversee the East Cleveland Police . The sheer number of laws on the books in federal, state and municipal codes ensures that government officials can always find one to enforce against any American. East Cleveland is a city in Cuyahoga County, . Mass demolitions of abandoned homes has left the 3-square-mile city pocked with vacant lots. It's also developed a reputation for political corruption and severe police misconduct. The Rampart scandal in Los Angeles in the late 1990s led to at least 150 tossed cases. Many wonder about the possibility of corruption or the influence of money in politics, Gump said. A look at every case we have filed, past and present. But rather than respecting his basic rights, the city government, angered at its political competition, used its police and law departments to retaliate against William in the months leading up to the election. The FBI first stationed agents in Cleveland during its earliest days as an organization. Police Commissioner William Bratton outside the 30th precinct announces more arrests in the scandal. He'd told his lawyer he wanted to go to trial. Colorados private-enforcement law empowers political insiders to silence any ordinary speaker they disagree with. The community is urged to call 216-583-5343 . Dems left Us here. Allegations against officers in the past two years include murder, extortion, assault . He has been involved in local politics for decades and continues to be an advocate for better government. sat in jail, the indictment said, the officers broke into his room at his grandmother's house and took $100,000, keeping a third of it and turning in the rest. William got a permit from city hall signed by the chief of police to operate his van as a sound truck during the election. The detectives, Blackshaw said, knew just who to target: people with long criminal records who knew their word would never stand up against a police officer's. In what may be the largest and widest ranging police corruption investigation in the country in recent years, 44 officers from five law-enforcement agencies were charged today with taking money to protect cocaine trafficking operations in Cleveland and northern Ohio, Federal authorities said. While East Cleveland is a small city, it can be considered as a large community with multiple sections . He is grateful to be released, but he lost two years of freedom. Represented by the Institute for Justice (IJ), his lawsuit is part of IJs long tradition of protecting free speech. According to the East Cleveland Police Department, Wood, Mundson, Stoll and Toomer are presently employed with the department but are suspended. Blackshaw, out of prison for more than a year, says he's trying to start a commercial cleaning business. The seven, including Chief Scott Gardner, are part of a deepening investigation involving local and federal officials. Save your money and tip the pizza . Names like Arnold Black, Tamia Chapman, Redrick Ward and Vincent Belmonte are all linked to the citys police departments reputation for excessive force and brutality. McDonald being named in the letter and allegedly caught on tape suggesting he would take seized drugs. The arrests are the latest in a string of police corruption cases across the country, from Washington, New Orleans and Philadelphia to Indianapolis and Chicago. Former East Cleveland Police Officers, clockwise from left: Torris Moore, Antonio Malone, and Eric Jones. But those rights are meaningless if government officials can retaliate against people who speak out against them. Box 21161 South Euclid, Ohio 44121 Contact: Antonio Marshall 216-695-1179 amarshall@eastcleveland.org Employment . They were also charged . But because the entire process was corroded, the cases could no longer be defended in court. The rest either haven't been found or don't want to come forward. A woman threw a house party with 65 men she matched with on Tinder and Hinge and connected with the man she's been dating for a year. In mid-February, East Palestine police chief batted down a rumor that medical identification bracelets being passed out to residents were government tracking . The Environmental Protection Agency also announced that . I call him Pac Man because thats what everybody on the street calls him, McNeal said of Vincent Belmonte, 19, who was killed by an East Cleveland police officer on Jan. 5, 2021. Even so, the number of people wrongly convicted under such circumstances likely exceeds the more than 2,000 individual exonerations recorded since 1989, according to the National Registry of Exonerations. The BCI report says Belmonte ran between a pair of houses to jump a fence, but became caught on the fence, thats when McDonald claimed he saw Belmonte reach for his gun and fatally shot Belmonte. "I have been overcharged for services I never received. Before this incident, he was one that had been involved in numerous incidents, Henton