CLEVELAND, Ohio – Cuyahoga County residents showed up in force Tuesday to oppose Cuyahoga County Executive Chris Ronayne’s plans for building a new county jail, advocating instead for the county to spend money on services meant to keep people out of the justice system altogether.
At least 75 people attended Tuesday’s council meeting, most of them supporting comments from the 14 residents who spoke out against the proposed cost, location and general need for a new county jail. They repeatedly called on the executive and county council to rethink what the speakers termed prioritizing a jail over other more important public services, such as housing, safety and other quality of life needs.