Judge McLaughlin Murray Orders Black Girl Prosecuted For Protesting At Collinwood High School To Court With No Attorney

Submitted by JournalistKathy... on Sat, 03/12/2011 - 02:38.
JudgeMcLaughlin-Murray.jpg

From the Metro Desk of the Kathy Wray Coleman Online New Blog.Com(www.kathywraycolemanonlinenewsblog.com)

Just two days after allowing her paid attorney to withdraw at the request of the family Cleveland Municipal Court Judge Lynn McLaughlin Murray summoned Collinwood High School graduate Destini Bronaugh to her courtroom Thurs., March 10.

 Bronaugh, 19, who graduated last summer, is facing misdemeanor charges of obstruction of official business and resisting arrest brought by the City of Cleveland in retaliation for her participation last May in a peaceful student protest at the school around teacher layoffs and school closings. She has pleaded not guilty to all charges.

The incident, including Bronaugh's brutal arrest at the protest by Cleveland Fifth District police officers, was caught on video. It has gotten some 20,000 hits on youtube.com under the title "Cleveland Police Brutalize Student Protesters."

Police allegedly went to the protest at the school on May 13 last year to harass the protesting students per the directives of higher ups, arresting Bronaugh's younger sister for an alleged curfew violation for the protest, and then targeting Bronaugh when she complained.

A Cuyahoga County Juvenile Court Magistrate last year dismissed charges against Bronaugh's younger sister because state law mandates that students receive a citation before any arrest on a charge of a curfew violation.

Appointed in Jan by outgoing Gov. Ted Strickland to complete the unexpired term left when Kathleen Ann Keough was elected in Nov. to the Ohio Eighth District Court of Appeals, McLaughlin Murray is well aware that Rule 17.1  of the Ohio Rules of Criminal Procedure provides for counsel at pretrials if the defendant is facing prison, unless waived by the defendant. And in addition to requiring the girl's mother, Tina Bronaugh, 42, to take off work to accompany her daughter, she had the 3 policemen associated with the incident, some accused of abuse of the girl in conjunction with the arrest last year, in the courtroom, allegedly as a means of attempted intimidation. This occurred even though the judge had canceled the scheduled trial of March 10  two days earlier when Destini Bronaugh's attorney was allowed to withdraw.

According to the case docket the judge issued an order for Destini Bronaugh to attend on Thurs. even without counsel so that she could decide whether to address the motion filed by the attorney she had let withdraw two days before.

"We had activists there so that Destini could not be targeted with illegal crimes against police like Rebecca Whitby where they could have accused her of anything since she had no attorney of record with her and this case is politically motivated," said Kathy Wray Coleman of the Imperial Women. "We blame Cleveland Mayor Frank Jackson for pushing his appointed law director, Robert Triozzi, to harass this young Black woman with malicious criminal charges in retaliation for a peaceful student protest protected under the free speech clause under the First Amendment of the United States Constitution."

Also joining community activists at Thursday’s hearing was outspoken Cleveland Ward 8 Councilman Jeff Johnson, who is supporting Assistant Cuyahoga County Prosecutor Pinkey Carr in this year's election for the seat now held by McLaughlin Murray.

After filing what activists say was a motion with McLaughlin Murray designed allegedly to incriminate Destini Bronaugh, his own client, Attorney Robert DeMarco was fired by the family last week, forcing McLaughlin Murray to cancel Thurs. scheduled trial date and to grant his motion to withdraw.

Attorney Anthony Jordan, a chief city prosecutor under the administration of former Cleveland Mayor Jane Campbell, entered an appearance on Destini Bronaugh's behalf around noon on Thurs., the day McLaughlin Murray said the young woman had to appear alone. But he did not appear with her due to an alleged former engagement, and he did not immediately ask McLaughlin Murray for a continuance for his new client, though the judge was advised by Tina Bronaugh that her daughter had no counsel to appear with her and the statement fell on death ears.

