LaTonya Goldsby, president and co-founder of Black Live Matter Cleveland, speaks during the Cuyahoga County Council meeting on Oct. 10.
LaTonya Goldsby, president and co-founder of Black Live Matter Cleveland, speaks during the Cuyahoga County Council meeting on Oct. 10. Credit: Cuyahoga County YouTube

Covered by Documenter Aaron Skubby (notes) and Jenna Thomas (notes)

Challenging mass incarceration

During public comment, several residents spoke out against the recent purchase of land in Garfield Heights for a new jail.

“This proposed jail is a tax on our future and evidence that our county leaders’ bold vision for our future is more mass incarceration,” said LaTonya Goldsby, president and co-founder of Black Lives Matter Cleveland.

Goldsby also called attention to the people who recently died in custody at the Cuyahoga County Jail. On Oct. 6, a man died following a medical emergency. He is the third incarcerated person in three months to die at the jail.

$10 million approved for rental assistance

Council approved funds for emergency rental assistance to help Cuyahoga County residents who are at least 55 years old and meet income requirements.

The funding will support Empowering and Strengthening Ohio’s People (ESOP)’s efforts to provide financial counseling and assistance to residents.

ESOP is a nonprofit HUD-approved housing and counseling agency that is part of the Benjamin Rose Institute on Aging. ESOP hosts free online classes to help residents navigate buying and selling property. Its classes also boost financial wellness and offer advice for aging homeowners.

Read more from Documenter Aaron Skubby:

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Meeting briefs

Service Journalism Reporter (she/her)
Dakotah is a journalist and audio producer dedicated to untangling bureaucracy and providing power (information) to the people of Cleveland. She spent 10 years on the frontlines of direct service working with youth and system-impacted communities before receiving her master's in media advocacy from Northeastern University. Dakotah is part of the Community team whose mission is to listen and amplify the issues Clevelanders care about most.

Cleveland Documenters pays and trains people to cover public meetings where government officials discuss important issues and decide how to spend taxpayer money.