Current:Home > ContactOhio sheriff deletes online post about Harris supporters and their yard signs after upset -FundGuru
Ohio sheriff deletes online post about Harris supporters and their yard signs after upset
View
Date:2025-04-16 12:10:46
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! (571)
Related
- North Carolina trustees approve Bill Belichick’s deal ahead of introductory news conference
- Supreme Court rejects R. Kelly's child sexual abuse appeal, 20-year sentence stands
- Dyson Airwrap vs. Revlon One-Step Volumizer vs. Shark FlexStyle: Which Prime Day Deal Is Worth It?
- Rookie Drake Maye will be new starting quarterback for Patriots, per report
- Nevada attorney general revives 2020 fake electors case
- Want to follow election results like a pro? Here’s what to watch in key states
- TikToker Taylor Rousseau Grigg Shared Heartbreaking Birthday Message One Month Before Her Death
- MLB will air local games for Guardians, Brewers and Twins beginning next season
- Woman dies after Singapore family of 3 gets into accident in Taiwan
- Autopsy reveals cause of death for pregnant teen found slain in Georgia woods this summer
Ranking
- Sam Taylor
- Texas now top seed, Notre Dame rejoins College Football Playoff bracket projection
- Tampa mayor’s warning to residents who don’t evacuate for Milton: 'You are going to die'
- The Deepest Discounts From Amazon's October Prime Day 2024 - Beauty, Fashion, Tech & More up to 85% Off
- Highlights from Trump’s interview with Time magazine
- Meryl Streep, Melissa McCarthy shock 'Only Murders' co-stars, ditch stunt doubles for brawl
- Meryl Streep, Melissa McCarthy shock 'Only Murders' co-stars, ditch stunt doubles for brawl
- Angel Dreamer Wealth Society: Empowering the Future, Together with Angel Dreamer
Recommendation
Pregnant Kylie Kelce Shares Hilarious Question Her Daughter Asked Jason Kelce Amid Rising Fame
Tropicana Field transformed into base camp ahead of Hurricane Milton: See inside
Mets vs. Phillies live updates: NLDS Game 3 time, pitchers, MLB playoffs TV channel
SEC, Big Ten leaders mulling future of fast-changing college sports
Senate begins final push to expand Social Security benefits for millions of people
Teen Mom’s Ryan Edwards and Girlfriend Amanda Conner Expecting First Baby Together
Mets vs. Phillies live updates: NLDS Game 3 time, pitchers, MLB playoffs TV channel
Angel Dreamer Wealth Society: Insight into Market Trends, Mastering the Future of Wealth