Ohio Democrats State Logo

Ohio Democratic

County Chairs Association

Ohio Democrats Party ODP Logo

Main Navigation

Menu

  • Home
  • Who We Are
    • County Chairs
    • County Chairs of the Year – 2020
    • ODCCA Officers
      • Message from President Janet Carson
    • ODCCA Executive Committee, Regional Liaisons & Committees
    • ODCCA Constitution and Bylaws
    • How Ohio’s 88 counties got their names
    • WHY We Are Democrats!
    • Ohio Democratic Party (ODP)
      • History: Ohio Democratic Party
  • Team
    • President Joe Biden & Vice President Kamala Harris
      • Nominees and Appointees
      • The American Rescue Act of 2021
      • American Jobs Plan – 2nd Phase of ‘Build Back Better’ agenda
      • American Families Plan – 3rd Phase of ‘Build Back Better’ Agenda
      • Speeches by President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris
    • Senator Sherrod Brown
    • U.S. House of Representatives
      • Congresswoman Joyce Beatty
      • Congresswoman Marcia Fudge
      • Congresswoman Marcy Kaptur
      • Congressman Tim Ryan
    • Justices of the Ohio Supreme Court
      • Ohio Supreme Court Justice Michael P. Donnelly
      • Ohio Supreme Court Justice Melody J. Stewart
      • Ohio Supreme Court Justice Jennifer Brunner
    • State Senate Minority Leadership – 134th General Assembly
    • State House Minority Leadership – 134th General Assembly
    • Former President Barack Obama
  • Candidates
    • Interested in being a candidate?
      • Candidate Information: Guides, Forms, Links
    • Tim Ryan – U.S. Senate
    • John Cranley – Governor
    • Nan Whaley – Governor
    • Jeffrey A. Crossman – Attorney General
    • Taylor Sappington – Auditor
    • Chelsea Clark – Secretary of State
    • Scott Schertzer – Treasurer
    • Justice Jennifer Brunner – Chief Justice of the Ohio Supreme Court
    • Judge Terri Jamison – Associate Justice of the Ohio Supreme Court
    • Judge Marilyn Zayas – Associate Justice of the Ohio Supreme Court
  • News
  • Issues
  • Action Items
  • Events
    • Are you ready to vote in 2022?
    • Election 2022: Primary Debates
    • ODCCA
      • ODCCA & ODP County Chairs Monthly Zoom Meetings
      • ODCCA Meetings & ODP Co-Hosted Events
    • Local County Parties
    • ODP
      • County Chairs Monthly Zoom Meetings
      • Ohio Democratic Women’s Caucus – Statewide Meeting & Elections
  • Contact Us
  • Links
  • Members Only

Delayed release of Walmart video an outrage

September 25, 2014

Cincinnati Enquirer 

Residents in our community – perhaps a good many of them – worry that law enforcement isn’t on their side merely because of the color of their skin.

Ohio Attorney General Mike DeWine’s recent decision to withhold video of Beavercreek police killing an African-American in Walmart reinforced that perception. He said he didn’t want to taint a potential case against the officers, but Iris Roley, a Bond Hill business owner, isn’t buying it.

“I think it is a travesty that in 2014 the video was not released in a timely fashion so … taxpayers could determine what actually happened,” she said. “The grand jury was tainted because of all the misinformation that went out. The story through the media was in favor of the police.”

She’s right.

DeWine’s office finally made the video available Wednesday after a grand jury declined to indict two officers involved in the shooting. The footage released doesn’t show John Crawford III, 22, of Fairfield waving the pellet gun at customers, as police initially said. The segment, which lacks sound, doesn’t show any indication that he heard police yelling to put the gun down, as authorities say they did.

It shows a man standing alone in front of a shelf, occasionally swinging a gun by his side while holding a phone to his ear. Then it shows him falling, shot, as police race toward him.

….

Regardless of Beavercreek officers’ culpability, the state’s top law official failed both in his duty to serve all citizens equally and in his responsibility to uphold Ohio law.

Specifically, DeWine’s refusal to release the video was in violation of the Public Records Act, Ohio Revised Code 149.43, according to Enquirer attorney John “Jack” Greiner. DeWine continues to insist the tape was shielded by an exemption, but he couldn’t say exactly which exemption applied in a meeting with the Northwest Ohio Media Group on Wednesday.

Journalists call public records laws “Sunshine Laws” for a reason: The public’s ability to know what its government is doing is a cornerstone of our democracy.

With each confrontation that leaves a young, unarmed black man dead at the hands of a police officer, law enforcement loses the confidence of more citizens. Withholding information – whether the name of the officer, as in Ferguson, Missouri, or a video here – erodes that trust even more.

“We get killed while walking; we get killed while standing on the road; now we get killed while shopping,” Roley said. “I don’t know what to tell little black children I see every day. It appears as if their life does not matter.”

…

Is this OK? Or are we going to demand that officials like DeWine represent all of the people, not just the police?

Blog Sidebar

Search the Site

Categories

  • Candidates
  • Events
    • DNC
    • Local County Parties
    • ODCCA
    • ODP
  • Issues
    • Federal
    • State
  • News
  • Photo Galleries
  • Uncategorized

Recent Posts

  • (no title) May 11, 2022
  • Chaos continues with Ohio’s redistricting April 24, 2022
  • Ohio Supreme Court rejects GOP fourth set of unconstitutional state legislative maps April 14, 2022
  • Ohio redistricting chaos becomes even more chaotic and complicated March 23, 2022
  • Ohio Supreme Court rejects 3rd set of state legislative maps; rebukes State Senate President March 17, 2022

Contribute to ODCCA

Donate Now

Your contributions
DO make a difference!

When you contribute,
you make a difference in Ohio!
Thank You!

Donate Now

Recent News

  • Chaos continues with Ohio’s redistricting
  • Ohio Supreme Court rejects GOP fourth set of unconstitutional state legislative maps
  • Ohio redistricting chaos becomes even more chaotic and complicated
  • Ohio Supreme Court rejects 3rd set of state legislative maps; rebukes State Senate President
  • As Ohio’s Redistricting saga continues…Republican justices at odds
  • Ohio Republicans thumb noses at Ohioans and Ohio Supreme Court…again
  •  
  • View all news

Current Issues

  • What issues may be on the ballot? Who determines what issue is on ballot?
  • Redistricting: Ohio 2021 – What * Why * Who * Where * When
  • ‘Build Back Better’ Agenda
  •  
  • View all issues

Pages

  • Home
  • Who We Are
  • Team
  • Candidates
  • News
  • Issues
  • Action Items
  • Events
  • Contact Us
  • Links
  • Members Only
Donate Now

© 2014 Ohio Democratic County Chairs Association, All Rights Reserved

Paid for and authorized by the Ohio Democratic County Chairs Association, Amy F. Grubbe/Treasurer, 2810 Hull Road #6, Huron 44839.

Not authorized by any Federal, state or county candidate or campaign committee.