Current:Home > ContactOhio sheriff deletes online post about Harris supporters and their yard signs after upset-DB Wealth Institute B2 Reviews & Ratings
Ohio sheriff deletes online post about Harris supporters and their yard signs after upset
lotradecoin techsupport View Date:2024-12-25 16:03:33
After a public outcry and under threat of litigation, an Ohio sheriff has deleted a social media post in which he said people with Kamala Harris yard signs should have their addresses written down so that immigrants can be sent to live with them.
Portage County Sheriff Bruce Zuchowski, a Republican running for reelection, took down a Facebook post that likened people in the country illegally to “human locusts” and said that Harris’ supporters should have their addresses noted so that when migrants need places to live, “we’ll already have the addresses of their New families ... who supported their arrival!”
Zuchowski, a supporter of former President Donald Trump, waded into the immigration debate shortly after Trump and his GOP running mate, Ohio Sen. JD Vance, spread unfounded rumors that Haitian immigrants in Springfield, Ohio, were eating household pets.
The sheriff’s comment about Harris’ supporters — made on his personal Facebook account and his campaign’s account — sparked outrage among some Democrats who took it as a threat. His supporters called that reaction overblown, arguing he was making a political point about unrestrained immigration and that he was exercising his right to free speech.
Nevertheless, the American Civil Liberties Union of Ohio demanded that Zuchowski remove the post and threatened to sue him, asserting he’d made an unconstitutional, “impermissible threat” against residents who wanted to display political yard signs.
Zuchowski has not said why he acquiesced, but the ACLU said it was gratified and declared victory.
“The threat of litigation by the ACLU of Ohio, amidst the outrage of Portage County residents amplified by voices across the country, apparently convinced Sheriff Zuchowski, a governmental official, that the U.S Constitution forbids his suppression of political speech,” said ACLU of Ohio Legal Director Freda Levenson in a statement.
A message was sent to Zuchowski seeking comment on his deletion of the post.
On Friday, citing residents’ concerns, the Portage County Board of Elections voted to remove the sheriff’s office from an election security detail.
The Board of Elections said the sheriff’s office would no longer provide election security at the county administration building during in-person early voting, which begins Oct. 8. That responsibility will now be handled by police in Ravenna, the county seat. The new policy will continue during years in which the incumbent sheriff is running for re-election.
Randi Clites, a Democratic member of the elections board who introduced the motion, said Tuesday she was compelled to act by the “community outcry” against Zuchowski, noting that people who packed an NAACP meeting last week said they felt intimidated.
“It is my role and responsibility to make sure every voter feels safe casting their vote. So it was clear something needed to happen,” she said.
Amanda Suffecool, who heads the Portage County Republican Party and who also sits on the elections board, voted against Clites’ motion.
“I view it as political and I view it as a real slap in the face of all of the Portage County deputies that worked for the sheriff’s department,” she said. She said she views the argument that Zuchowski had made a threat as “very much a stretch,” adding that “people choose to be offended.”
In a follow-up post last week, Zuchowski said his comments “may have been a little misinterpreted??” He said voters can choose whomever they want for president, but then “have to accept responsibility for their actions.”
veryGood! (798)
Related
- 'Alien: Romulus' movie review: Familiar sci-fi squirms get a sheen of freshness
- Dolly Parton, dressed as iconic Dallas Cowboys cheerleader, rocks Thanksgiving halftime
- Mississippi deputy wounded as officers exchange gunfire with possible suspect in earlier killing
- The Netherlands’ longtime ruling party says it won’t join a new government following far-right’s win
- Efforts to return remains, artifacts to US tribes get $3 million in funding
- Rep. Dean Phillips, a Democrat running for president, says he won’t run for re-election to Congress
- Homicides are rising in the nation’s capital, but police are solving far fewer of the cases
- The casting director for 'Elf' would pick this other 'SNL' alum to star in a remake
- Don't be fooled by the name and packaging: Fruit snacks are rarely good for you. Here's why.
- Inside the Kardashian-Jenner Family Thanksgiving Celebration
Ranking
- Bristol Palin Shares 15-Year-Old Son Tripp Has Moved Back to Alaska
- NFL players decide most annoying fan bases in anonymous poll
- AP Week in Pictures: North America
- Why Mark Wahlberg Wakes Up at 3:30 A.M.
- Rob Schneider Responds to Daughter Elle King Calling Out His Parenting
- Expert picks as Ohio State faces Michigan with Big Ten, playoff implications
- ‘Adopt an axolotl’ campaign launches in Mexico to save iconic species from pollution and trout
- Thanksgiving NFL games winners and losers: 49ers and Cowboys impress, Lions not so much
Recommendation
-
Las Vegas police could boycott working NFL games over new facial ID policy
-
Andrew Cuomo accused of sexual harassment by former aide in new lawsuit
-
How algorithms determine what you'll buy for the holidays — and beyond
-
Canada, EU agree to new partnerships as Trudeau welcomes European leaders
-
Usher concert postponed hours before tour opener in Atlanta
-
Person dead after officer-involved shooting outside Salem
-
Joshua Jackson and Jodie Turner-Smith Reach Custody Agreement Over Daughter
-
The eight best college football games to watch in Week 13 starts with Ohio State-Michigan