2015 June

06.30.15

Summer Break at the Statehouse: A Review of the First Six Months

Gary Daniels

The Ohio General Assembly has now passed the state budget, and the first quarter of the two-year legislative session is over. As always, the ACLU of Ohio has been very active at the Statehouse in what was a very busy first six months.

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.

06.26.15

Love Wins in Ohio and the Nation

Ellen Kubit

Today, Friday, June 26, the Supreme Court of the United States ruled that state bans against same-sex marriage couples are unconstitutional.  In other words, today, for the first time in history, our country must recognize—everywhere—that love is free.

Here at the ACLU of Ohio, we are absolutely ecstatic.

06.24.15

How a Hunger Strike Caused Change in Youngstown Prison Policy

Adrienne Gavula

If you go without food for just eight hours, your body will decrease its use of energy, the heart will pump slower, you will produce less heat, and hunger pains build.

Earlier this year, the ACLU of Ohio watched in dismay as people in Ohio’s super-maximum security prison in Youngstown went on a hunger strike.

06.22.15

Paying the Price For Race: Death Penalty Priorities in Ohio

Michael Denis

Following the botched execution of Dennis McGuire in Ohio early last year and other similar bungled executions across the country, death penalty opponents have been calling for reform.

In a recent article, former Governor Bob Taft (R) argued that the escalating price tag of the death penalty should warrant reconsideration of its use in Ohio.

06.19.15

How I Found My Voice and Took to the Streets in Protest

Anonymous

On the day Cleveland police officer Michael Brelo was found “not guilty” on all counts against him in the tragic and unnecessary execution-style deaths of Malissa Williams and Timothy Russell, I was in complete shock.

My Reaction to the Deaths

I remember the morning after the two Cleveland residents were murdered in November 2012.

06.17.15

Prisons for Profit: Let’s Not Repeat the Same Mistake

Hasher Nisar

Shortsighted policy decisions to cut spending often cost the state more than it saves. That’s one of the lessons history teaches us, particularly when it comes to prisons for profit.

In September 2011, Ohio completed the sale of Lake Erie Correctional Institution in Conneaut to the Corrections Corporation of America, the nation’s largest for-profit prison company.

06.15.15

A Polite Backlash

Steve David

In case you missed it, intolerance is out of style.

The reveal of Caitlyn Jenner’s Vanity Fair cover reminded people that in most circles publicly denouncing someone because of their identity is no longer acceptable. While there is no shortage of open bigotry to be found on the Internet, the national dialogue has shifted away from obvious antipathy.

06.12.15

With Great Power Comes Great Accountability

Ellen Kubit

Photograph courtesy of Rachel Woods

Change in the Cleveland Division of Police is long overdue.

After the U.S. Department of Justice publicized its findings from its most recent investigation of the CDP, the ACLU provided recommendations for how Cleveland police can fix their unconstitutional policies and practices.

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.

06.09.15

Just a Dent in Militarized Policing

Shakyra Diaz

Photo by Raymond Wambsgans through Flickr Creative Commons.

Last month, President Obama took a preliminary step to curb decades of militarized policing in America.

The call for change, however, began a year ago.

Raising the Alarm

The ACLU issued “War Comes Home: The Excessive Militarization of American Policing” in June 2014.

06.06.15

An Open Letter in the Aftermath of the Brelo Verdict

Lauren Lynch-Novakovic

Editor’s Note: On May 23, Cleveland police officer Michael Brelo was acquitted in the shooting deaths of Timothy Russell and Malissa Williams.

Dear Cleveland,

I was in class, listening with one ear to the live stream of the Brelo verdict on my laptop.

06.03.15

It’s Time for LGBT Scout Leaders

Kaleb Carter

Brian Peffly

As a former Boy Scout, I can say with all honesty the organization’s founding tenets provide a respectable framework to build a young person’s life upon. And I say this as a bisexual former scout.

Looking through the lens of someone who knows what the Boy Scouts of America is about, I see great hypocrisy in one of its policies—the exclusion of LGBT adults serving as volunteers or professionals in the organization.

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.