Matthew Ahn for Cuyahoga County Prosecutor
Matthew Ahn is the progressive candidate who can bring the end of mass incarceration to Cuyahoga County, something that has already been happening in other counties across the country.
There is so much to say about this race, but I want to keep this reasonably short, so I’ll focus on just one thing here. Because the Plain Dealer has pushed a narrative that O’Malley is the “no nonsense” candidate, I’ll use this space to address that.
The Plain Dealer editorial board thinks Ahn and his policies are “bizarre” because they maintain an unshakable belief that harsh punishment is effective at reducing crime, despite research showing that the opposite is true. I say “unshakeable” because I have now had two letters to the editor published in their newspaper that point to the research on this. They both also point to the fact that voters across the country have already elected leaders with platforms similar to Ahn’s, with positive results in terms of managing crime and harm. The truth about Ahn is that he is an exceptionally capable man — graduating college at 17 and law school at 23, with a master’s degree in music composition in between, then working with Bryan Stevenson, the anti-death penalty lawyer of Just Mercy fame, before teaching law, including critical race theory, at CSU — and his platform and public appearances exhibit an impressive grasp of the law and best practices in public policy.
As for O’Malley, his record contains plenty of nonsense. The most consequential nonsense is his zealous commitment to the death penalty and other extremely harsh sentencing. It’s well documented that these policies violate not only principles of human dignity but also best practices for public safety. But O’Malley’s adherence to a failed approach to criminal justice isn’t the only nonsense to which the Plain Dealer’s editorial board is somehow blind, despite much of it being published by their own reporters. There’s also O’Malley’s refusal to send any cases to the Conviction Integrity Unit (which can exonerate victims of wrongful conviction), leading board members to resign in protest after several years of neglect. (This despite O’Malley having campaigned in 2016 on the need to expand the unit). Then there was the time he tried to manipulate the Plain Dealer by feeding them a story to smear his political opponents, but editor Chris Quinn “didn’t want to touch it because [Quinn] thinks it’s retribution against Deskins,” according to a Plain Dealer reporter. And then there was the time he pursued the death penalty over the protestations of the victim’s family, blatantly giving the lie to his intimations that the reason he pursues harsh sentencing is that he is so responsive to victims’ wishes. There’s also the time O’Malley tried to put protesters in prison for using a megaphone and wildly accused their lawyer of attempting to threaten and to extort him. I don’t know what triggered O’Malley’s bizarre accusation of extortion against the lawyer, but he lobbed the accusation again a few weeks ago against a new target in spectacular fashion. I’ll briefly explain the situation, then let the targets of his accusation speak for themselves.
Just a month before the March 19 primary election date, O’Malley decided to go to war with the Greater Cleveland Congregations by accusing them of extortion. On Ideastream a few days later, the hosts tried to answer the question of why he would do this: “He thought well, that’s not going to be my friendly crowd, given those kinds of questions, so I’m not going to go there… Yeah, and he didn’t have to deal with the repercussions of [giving an unpopular answer] afterwards.” In other words: In order to avoid being exposed to criticism from a Greater Cleveland Congregations crowd on February 20, Cuyahoga County Prosecutor Michael O’Malley made up a story about one of GCC’s questions, told GCC that lawyers he spoke with agreed it was “extortion” (who are these lawyers??), and declined to show up for the GCC forum that was supposed to feature both him and Matthew Ahn. The question he objected to was a normal question a politician might get from an advocacy group, asking him — merely asking him! — if he would direct his office to devote half a million dollars to funding the Brenda Glass Multipurpose Trauma Center, a victim’s support group unaffiliated with GCC. Ahn, for his part, was so well received in his solo GCC appearance that, reportedly, “his comments were drowned out by applause mid-sentence.” Considering that the target of O’Malley’s wild accusation was a group of religious leaders, he had to know the ensuing public statements against him would be righteous and scathing. It’s hard to imagine why he thought this would be worth it for him. Maybe he has a genuine victim complex and couldn’t help himself, but I think it’s more likely that the Ideastream commentators were right: he was really that desperate to avoid being exposed to the GCC’s unfriendly questions at the forum. Here are some of the responses he earned from GCC leaders:
