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Audio for this segment of the Tribunal is available on Soundcloud.

Audio for this segment of the Tribunal is also available on Soundcloud.

Audio for this segment of the Tribunal is available on Soundcloud.

Interviewer: Drake, Jarrett   Interviewee: Sharp, Charles E.   JD: You’re on the record.   CES: Okay. Number one. I grew up in this city. I know this city like the back of my hand. It’s a beautiful city. The people here are very nice and friendly, when they want to be. But when you got a lot of chaos and crime, people acting like they have no common sense. They going out, trying to take the law in their own hands. You got a problem. And, what I would like to see as a community. Every community needs to get together and focus on how to bring law back to one another and stop all this shooting.…

Interviewer (I): Whatever you want, whatever you want to share. LaVerne T. Craft (LTC): So. So, uh, I was somewhere and then the cop put on his gloves, he just came out and started punching me. I tried to walk away, and he jumped across the railing and started throwing stuff at me. Then he chased me around his car, followed me all out in the middle of the street. (Coughs.) He followed me all in the middle of the street. And I just so happened to be on the phone with the 911 dispatcher, and do you know what he did? He talking about send back up, then four cars came. The cars tried to run me…

RM: Today is August 18th and I am here with - BB: Brenda Bickerstaff RM: And she is going to share some of our, her experiences with police violence. So what have been your experiences with police violence? BB: Okay, well first back in January 26, 2002, my brother Craig Bickerstaff was murdered by police on East 105th and Lee. July -- retract that -- back in 2012, March of 2012, I was wrongfully indicted by an officer, a detective by the name of Vincent Lucarelli. I have an investigation business as well. Was trying to get an individual out of jail. Apparently he was having a relationship with…

JJ: Okay, so tell me a little bit about your experience. JN: Yeah, I was downtown at Terminal Tower, and I was standing in the doorway. And a police officer came to me, and he said, "we don't want you homeless people standing around here." JJ: Right. JN: And at the time, I wasn't homeless. But I just got off work. I was kind of dirty. And I said something to him. He told me, "we don't want your kind of people around here." So I took that kind of offensive because of, you know, I wasn't -- I mean, even if I was homeless he shouldn't have. I see other people standing all around the place, you…

Interviewee: Daniel, Montina Q. (MD) Interviewer: Colon-Marrero, Elena (ECM) MD: If somebody makes…if somebody has a discrepancy with Caucasians in Cleveland…the police start…black American people in the city… Like if you go into a business or restaurant, McDonald’s or library, they’ll stalk you. They’ll follow you down the street and they will target you. And put other people, biracial children and all other kinds of underhanded ploys, to racially target black people. It’s like, Apartheid. And it’s always been run in Apartheid method here. And it’s been done like that for years and it’s now…

Interviewer: Colon-Marrero, Elena (ECM) Interviewee: Anonymous (A) ECM: Whenever you’re ready. A: Okay, one time I am driving through Arizona, leaving Arizona, and I was working there. I was driving and a police officer pulls me over from behind ‘cause I had California plates. And he goes “the reason I stopped you is because your windshield is cracked.” I was like “you saw it from behind that my windshield was cracked? That’s impossible.” And he goes, “and your, and your back of your truck is a little unbalanced.” I’m like, “’cause I have all my stuff. I’m going to Minnesota.” He goes, “what’s…

Interviewee: Anonymous (A)   Interviewer: Colon-Marrero, Elena (ECM)   A: I was in Louisville Penitentiary for 13 years and I’ve seen police kill inmates in there. And it’s a conspiracy because the warden is mixed up in it, okays it, and the captains. All of them stick together to kill people. That’s all I want to say.

Jones: Okay, yesterday I had an incident with a police officer inside Cosgrove. I was actually – one of my friends was in line for breakfast – or maybe it was lunch, I don’t remember – but I went over to speak with her, and I was gonna get in front of her in line – like, I was gonna cut, or whatever, but then the police officer made a comment – and I knew that I was wrong – but I was talking with her for a minute and the police officer said, “Get to the back of the line where you belong,” and I just – I took that as very much offense, because, number one – and I don’t try to down anybody else,…

Transcription: Interviewer:  Jones, Jasmine (JJ) Interviewee: Unnamed (B) JJ: So, tell me about your stories with police violence or anything you’d like to share with us. B: Okay. Well, what I want to say is that it’s too much double-sided action going on like illegal and legal, you know, coming from police officers in the city…and sheriffs. But let me see if I can think of anymore…false information, and that’s real bad. JJ: What do you think could be done about this, if anything? B: The only thing I could think of that could be done is just hire good officers, you know? JJ: Yeah B: That’s the…

