People Power Trumps the Bosses

Something noble happened in Hamilton County last night. The people gathered themselves up to overcome a law imposed on them against their will. Nothing less than a people's power movement arose to say no — again — to a sales tax to build a new jail. (See CityBeat's election night coverage here.)

This was a broad-based grassroots movement, with membership from a broad spectrum of views. Some opposed only the tax. Some opposed only the jail. Some opposed only the social-service programs tacked on to make the program more palatable.

Fortunately, it was a muscular grassroots movement; it had to be. Consider the powerful forces arrayed against it: the Democratic Party, the Republican Party, Sheriff Simon Leis Jr., county commissioners Todd Portune and David Pepper. Even the usually sensible Charter Committee backed the jail tax.

Last year voters soundly rejected a sales tax for a new jail, and David Pepper was elected county commissioner largely on the strength of opposition to the jail plan championed by the Republican incumbent.

Then, once in office, Pepper and County Commissioner Todd Portune imposed a sales tax for a new jail anyway. Was it for this that voters elected the first Democratic majority on the county commission in four decades?

Consider the irony — or rather the shame — of the alliance Portune and Pepper made. Exiled from power for all those years, the best the Democrats could come up with on the pivotal issue of public safety was the plan advanced by — Sheriff Simon Leis Jr.

Yes, that Simon Leis. The one who charged the Contemporary Arts Center with obscenity. The one who made a speech in 2005 vilifying gays and lesbians as enemies of God. The one who has been saying for 20 years that we need a new jail, consistent, if nothing else, in his belief that incarceration is the surest way to fight crime. Simon says, “Lock up more people,” and Pepper and Portune were determined to help him do it.
If you were to ask Todd Portune if he believes justice is fairly administered in Hamilton County, surely he would point to the racial disparities and to the inequitable legal counsel afforded the poor.

If you were to ask Todd Portune if he supports the jailing of people caught with a small amount of marijuana, he would surely say no. Jailing people over a health issue isn’t an effective use of police resources or jail space.

Yet remember it was David Pepper who, while still on city council, first proposed jailing pot smokers. Council adopted the ordinance later, and now we are told by Pepper, Portune et al. that we need more jail cells.

The pro-jail forces argued that Leis has had to release thousands of nonviolent offenders early because of a shortage of cells. But that, properly understood, is an argument against — not for — a new jail. Why is the county holding so many nonviolent offenders in the first place? How many are people who simply couldn’t afford bail? How many are in jail for merely getting high? How many are locked up for economic crimes whose real cure lies in adequate job training and recovery programs?

Portune and Pepper prettied up their jail plan with social service programs aimed at keeping people from going back to jail. That’s the reason some otherwise progressive persons supported the jail tax.

Treatment programs are an excellent idea. Studies have repeatedly shown that treatment is cheaper than incarceration — not to mention more humane. But tying them to a new jail is unnecessary, counterproductive and cynical.

The Democrats in this county are aping their national counterparts in a most unfortunate way. The so-called “public safety plan” gave Leis and the conservative “law and order” crowd what they want (more people in jail) while introducing some treatment programs as an afterthought.

This is rather like the national Democrats’ approach to the war in Iraq. They recently approved another $190 billion for combat operations, all the while claiming to oppose the war. Why did they do that? They don’t want to appear soft on terrorism or insufficiently supportive of the troops in the field, so they continue a policy that they know doesn’t work.

So, too, the local Democrats, having finally gained power, didn’t want to appear soft on crime or insufficiently supportive of the police on the streets. Knowing full well that people are jailed who shouldn’t be, they were willing to lock up even more, all the while claiming to support programs to reduce the number of people being uselessly jailed. And they were quite happy use a regressive sales tax, which falls most heavily on the poor, to pay for it all.
What is progressive about any of that?

— Gregory Flannery

Comments

[Not the Mamma Cass!]

"Even the usually sensible Charter Committee backed the jail tax."

When has Charter ever opposed a tax or tax increase?

Your points about why the jails are crowded are salient, missing the one about people waiting to see a judge. Voters realize that improving the justice system isn't a money problem, it's a priority problem.

Since Si won't get his name on a new jail anytime soon maybe he'll finally retire.

Look for PP to put this on the March ballot in scaled-back fashion. Todd will need the PAC money to fend off his likely challenger; DeWine will have a much easier time being re-elected having stood up (again) for the taxpayers.

Pepper will have to find another place to one-stop shop for a Saturday night date.

[danny cross]

Well said, Greg. It is quite disappointing that a person could so blatantly ignore the wishes of the people who voted him into office.

I wouldn't have voted for David Pepper for commissioner if I knew we would have to do so much work to actually stop him from doing something so irresponsible. The county commissioners have no right to impose such a tax without a vote. It's absolutely ridiculous.

And what kind of arrogance does it take to repay your supporters with a resounding "I know better than you" approach to issues like public safety and justice?

David Pepper should take his mom's money and Simon Leis' speedboat and run for office in Butler County.

[DT-Sampler]

People Power will be the first to bitch when the Bosses start making their cuts. What should be cut? All the handouts and services that the People Power think their entitled to but certainly not paying for.