Ohio Jailers Need Lesson in Diversity, Civil Rights; So Does Wolf Blitzer of CNN

Not too long ago, I watched reporter Wolf Blitzer of CNN shake his head and say "I didn't think things like this happened any more." He was reporting on a civil rights violation of an African American (I don't even remember what this particular event was about).

I do remember that I was so disgusted that someone who reports national news would think racist incidents like those that used to be reported during the modern civil rights movement simply don't happen today.

Really, Wolf? Look at the story I just read this morning out of Mansfield, Ohio, reported by WFMD.com -- a news report eminating not exactly from the Deep South:

Just in case you are walking around with your head in the sand -- like the Wolf Blitzers of the world -- it does still happen.

What if this were your son?
The Mansfield Branch of the NAACP is responding to the outcome of an investigation by the Richland County Sherriff's Office into allegations of misconduct involving a juvenile that was in custody at the jail.

Three Richland County Corrections officers and one retired Corrections Officer were criminally charged Thursday. Sgt. Kristin Gillis, 41, corrections officers Rodney Gallaway, 47, and Michael Reef, 45, and former corrections officer George Isaman, 65, were charged with dereliction of duty of second-degree misdemeanor; interfering with civil rights, a first-degree misdemeanor; and endangering children, a first-degree misdemeanor.

Maj. Dale Fortney said the department will pursue separate administrative charges against Gillis, Gallaway and Reef and four other corrections officers involved in the incident.

The officers are accused of leaving 17-year-old, Kenneth Puckett, in a freezing garage on the second floor of the jail where he was shackled to a concrete pillar while fully restrained in a restraint chair. The garage doors were opened exposing Puckett to the extreme cold weather for more than two hours as he screamed in agony.

The Mansfield Branch of the NAACP issued the following news release in response to the outcome of the Kenneth Puckett investigation at the Richland County Jail:

The Mansfield Unit of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People is dismayed at the outcome of the Kenneth Puckett case. No individual should be subject to the inhumane treatment this young man received while in the custody of the County jail. It is also our position that no employee paid for with public funds should ever be allowed to participate in such a deplorable act and continue to remain in public employment. The continued public employment of these individuals is inappropriate and the decision to charge these offenses as misdemeanors is indefensible.

The corrections officers involved in this incident were seven adults who were in a position of authority over a minor in their custody. To deliberately expose him to below freezing temperatures for hours while barefoot, wearing the jail uniform and restrained to a chair can be described as nothing short of criminal. Many, many individuals in this community have felony records for much less. The outcome of this case demonstrates a systemic inability to discern what does and does not constitute inhumane treatment and spotlights an outrageous abuse of power and authority. Furthermore, the willingness of the legal system to turn a blind eye to the severity of such abuses by public employees merits further action.

The NAACP recognizes that not all jail corrections officers and Sheriff’s office personnel condoned this reprehensible behavior. We are grateful that within that institution, there were individuals who witnessed these actions and reported them to the public rather than relying on an internal investigation to ensure a just resolution.

Founded in 1909, the NAACP is the nation's oldest and largest civil rights organization. Its members throughout the United States and the world are the premier advocates for civil rights in their communities, eradicating civil rights violations, conducting voter mobilization and monitoring equal opportunity in the public and private sectors.

Gillis, Gallaway, Reef and Isaman will make their first appearance in Mansfield Municipal Court on June 23 at 10 a.m.

Gillis, Gallaway, and Reef have been reassigned to jail posts and will have no contact with inmates until the issue is resolved. Isaman recently retired from the sheriff's office.