No New Jail Cuyahoga invites county residents to attend the next county council meeting November 14th to say NO WAY to the new jail project. Please RSVP to the right so we know how many people to expect - the RSVP will also send you a reminder email 24 hours before so you get a nudge to show up.

We meet together at 4:30pm outside the building and go in together.

Keep in mind:

• County Council Chambers are at 2079 East Ninth Street Cleveland, Ohio 44115 (Northeast corner of E 9th and Prospect Ave) on the 4th floor

• Meeting starts at 5 but get there at 4:30 if you can to park and sign-in before 5pm.

• There is a security desk with metal detectors but no need to show ID when you enter.

• Folks who want to speak will sign-up on a sheet in the back and give it to the Council Clerk. The clerk or clerk's staff will provide parking validation if you parked in the garage across Prospect.

• Public comment is limited to three minutes per person and is live streamed on the internet, recorded, and posted on the county website.

• Parking: If you have parked in the garage on the southeast corner of Prospect and E. 9th you can get your parking validated for free (see clerk staff in council chambers). Parking is in the deck across prospect and there's a bridge to get to the floor where council chambers are.

Here is a longer document on giving public testimony at county council, including some talking points and a collection of news articles about the jail project.

WHY WE SAY NO

County Council snuck a vote to buy a widely contested piece of land in Garfield Heights for almost $39 million earlier this month, and County Exec Chris Ronyanye wants to tax everyone in the county for 40 years to pay for it: and do so without voter approval. We say: No Way!

From go the organizers of the proposed new jail project has been undemocratic in structure and deceitful in projecting how much it will cost. .Initially proposed at $550 million, the project shot up to $750 million within a year. It's estimated to be about $2 billion, once you account for interest to bondholders on the long-term loan. As for democracy: the proposal committee has no meaningful public input and the project has not been put to vote--even though it's our tax dollars! That ain't right!

The first effort to get a jail built came in 2022 when county officials tried to authorize $750 million to build a new jail on a brownfield site on Transport Road near the Central neighborhood. This site was loaded with so many toxic chemicals that it was deemed not worthy of being a horse stable for Cleveland Police: and yet they wanted to imprison people from our community there!

When word of this effort became public, the community said NO – and although they tried some backroom deals, the community's voice shut down the purchase of the toxic site. But the struggle is not over: it’s time to step up and pressure county officials to make real changes, not just building another building as a false solution.