CLEVELAND JUDGE CLEARS DOCKET FOR UNRULY PROTESTERS Kevin Johnson
Though he’d be happy to be less busy
Police Chief Calvin Williams vowed to exercise discretion in dealing with thousands of protesters expected to converge on the Republican National Convention next week.
For those whose conduct “crosses the line,” Ronald Adrine is waiting on the other side.
The chief judge of the busy Cleveland Municipal Court system has prepared for more than a year, though the jurist of more than three decades doesn’t know quite what to expect.
“This is kind of a moving target,’’ Adrine said. “We’ve heard that 30,000 people could be coming to town, on top of the 20,000 or so convention delegates and thousands of press. That is posing a concern.’’
Just as the Secret Service has game-planned for worst-case scenarios, so has Adrine and his staff.
All pending cases, up to 1,000 criminal and civil matters per day in 13 separate courts, have been suspended to make way for near round-the-clock arraignments of protesters and others who run afoul of authorities during the course of the GOP assembly.
Adrine said three designated courts at the city’s downtown Justice Center could be available as early as Monday morning, if necessary, to process protest-related suspects.
“We have the capacity to add two more courts (at a detention center just outside the city),” the judge said. “Of course, we would be happy not to get that far afield.”
In recent months, Municipal Court spokesman Ed Ferenc said, authorities have made room in two downtown detention centers for about 200 detainees. Neighboring jurisdictions have the capacity to house potentially hundreds more if mass arrests occur.
“We’re hoping that won’t be necessary,” Ferenc said.
One of the first big tests for security officials could come Monday afternoon during a march and demonstration by the Coalition to Stop Trump, a consortium of immigration advocates, Muslim rights supporters, critics of police tactics and anti-poverty groups.
Mick Kelly, one of the lead organizers, said the demonstration could draw thousands of participants, many of whom are being bused to the city from other parts of the country.
“We’re really seeing an outpouring of opposition to the bigoted Trump,” Kelly said.
Though harshly critical of the presumptive Republican presidential nominee’s remarks, which include labeling Mexican immigrants as criminals and proposing to temporarily ban Muslim immigration, Kelly cast Monday’s demonstration as “a non-violent, familyfriendly march.”
“We’re not participating in any violence,” Kelly said. “We don’t expect any. We’re capable of taking care of ourselves. And we don’t anticipate any arrests.”
Al Porter, president of Black on Black, whose Cleveland group is likely to rally against the use of deadly force by police, said he believes last week’s deadly ambush of five officers during a protest march in Dallas has cast a “sobering mood” over preparations here.
“We’ve heard people will be carrying weapons here,” Porter said, referring to state laws similar to Texas’ that allow the open carrying of firearms. “There may be a few clashes. I just don’t think we will see that kind of violence here. I think the incident in Dallas has created an awareness that people should and can get things done, not by fighting with each other but at the ballot box.”
Should peaceful protests turn unruly, Chief Williams and Judge Adrine said, they will be prepared.
In addition to the two, 10-hour shifts of bailiffs, court reporters, judges and prosecutors assembled for the convention, a pool of public defenders should be available from the Ohio National Lawyers Guild to represent those who may face criminal sanctions.
“We’ve never had anything like this,” said Adrine, a lifelong resident of the city and former Cuyahoga County prosecutor who earned his law degree at Cleveland-Marshall College of Law. “Let’s hope all our prayers are answered, and we only have a dribble.”