Community leaders, activists, organizing to oppose judge who acquitted Brelo in '137 bullets' case

Councilman Conwell, community activists say ‘no’ to Judge O’Donnell candidacy

By Rhonda Crowder

SPECIAL TO THE REAL DEAL PRESS

Councilman Kevin Conwell, Bishop Eugene Ward and others gather to announce the campaign to defeat Judge John P. O’Donnell in his bid to win a seat on Ohio Supreme Court this fall.

Cleveland Ward 9 Councilman Kevin Conwell, Bishop Eugene Ward and a cadre of activists gathered yesterday at the GlenVillage amphitheater on East 105^th St.  and Ashbury Ave. in Cleveland’s Glenville neighborhood to denounce the endorsement by the state and county Democratic parties of Judge John P. O’Donnell for the Ohio Supreme Court in this year’s race.

“With Judge O’Donnell, the Democrats are taking us for granted,” said Conwell. “We’re telling our people to march to the polls. We cannot put Judge O’Donnell on the court after he allowed Brelo to go free.”

O’Donnell was the judge in the trial of Michael Brelo, the Cleveland police officer charged in the “137 shots” case for shooting Timothy Russell and Malissa Williams on November 29, 2012, at the conclusion of a 22-minute police chase which started in downtown Cleveland and ended in the parking lot of Heritage Middle School in East Cleveland.

Thirteen police officers fired 137 shots into the automobile, killing Russell and Williams, but only Brelo, who stood on the hood of the car and fired down into the windshield, was charged.

Brelo waived a jury trial in the case, putting his fate in the hands of the judge. O’Donnell found Brelo not guilty, reading a 34-page opinion from the bench that the community has hotly contested ever since.

“Do not vote for Judge O’Donnell. They’re going to be mad at me for going against the ticket but...”, Conwell continued, “we’re putting together a committee to make sure our community knows. We cannot accept this.”

Fred Ward, president of FIINPAC (Formerly Incarcerated Individuals Necessary PAC), said, “I was in the courtroom during the ‘137 shots’ trial. I saw the condescending attitudes. I’m asking all who care about justice to not support Judge O’Donnell. He shouldn’t be on the bench at all. That’s my official word.”

Mariah Crenshaw, lead researcher at Chasing Justice, LLC, agreed. “We not only need to not vote for him, he needs to withdraw for the race. We don’t reward bad behavior,” she said, arguing that O’Donnell exhibited unethical behavior during the trial.

Bishop Ward said, “We continue to be exploited as a people. We’re not concerned about Democrat or Republican. We’re concerned about justice. [Brelo] fired 49 bullets out of one gun. You cannot continue to ask for elevation and don’t know how to treat people.”

Crenshaw also talked about “prosecutorial accountability,” saying all the officers should have been charged. “Let’s be real about what happened in that case.”  

Activist Richard Jones echoed Crenshaw on “prosecutorial accountability.” He said the prosecutor set the case up for Judge O’Donnell to rule the way he did.  

Activist Al Porter said the Democratic leaders who are upholding O’Donnell don’t deserve to hold onto their seats either.

A spokesman for the committee said they will be meeting with groups from Akron, Youngstown, Cincinnati, Columbus and Toledo. He urged everyone to, “Call five people you know and tell them to not vote for Judge O’Donnell. Call them every week.”

Conwell led a similar effort against O'Donnell in 2016 that had measurable success.

“I feel insulted that the Democratic Party didn’t give us anybody else,” said Conwell. “You can’t let somebody go for killing black folk and expect us to vote for you.”

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Settlement between City of Cleveland and U.S. Justice Dept. over police misconduct reported imminent

The New York Times is reporting that the City of Cleveland has reached a settlement with the U.S. Justice Department of Justice over what federal authorities have found to be a pattern of unconstitutional policing and excessive use of force.

The report comes two days after a local Cleveland judge found Cleveland Patrolman Michael Brelo innocent of all charges, including voluntary manslaughter and felonious assault, for his role in firing 45 bullets at Timothy Russell and Malissa Williams following a high speed chase by more than 10 police officers in November 2012 that resulted in the pair's death after their vehicle was cornered in a middle school parking lot.

Hallelujah for Baltimore State's Attorney!

I salute the beautiful professional work and presentation done by State's Attorney for Baltimore City Marilyn J. Mosby.

View the video of her press conference this morning here.

Ms Mosby did not use the cover of presenting this case to a Grand Jury but acted with the commendable decisiveness justified by her independent investigation into the facts of this case.

We acknowledge of course, that the charges are as yet unproven and that all six police officer defendants are innocent until proven guilty. But the details of the investigation shared by Ms Mosby suggest that at least one of the officers cooperated with the prosecutor's office.

Ms Mosby's thoroughgoing diligence and the transparency of her office stand in stark contrast to her Cuyahoga County counterpart with reference to the current trial in the deaths of Timothy Russell and Malissa Williams, the unarmed duo who died Nov. 29, 2012 after being shot at 137 times by Cleveland police, more than 100 of whom chased the fleeing couple into the neighboring city of East Cleveland. Only one officer, Michael Brelo, has been charged in that case, now on trial before a judge [no jury] with a verdict likely to be handed down in the next week or so. Consider also the slow process of decision-making relative to the death of Tamir Rice, the 12-year old Cleveland boy killed by police last fall.

Of course, there is one consistent thread: the Baltimore Police union has issued a statement saying the police officers were not responsible for Freddy Gray's death but were "diligent" in discharging their duty [to serve and protect?].

It wouldn't surprise me if the Baltimore police union sought to disqualify Mosby from prosecuting this case on the grounds that she is a Tuskegee graduate, an HBCU. One of the best aspects of this situation is that Ms. Mosby comes from five generations of law enforcement that include both of her parents as well as a grandfather!