Author: Fred Ross

10.27.15

A Fresh Start to Save Thousands of Ohioans’ Futures

Fred Ross

A criminal conviction damages a person’s present life and future prospects. From employment to housing, higher education enrollment and student loans, a criminal conviction creates so many barriers to opportunities. Given those startling facts, we can agree that a state prison system operating at 130 percent capacity is unhealthy for those incarcerated and for the state that put them there.

10.02.15

Decriminalization Doesn’t Do the Whole Job

Fred Ross

Michael is 23, African-American and incarcerated because he was caught with a bag of marijuana. Now he’s a “repeat offender” because of a similar arrest years ago. He’s lost his job, freedoms, college plans, perhaps his shot at any decent future.

09.30.15

Last Chance to Register for November’s Election

Fred Ross

Ohio’s voter registration deadline is Monday, October 5—only a few days away. For those not registered to vote that’s a short amount of time to download, complete, and mail the registration application or go to a board of elections or BMV to register.

08.12.15

Karla M. Lortz: Advocating for Online Voter Registration in Ohio

Fred Ross

Karla M. Lortz has a voice so pleasant you’d swear you smell warm apple pies on her window sill as she speaks. However, that voice also belongs to a retired director of the Governor’s Council on People with Disabilities and a leading advocate behind legislation, including the 1990 Americans with Disabilities Act and the 2002 Help America Vote Act.

07.20.15

Ears in the Air Pose Fourth Amendment Risk

Fred Ross

When “eyes in the sky” are mentioned, we generally don’t give these spy satellites much thought because, after all, we can’t see them, they’re way up in space, and they’re not focused on us, right?

Spies Much Closer to Us

But the “friendly skies” a few hundred feet over us actually may not be so friendly after all.

06.29.15

Online Voter Registration on its Way to Reality!

Fred Ross

The ACLU of Ohio supports online voter registration, especially for the many Ohioans with disabilities, limited incomes, inflexible work or family schedules, or lack of transportation means.

Strong Support Paying Off

Ohio Senate Bill 63 will establish a secure, online voter registration system for the state and was just passed last week by the state Senate.

06.10.15

How One Pastor Moves Voter Registration Mountains

Fred Ross

Darryl Fairchild, pastor of Bellbrook United Methodist Church, stands tall among advocates for online voter registration in Ohio, despite using a wheelchair since a 1992 bicycle accident.

Advocate for Voter Rights

Fairchild served as the community organizer for Vote Dayton, which later became Lift Greater Dayton, a non-partisan organization of churches, synagogues, mosques, schools, community centers, and unions working for justice and a better city.

06.01.15

Online for All: Katie’s Story

Fred Ross

This is the third article in the “Online for All” series.

It’s amazing what you can learn by saying hello to somebody you don’t know.

I met Katie at a crowded eatery while she waited for a table with her family.

05.25.15

Does Being in Jail Mean You Give Up Your Religious Rights?

Fred Ross

Given our state’s overcrowded jails and prisons, it’s only fitting we keep a particularly sharp focus on prisoners’ constitutional rights by guarding their First Amendment right to freedom of religion.

Incident One: December 2014

Maybe I shouldn’t have been surprised by the federal lawsuit initiated in December 2014 by a 24-year-old Rocky River woman, who is a Muslim.

05.18.15

Government Snooping On Your Cell Phone

Fred Ross

It’s known as Stingray, cell-site simulator and many other names.

This powerful surveillance tool is employed by 12 federal agencies, as well as 51 agencies in 21 states and the District of Columbia to capture cell phone locations, physical movements, frequencies of use, user and contact ID numbers, call destinations, etc.

05.15.15

We Need Real Protections For the LGBT Community

Fred Ross

After Indiana’s government amended its Religious Freedom Restoration Act in April, it’s clear there still is no comprehensive nondiscrimination protection there for LGBT populations. The act offers “anti-discrimination protections for gays and lesbians only in 11 Indiana communities where such protections already exist.”

This Is Important to Ohioans

As an Ohioan, you might say, “So what?”

But when your neighbors are denied rights, in the truest sense you are as well.

04.27.15

Voter Registration: Ohio Needs to Join the 21st Century

Fred Ross

This is the second article in the “Online for All” series.

The Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 finds that “discriminations against individuals with disabilities” persist in critical areas, such as voting.  It stipulates that all state and local governments ensure that people with disabilities have equal access to government programs and services, as well as requires equally effective communications to these individuals.

04.13.15

“Online For All” Makes All the Sense in the World

Fred Ross

This is the first article in the “Online for All” series.

Democracy will not thrive without recognizing the fundamental rights of all people.

When it comes to voter registration, without undue difficulty, that’s especially true. Making this process workable for all requires taking action on behalf of those facing obstacles.

04.03.15

Ohio’s Voting Record: Ready to Strike Out or Hit a Grand Slam?

Fred Ross

It’s indisputable that voting is critical for Ohioans.

We strive to make our communities a better place to live and to ensure that our democracy works for everyone. However, to do this, all our votes are crucial—for Ohio and the entire nation.

03.18.15

Want the Feds Knowing You Went to a Gun Show?

Fred Ross

Photo by Kordite at Flickr Commons.

In Ohio alone, there are at least 70 public gun shows every year.

They are visited by collectors of antique firearms, historians, target shooters and hunting enthusiasts—and are often your neighbors. It’s estimated about one of every three Ohioans owns one or more guns.