The first issue A STRONG CITY is tackling since streamlining our focus from social media channels into AStrongCity.org is big. Very big, in fact. The rights of those who have suffered because of violence and other victims of crime matter, and should matter to us all.
Failure (refusal, really) of a police force to protect the citizens it is sworn to protect and serve is a threat to the very fabric of our society. And that means all citizens, whether they are members of the LGBTQ+ community, racial minorities, poor, rich… everyone.
The way it usually works, in the legal system and in the human mind, is that it takes a case to highlight problems that need solutions. We need to put a face on an issue to understand that big, or systemic, institution-wide problems have almost certainly been occurring for much longer than most of us ever knew.
We want to be clear that our highlighting of the Willam Erby case is about much more than his horrifically brutal crime spree that local law enforcement and prosecutors have permitted to go largely unchecked.
To be equally clear, those crimes — targetted domestic terrorism for sure — are absolutely appalling and cannot be tolerated in a civilized society. But just as egregious is the misconduct of a shocking number of officers from the Columbus, Ohio Division of Police, and the appointed and elected officials who continue to turn a blind eye, turn a deaf ear to three years and more worth of pleas for justice and truth.
Citizens have an inalienable right and a reasonable expectation not to be brutally attacked in their homes, or anywhere else for that matter. It’s one of the core principals our country was founded upon. In what must have been divinely-directed wisdom, the founding fathers saw fit to write into the Constitution’s Bill of Rights “[t]he right of the people to be secure in their persons, houses, papers, and effects…”
The blatant, disgusting violation of our very clear, easily understood rights by the officials and public servants we entrust to uphold the Constitution is not just a local issue. What’s going on in Columbus, Ohio, happens in many places, every single day. One place, one time is too many.
We’ve seen the evidence that savagely violent crimes and other violations of person and property were allowed to occur over and over again, and by the same individual who barely paid a consequence for his unacceptable reign of terrorism. ASC will share that evidence with anyone who cares. Most of it is already a matter of public record anyway.
The fact that these dozens of very serious, major — nearly deadly — crimes occurred, though, is just that: a fact. The person we’ve exposed as being responsible for these heinous acts is verifiably true. There is no doubt about it. If Erby insists on remaining in the darkness of his pathological denial, sue us. We’re just as ready to expose his lies in a Court of law as we have in our justified reporting.
As for the CPD, its own reports show the awful failures of too many of its officers. One report, for example, claims the victim declined medical attention after being lured to the home Erby shared with Billey Hart under guise of needing emergency medical attention, brutally attacked with deadly weapons, sexually assaulted, and kicked down a flight of stairs (not for the first time), before narrowly escaping for his life half-clothed after being forced to undress.
Medical records clearly show that the severely traumatized victim was transported by medics to a nearby hospital. Police undoubtedly lied in their report. This is just one example. Even one lie in a report by law enforcement is too many. It’s beyond shoddy police work and much more than mere negligence.
Police officers, prosecutors, and the officials appointed or elected to oversee them should be held to a higher standard than your average citizen. They should hold themselves to that higher standard and always be conscious that their words, attention to detail, and accuracy can quite literally mean the difference between life and death for someone or, on the other side, between a life sentence in prison and a year in jail awaiting trial.
Prosecutors and certain government officials have carved out for themselves immunity from prosecution, even for gross failures and outright malfeasance, in too many situations. If anything, penalties for public servants who fail to carry out their duties in such an egregious manner as we’ve reported (and will continue to report) should be more severe; not less.
That goes for the Chief of Police and elected officials who are either aware of the pervasive misconduct or certainly should be aware of it after so many incidents and complaints. As a society, we’ve got to send a clear and unambiguous message that the people will not — cannot — tolerate it.
A lot of people are seeing our posts and content. We truly appreciate all of you for subscribing, liking, and viewing our digital platforms. Not many people, though, are commenting. What can be said about such despicable mistakes, errors, and failures? “SMH” comes to mind.
The people who need to be commenting are the people who can and should be quickly fixing these very serious problems within our public institutions — and it’s their job to do exactly that: Columbus Mayor Andrew Ginther, Police Chief Elaine Bryant, Franklin County Prosecuting Attorney G. Gary Tyack, and Columbus City Attorney Zach Klein.
“I’m sorry this happened and that it has been allowed to go unremedied for so long” is a good place for these supposed-leaders to start.
“Here is what I’m doing to make sure it never happens again, that no one else ever has to suffer because of it…” would be an entirely appropriate, and long overdue follow-up.
A STRONG CITY 