After all of the inconvenience McLaughlin Murray told Destini Bronaugh at Thursday's hearing that the case would be continued, something she could have done by docket entry as opposed to summoning the girl to encounter the police that arrested her at the school last May.

Destini Bronaugh was indicted by a Cuyahoga County Grand Jury last year on a felony charge of assault against police and resisting arrest around the protest last year, but Cuyahoga County Prosecutor Bill Mason dismissed the charges as lacking merit, only for an angry Jackson and corrupt and racist Triozzi to bring the pending charges on behalf of the City of Cleveland.

Tina Bronaugh said that the prosecution of her daughter is motivated by racial animus and is uncalled for in the 21st century.

"This is an unjust prosecution and we will fight it to the end," she said.

Jackson, who controls Cleveland's public schools via state law, is accused of using Destini Bronaugh as a pawn due to his anger at the Cleveland Teachers Union over turbulent contract negotiations last year, though union members ultimately ratified a new contract. Last week the Democratic mayor reportedly told reporters that unions under his purview were not all doing what he wants them to and that he and Ohio Gov John Kasich, who is pushing for passage of a bill to break Ohio unions dubbed Senate Bill 5, are good friends. Kasich attended the mayor's State of the City Address last week at Public Auditorium where some 100 union protesters greeted the governor outside with signs saying "kill the bill."

After narrowly passing the Senate, SB 5, a Republican fueled initiative that is now in committee at the House of Representatives, is one Ohio's most politically divisive issues.

Coleman said that`she knows no Cleveland mayor that has such hostility toward innocent Blacks and women like Jackson seemingly has, and that judicial malfeasance is rampant in Cuyahoga County relative to common pleas court and municipal court judges.

"Some of these judges are out of control and their behavior is being sanctioned by officials of the Cleveland NAACP," said Coleman. "Judge Keough is bad but Judge McLaughlin Murray seems to have such a flagrant disregard for the law that we must question her fitness for the bench."

The judge, who was personally assigned to the case,  set a pretrial for April 4 after Chief Prosecutor Victor Perez, who attended the hearing Thurs. and brought the 3 policemen allegedly on hand for intimidation purposes when no trial was scheduled, said he would be out of the country for the next few weeks.

Coleman said that activists will be watching to see if McLaughlin Murray gets an endorsement from the Cleveland Police Patromen's Association since she had police at the hearing Thurs. to allegedly intimidate Destini Bronaugh and community activists.

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what?

damn girl......... you sign your name to your work?  :)

Please do not curse at me. I

Hi Mr. Duff. I just figured out who you are--- countygrandjury.org, right? Would like to be on your Internet show in the future--Thanks for reading--Kathy Wray Coleman

hehee that

Hi Kathy,

Sorry this intro to this site is now a bumpy road, but oh well.

Yes, bill does know who you are, but I have been meaning to connect you two as I think your request would be a great show. He knows you are too much of a lady to 'hit and run' like some here, so therefore the dry sense of humor remark, grin.

Here is the link (you mentioned in your above report) to the brutal attack by the cops, for no reason http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RpmjnDW-Ys8 for everyone to see.

 

Will call you later, Betty

The problem is, America is NOT a Democracy - it is a Republic! As our Founding Fathers established, can we keep it?

Go away already....

I need to get my EMETROL out already....you need to get on the phone and talk your stuff and drama and put a stop to you sabotaging  this site already....or get  on the next train Jeff posted...it is waiting for all of you nit-picking argumentive fools.  I have had enough of All of you, and  shame on you for provoking such nonsense.

pls check the "about us" off this site

it says, in part "

REALNEO is a free, secure, open-source virtual community dedicated to optimizing Northeast Ohio (NEO). Anyone interested in NEO should register for an account with REALNEO and participate in the virtual community. Read through the pages below to learn more about REALNEO. end quote.

None of us have ever been disrespectful at all, yet here we are, the third 'regulars' adding to the numbers that have been that to us.

