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CincyDem

(6,355 posts) Tue Mar 8, 2016, 09:43 PM Mar 2016

Let's not forget Charles Harrell, arrested and lost his job...for Jaywalking !

Story is behind a firewall at the Cincinnati Enquirer so I'll summarize:

Charles Harrell arrested 2/2/16 for jaywalking. Fortunately he has video of the foreplay as well as the takedown.

Posts bail and gets out.

Hearing sometime last week. Apparently, during the hearing, someone ( Harrell according to prosecutors) snapped a pic of the two arresting officers sitting in the courtroom. Harrell posted it on FB.

Taking pictures in the courtroom is against "local rules" in Hamilton County so they hauled him back into court last Friday for contempt. It's not a law as defined by some legislature...just a local rule of how the judges want to run their courts. Traditionally in Hamilton County, violation of a local rule results in a warning, then a typically trivial fine, then a night in the cell. Not for this guy.

The judge decided that she had to recuse herself because she was mentioned in the post in his description of the courtroom. His public defender filed to be excused because he was mentioned in the post. Apparently the post said something like "...in Judge XYZ's courtroom with my lawyer ABC waiting for my hearing...". Both felt as though that mention was sufficient to create bias so they bailed out.

So now he sits in a cell, a new lawyer on his case while waiting for a new judge to show up Thursday morning...6 nights in jail based on nothing more than a prosecutor's assertion that he took the picture. The guy is an ex-con with a baby on the way who managed to get a full time construction job (not easy for an ex-con around here). But now - because he can't work, he's lost his job.

At some point in time, we have got to fix this police state.

7 replies

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Highlight:

Let's not forget Charles Harrell, arrested and lost his job...for Jaywalking ! (Original Post) CincyDem Mar 2016 OP

The local news monicaangela Mar 2016 #1

Yep...the "They" in this case is the FOP. CincyDem Mar 2016 #2

Exactly monicaangela Mar 2016 #3

Yeah, that one smelled from the beginning. CincyDem Mar 2016 #4

I remember the Cincy police officers monicaangela Mar 2016 #5

I figured you were in Cincy. CincyDem Mar 2016 #6

I agree with your assessment monicaangela Mar 2016 #7

monicaangela

(1,508 posts)

1. The local news

Reply to CincyDem (Original post)

Tue Mar 8, 2016, 09:56 PM

Mar 2016

Here in Cincinnati summed it up by saying the video he was recording didn't tell the whole story. "They" said the reason he was stopped was because he had just jaywalked, they say the officer was going to talk to him about jaywalking when he got belligerent or something to that effect rather than tell you I will show you, here's the link:

http://www.wcpo.com/news/crime/charles-harrell-video-alleges-racial-profiling-by-cincinnati-police-department

CincyDem

(6,355 posts)

2. Yep...the "They" in this case is the FOP.

Reply to monicaangela (Reply #1)

Tue Mar 8, 2016, 10:04 PM

Mar 2016

Thanks for adding this. I think it highlights how the media is trying to demonize this guy. His video has sometime before the stop with the cop on bicycle just following. Bicycle cop stops him in the middle of the road and it turns south.

I would assert that if there was anything that went on before the altercation, it shouldn't have taken so long to actually stop the guy.

I think the real local media spin is that the video doesn't tell the story that the FOP wants to tell.

monicaangela

(1,508 posts)

3. Exactly

Reply to CincyDem (Reply #2)

Tue Mar 8, 2016, 10:27 PM

Mar 2016

Here in Cincinnati the media is always eager to jump on the side of the police. Even in the Samuel DuBose case they began by saying the cologne on the front seat was alcohol and later had to retract that statement. By the way, that officer is being charged with murder. When will the media start doing real journalism and stop doing favoritism?

CincyDem

(6,355 posts)

4. Yeah, that one smelled from the beginning.

Reply to monicaangela (Reply #3)

Tue Mar 8, 2016, 11:48 PM

Mar 2016

First I heard about it, the story was that the cop was afraid DuBose was going to run over him as he started driving down the street. And the initial reports were that DuBose was shot in the back of the head.

Not sure where truth ended up on the geometry of the shooting but WTF man...you're supposedly in front of a moving car and you're afraid of being run over (maybe even rightfully so), and then nobody seems concerned that the driver gets shot in the back of the head.

I don't know how local folks here report this "news" with a straight face.

I also can't imagine how insane it must have been before personal video cams were everywhere.

monicaangela

(1,508 posts)

5. I remember the Cincy police officers

Reply to CincyDem (Reply #4)

Tue Mar 8, 2016, 11:52 PM

Mar 2016

Those that arrived on the scene were prepared to corroborate the story of the police officer, now accused of murder. I live in Cincinnati, don't know if I told you that, police brutality and out and out slaying of human beings have been going on for a long time. With the new gentrification it appears things are getting ready to get really bad in the West End.

CincyDem

(6,355 posts)

6. I figured you were in Cincy.

Reply to monicaangela (Reply #5)

Wed Mar 9, 2016, 12:00 AM

Mar 2016

I am too.

I hear what you're saying about the gentrification and I think it's a serious issue.

I'm not sure if I'm a fan of gentrification but I know we're not doing it right in Cincy because we FAIL to consider the impact on the people who are living there. The plan is simply "push them out". That never works. People who live in these areas now have to live somewhere when it's over...ideally in the same area (I'm not advocating wholesale "relocation&quot

. We can't just gentrify the buildings, we have to recognize the people.

The fact that the OTR development was done so poorly is what gave us Cranley...the mayor who won what...11% of the registered voters (and virtually all of them from Western Hills). He ran on a "NO streetcar" platform which was code for no more redevelopment downtown which was code for "we're going to stop pushing black folks up into Price Hill and beyond".

Anyway...I rant. You hit one of my hot buttons on gentrification. Overtime I drive through West End and see what's coming, all I can think of is "how will we make space for the people who live here now". And someday, not sure when, someone's going to look at Lower Price Hill and all that empty flat land where the barrel factory was...they're going to figure something out over there and it's going to explode.

Have a good one and enjoy the ABSOLUTELY GREAT weather we're expecting tomorrow !

monicaangela

(1,508 posts)

7. I agree with your assessment

Reply to CincyDem (Reply #6)

Wed Mar 9, 2016, 12:08 AM

Mar 2016

Yes, this is wonderful weather we're having. Hope it doesn't rain tomorrow. I'm getting an early start on a bit of yard work if it doesn't. Take care!

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