said. It stems from a 2012 arrest where Black was beat up by police and locked in a storage closet for several . The city of East Cleveland is on the east side of Cuyahoga County, the same county Cleveland is located. "We were convinced that they were legally innocent, and that's enough for us.". (A step van is like a FedEx truck.) Despite its recent troubles, however, William loves the city. But his lawyer, Terry Gilbert, had advised against it, reminding him that it would be his word against the officers'. Other incidents highlighted include East Cleveland police officers Torris Moore, Antonio Malone and Eric Jones all were sentenced to prison in 2016 for keeping thousands of dollars from alleged drug dealers, much of it seized through illegal searches and fabricated reports according to the Justice Department. We do all of this because of our fundamental belief that following the Constitution means being held accountable for violating it. In fact, William has since learned that the city has no records of the parking ordinance ever being enforced before it was used against William . Local counsel is IJ Attorney Brian Morris. At one point, for example, Officer Joye is accompanying an undercover agent to a storage facility where he and other officers help move smuggled gambling machines and provide security for the illegal operation. IJ produces one-of-a-kind, high-quality research to enhance our effectiveness in court, educate the public, and shape public debate around our key issues. In response to the allegations of corruption and police misconduct, the NAACP sent a letter to the Department of Justice requesting the federal agency step in to oversee the East Cleveland Police Department by obtaining a consent decree. All Images; This Just In; Flickr Commons; Occupy Wall Street Flickr; Cover Art; USGS Maps; Top. The man in the video said to be McDonald is heard telling another officer, Im going to take this weed home, and say look, look, baby, look what daddy brought you.. Our free and democratic society isnt possible if citizens cannot voice their opinions about politics and elected officials. Now they were all eligible to have their cases dismissed. Contribute to Atlanta Black Star today and help us share our narratives. Dozens of East Cleveland police are . There is no official record of group exonerations, and researchers believe that in some police corruption scandals, authorities don't bother to identify tainted convictions or tell victims they could be cleared. Atlanta Black Star asked King to comment on Sgt. She says anytime the department is made aware of any alleged misconduct from one of its officers, it launches an internal investigation and if criminal wrongdoing is suspected, outside law enforcement agencies are brought in to investigate which can include the local sheriffs office up to the FBI. Don't be censored. He A growing number of federal appeals courts have ruled that official immunity is not absolute: When officials flagrantly violate citizens rights, they can be held accountable in court. A woman walks past a closed business in East Cleveland, Ohio. Cleveland Taco Week returns on Monday, April 10th. 2023 Advance Local Media LLC. We are sending a stern warning that public corruption of any kind will not be tolerated in this county. CUYAHOGA COUNTY, Ohio (WOIO) - Two former East Cleveland police officers convicted of accepting bribes in the summer of 2018 were scheduled to be sentenced in Cuyahoga County Court of Common Pleas Wednesday afternoon; however, it was continued until March 30. But in a different way, the corruption that has emerged in recent years is also a sign of the times, experts say, driven by the emergence of the drug trade and the vast sums of money it generates. So Blackshaw pleaded guilty to a lesser charge and received a five-year prison sentence. U.S. We have seen so much corruption, weve seen lawsuit after lawsuit filed against the city, said Kayla Griffin, first vice president of the Cleveland chapter of the NAACP. Later that day, the three officers met . McDonald being named in the letter and allegedly caught on tape suggesting he would take seized drugs. The local government is near bankruptcy. . We had heightened senses to really get involved in this case because this is one of many times you had East Cleveland police using as a pretext theyre going to pull someone over because they said the car is reported stolen, said Kareem Henton, co-founder of the Cleveland Black Lives Matter chapter. Recent Court of Appeals Ruling Disarms Political Speakers, Empowers Campaign Finance Bullies. All in all, undercover agents videotaped or audio-taped 16 drug deals from November 1996 until six days ago in which at least some of the officers participated, involving up to 50 kilograms of what they believed to be cocaine, Mr. Harp said. In Chicago, in two unrelated cases in the last year, 10 officers in two