“I am disappointed and, frankly, amazed that the County Prosecutor, the County’s chief lawyer, would ‘lob’ a public ‘extortion’ accusation at GCC. His ‘facts’ and law are wrong. When they go low, GCC goes high.” Louise W. McKinney, retired public interest lawyer & Law Professor and member of St. John African Methodist Episcopal Church
“Jesus teaches Christians: ‘If anyone strikes you on the right cheek, turn the other also.’ He doesn’t mean we should accept abuse. He means that rather than fight back or run away, there is a third way: sacred resistance. In response to Prosecutor O’Malley’s false accusation that GCC participated in ‘extortion,’ as people of faith we will not fight back on his terms, nor will we run away from the conflict. We will hold steady — working towards solutions for safety and justice in our community. It’s unfortunate that we’re wasting time addressing his outrageous accusation while our neighbors suffer. When Prosecutor O’Malley is ready to continue working with the community on solutions, GCC is ready to partner.” Ryan Wallace, Senior Pastor, Fairmount Presbyterian Church
“Having attended the prep meeting with him, I can unequivocally say that GCC never once asked for any money for GCC, and an extortion claim is insulting and absurd.” Donna Weinberger, MSW, LISW, Anshe Chesed Fairmount Temple, GCC Strategy Team member
“O’Malley’s comments are unjust, unfair and incorrect. His use of the word “extortion” is irresponsible, particularly so from a person trained in the law.” Rev. John Lentz, Pastor, Forest Hill Church, Presbyterian, Chair of GCC Strategy Team
“As a trained attorney, Mr. O’Malley is well versed in the law and should understand the implication of a making the assertion of ‘extortion.’ GCC is an organization of people of faith, not ‘extortionists.’ His charges are non-factual. We look forward to working with the County Prosecutor’s Office now and in the future to address disparities, inequities and injustice responding in our Criminal Justice system for youth, racial minorities, the poor, the mentally challenged, substance abuse impacted and the wrongfully convicted.” Rev. Dr. Jawanza Karriem Colvin, Pastor, Olivet Institutional Baptist Church
“Whether due to a lack of understanding or intentional misrepresentation, I was deeply disappointed by Prosecutor O’Malley’s recent and distorted characterization of Greater Cleveland Congregation’s efforts to encourage more support for our community’s most vulnerable citizens and to bring more fairness to our juvenile justice system. I am proud to be part of an organization like GCC that is willing to advocate for policies aimed at improving the material, moral and spiritual well-being of our region; an essential perspective at all times, but which is most important when those in positions of political power are resistant to prioritizing such goals.” Rabbi Steve Segar, Congregation Kol HaLev
“As a co-founder of Greater Cleveland Congregations, I am stunned that County Prosecutor O’Malley had the temerity to accuse GCC of untoward intentions. The suggestion that GCC is practicing “extortion” is a grave one, and I implore Prosecutor O’Malley to walk back his words. We will not allow our name to be besmirched. My community’s association with GCC has always hinged on the integrity of its mission to be a faith-based, value-driven, representative body of the good people of Cuyahoga County.” Rabbi Joshua Caruso, Anshe Chesed Fairmount Temple
“I cannot imagine how Prosecutor O’Malley could make the claim he was ‘not told’ who the money was for. He was absolutely and clearly informed. The question we presented to him named the intended recipient, was read aloud and shown in print via screen share on our Zoom call.” Diana Woodbridge, Forest Hill Church, Presbyterian
So there you have it: the Plain Dealer’s “no nonsense” candidate, Michael O’Malley, in the words of a wide array of the community’s religious leaders.
If you’d like to read more about my views on this race, here is a piece I wrote with an audience of Cuyahoga County Democratic Party executive committee members in mind. And here are my recommendations for the entire March 19 Democratic Primary ballot.
I’ll leave you with this moving letter from a man executed by the state ten years ago. I think it’s helpful to remind ourselves of how monstrous our criminal justice system can be.