Participant Kevin Brady (KB):   OK, I’m going go ahead and get started.  I noticed there is something going on with the police…within the year 2000. It’s like…they never bothered me while I was in my thirties or forties…it’s just until my late forties…it was something that was just going on…I used to live on the west side of Cleveland by metro hospital and it’s like the police were just getting worse and worse. I mean…there was one time I got at least three tickets in a period of less than four months and that’s very unusual because I lived in the neighborhood for eleven years without getting…

A: ...Both spectrums, the good spectrum of the police and the bad spectrum of the police in response, as well as enforcement.  JD: Mmhmm A: So, you are recording right? JD: Yes A: Ok, you know, the things that I have seen that was good was a response after the effect had taken place. You know, they was having a shootout on the side of my house off of Beckman(??) and my windows had been shot into and shot out...and there were children around...and the only thing...and I asked the people when I came home from work...and this might have been about five years ago you know what I’m saying... so I…

Noah: Okay I think it’s going on. Yeah. There it goes. So what is your experience with police violence? Earl: I was assaulted by four Euclid police officers in Euclid, Ohio. And kicked in the mouth, Noah: jeez Earl: excessively tased while in handcuffs. Okay. Then they get in the courtroom and tell the judge  and the jury, okay,  I took a swing at the officer, I pushed the officer, that they had to wrestle me against the wall and I wrestled three officers at one time to the ground. Noah: jeez Earl: and I got convicted of a felony for it. Noah: Jeez. I am sorry, that’s, yeah it seems like they…

Curtis Cortez Chun Oral History Interviewed by Carol Steiner on August 19, 2015  Chun:  About two years ago, I was at [inaudible] library, standing with my mom.  And my mom walks away.  On that summer day, I was wearing a white t-shirt and had red pants on.  They thought I was provoking a fight.   They came and grabbed me, and I got arrested.  My mother was standing right there, and they say you cannot talk to a minor if a guardian or parent is accompanying you, or around.  I still have the charges and have not graduated from high school to this day, because I have charges for a felony four on…

Noah Geraci: We don’t want, like, specific names of the cops, just because sometimes people can get in trouble with that.  The cops get mad… Yeah, so, it’s recording now.   Unnamed: So we had—there was a situation one day, these three young ladies in the store that had big bags.  You know, they previously was in here on a Saturday, this happened on a Sunday.  They actually stole on a Saturday, but we didn’t, actually couldn’t catch them, ‘cause by the time we figured it out they were gone.   So they came back in Sunday and they had bags, and they were trying to steal but we seen them.    Noah…

Interviewer: Go ahead. Virgil: Good afternoon. Here in Cleveland, Ohio and we’re talking about police violence and community relations, and I’m a disgruntled person.  I’ve had incidents where I feel like the police should have investigated or detectives after filing a report; I feel like it was a dereliction of duty and they were very rude. And in dealing with the public and the community at large and to protecting citizens throughout the city, I think that Bill Jackson is addressing some of the issues of police brutality in the area and abuse. And this part of my story is not so much physical…

Elena Colon-Marrero [0:01] Go ahead Alec Carrero [0:02] It was another incident I had with the police when I was, uh, working, uh, at the homeless shelter a few years back, and all of us was sitting on the wall and they handcuffed all of us. Elena [0:13] Wow Alec [0:14] Yeah. They ended up taking one of the guys, but it was my birthday… but I had handcuffs on me for my 25th birthday. Elena [0:23] Did they give you a reason why they were handcuffing you, or to like – Alec [0:27] It wasn’t a reason, I wouldn’t think, cause I was eating a fruit salad. And we were just sitting right here on – what…

Joyce Nero: Let me know when you’re ready. Elena Colon-Marrero: I am ready. Joyce Nero: In 1994, I drove carpool. Took a co-worker, he asked me to take him to his ex-wife’s house to take money for her and the kids. We got to the ex-wife’s house. I stayed out front, he went around the back to the back door. I stayed out front, sat on the hood of the car. I heard a little bit of a commotion. Mike came out, got in the car, and we drove away. Police stopped us, pulled me out of the car, threw me on the ground, threw him on the ground, and Mike kept saying “She didn’t do anything, she didn’t do…