police districts were charged with robbing and extorting money and narcotics from drug dealers. Cleveland Police Chief Calvin Williams did not name the officer or the person killed. In each case, defense lawyers have insisted on protecting the victim's right to sue for damages. Before McDonald could ask for identifying information, Belmonte fled the traffic stop, leading to a chase. It is a surprise they would not voice their concerns with us to allow us to explain to them our process in dealing with any alleged misconduct from our officers, King said. In September 2020, former Ohio House Speaker Larry Householder returned to the House chamber for the first time after being charged with overseeing a $60 million bribery scandal. Last October, a grand jury determined McDonald acted lawfully and did not bring any charges, but while Belmontes family and community activists believe the shooting should not have been justified, the actions of McDonald come as no surprise to Henton. I Feel So Violated: Wisconsin Car Salesman Urinates on Black Womans Drivers License She Left Behind After Test Drive, This You?: Twitter Calls Out Marjorie Taylor Greene for Ironically Saying People Should Respect Others With Different Views, Joy Reid Rips Apart Scott Adams As the Dilbert Cartoonist Doubles Down on Racist Comments. Each of the defendants, like Blackshaw, had pleaded guilty. The Cleveland case is the latest in a series of police corruption investigations that have struck cities across the country in recent years. Highlights of news outlets coverage of IJs work. As part of the plea agreement, Von Harris, 53, and Demarkco Johnson, 29, also permanently forfeited their OPOTA certification. As a digital subscriber to Prison Legal News, you can access full text and downloads for this and other premium content. But that is beginning to change, thanks in part to the Institute for Justices efforts to hold government officials accountable. CLEVELAND, Ohio In the span of a month, seven current or former East Cleveland police officers tacked their names onto a long-running roster of those from the department who have been charged with committing crimes while being paid to solve them. Griffin says the NAACP was influential in the Justice Department stepping in to oversee the Cleveland Police Department in 2015 after a Department of Justice investigation found Cleveland Police engages in a pattern or practice of using excessive force violating the Fourth Amendment. CINCINNATI (WCMH) In the case for Ohio's largest corruption scandal, co-defendant and former Speaker of the Ohio House Larry Householder took the stand to tell his story to a 14-person jury PLN printISSN: 10757678 |PLN online ISSN: 2577-8803, Ex-Prisoner Sues Over Phony Jail Dentist, Physical Injury Requirement Inapplicable to First Amendment Claims, PLRA Termination Provision Unconstitutional in Ninth Circuit, PLRA Attorney Fee Provision Not Retroactive to Pre-PLRA Services, New Mexico CCA Disturbance Not Reported for Hours, Medical Cost-Cutting by Private Care Provider Opens Liability, Bay Area Students Protest Prison Spending, Qualified Immunity No Protection for ADA Injunctive Claims, Legal Services Corporation Restrictions Affirmed, Pro Se Tips and Tactics - Motions to Dismiss, No Liberty Interest in Ohio Visiting Rules, Prison Writing in 20th-Century America (Book Review), Guard Awarded $300,000 for ETS Exposure in ADA Suit, Texas Prisons Not Immune In Tort Claims Act Suits, Prisoners' Legal Services of NY Victim of Budget Ax, Discipline for Possessing Legal Papers Vacated, No Interlocutory Appeal of Disputed Facts, Blanket Jail Strip Search Policy Unconstitutional, Untimely Jury Demand Must be Fairly Considered, Segregated Prisoners Retain Religious Congregation Rights, Seventh Circuit Split on Self-Defense in Prison, Denial of Social Security Benefits to Prisoners Upheld, Rule 12(b) Dismissal Requires Inability to Prove Claim, Preliminary Injunction Granted in Kosher Diet Claim, Court Responsible for Prisoner Access to Teleconference, Consent Decree Termination Requires Fact Finding, Bureau of Prisons Transsexual Policy Challenged, Record Deaths at Rikers Island Blamed on Guards Absenteeism, Abuse and Corruption, Too Many Alabama Prisoners Still Dying with Too-Few Guards, Many Corrupt, Former Tennessee Police Chief Sentenced to Six Years for Abusing Arrestees, Former BOP Warden Convicted of Sexually Abusing Prisoners in California Rape Club Scandal, $480,000 Paid by California County to Detainee Whose Newborn Died After Guards Stopped at Starbucks en Route to Hospital, Oklahoma Jail Guard Gets 46 Months for Setting Up White Supremacist Attack on Black Detainees, Police Digitally Frame Activists in India, but It Can Happen Anywhere, California Prison Guards Sentenced for Assaulting Prisoners, California Guards Kill Two Prisoners Who Attacked a Third. 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