Did you have any content to add to the thread?? Calling people names and worse, you simply are not the good content builder (like we are)  now too, are you? You can't let people just all 'get along' and keep this site one of importance to hear all sides??

Tisk, tisk, Betty

The problem is, America is NOT a Democracy - it is a Republic! As our Founding Fathers established, can we keep it?

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Saying sonebody is

Saying somebody is sabotaging a free speech Internet site is commesurate to asking Black people to go back to riding  in the back of the bus. And any such sabotage would require a degree of talent since people are reading and it our role to seek and perpetuate truth through effective and meaningful journalism. Isn't that what writing is all about?---Free speech is the cornerstone of a free society, regardless of race, ethnicity, sexual orientation, socioeconomic status, religion or gender. And what's wrong with an intellectial discussion on race, gender, corruption and politics? You need the point of view of more Blacks and other minorities to this fabulous site for a diversity of discussion. I'm glad I was asked to contribute, though I am an investigative journalist.---- Thanks for reading--Kathy Wray Coleman. Also, it takes discipline to write and research and no sabotage can occur if people have a passion for writing. I am only here a while where we are building a site with a marketing company and I cannot write simply for free consistently when I am a journalist . --Still, we need opposing views to perpetuate thinking, including those that challenge what I might write. Growth can be prejudicial. . Glad to know that everyody does not agree with me though something tells me that some of us are use to the status quo. --Loosen up people and enjoy the time that we are together. The judges and other politicians can vouch for themselves. Their malfeasance is what gives us the news, though not all of them are bad and many are brilliant and community oriented.--------------If this  is primarily an evironmental site, I can eliminate the politics. Quiet as it is kept I have a bachelor's degree in biology, though I was never truly passionate about it, so you wont get many stories for it. This site can be diversified not just by race but also  by subject matter. Give the people what they want.

Realneo is here 2 say your pc

 Hello JournalistKathy,

Put up your stuff - push the noisy din away.   Be true to your feelings and your expression.  Just do it.

This site has it's issues for sure.   Still, it's striving for new competency.    

Stay focused to your purpose and don't allow any distraction to pull away your confidence.  

I've been here since 04, and still ain't got the groove.   

Like I said, failure is natural.

 

 

Ms. Wray Coleman - email me about biology

Ms. Wray Coleman - email me about biology - I have an investigative story I'd like investigated further - deals with biology - pollution and lead poisoning in Cleveland... and the big business behind that - causing environmental and social injustice, poor public health, failed education systems, expected crime and unjust prosecution... all enabled by broken science, ineffective government, irresponsible industry, moral corruption and political intrigue. I'd like your feedback - norm [at] realneo [dot] us

Disrupt IT

What is your email address,

What is your email address, please?. Mine is ktcoleman8 [at] aol [dot] com and ph6ne is 216-932-3114. I have written on health issues such as the double lung transplant undertaken by Cuyahoga Judge Nancy McDonald in 2009 , who is now back to work. We wish her well and I can write on biology--Kathy Wray Coleman www.kathywraycolemanonlinenewsblog.com

Kathy, realneo

Kathy, realneo is not exclsuively about enviornmental issues. A lot is written about them because we have Norm, an expert on this issues, and he writes a lot about them. We currently do not have a lot of writers, so it is easy to think that it is an enviornmental blog site. In the past, we have covered a wide range of topics, with some global input. We have talked urban farming, chickens, politics, cars, architecture, the way things used to be (memories shared). We have also focused on the absolute screw up of a neighborhood, Tremont, by the politicians and the CDC.

I find your postings a breath of fresh air, and a reminder that we need to be broader based, more diverse, and keep our eyes open.

So thanks for posting here, and please continue to do so.

DW

I second DW, Welcome Journalist K

 Broader based is better.  

Like the Times masthead says: all the news that's fit to print (or not): Realneo.

One of the issues which has risen here is that poster's are put off by the fact that their content has to be near other poster's content.  This weird issue has caused many quality writers to bail out on Realneo.

It is a very big issue and has diminished Realneo's strength - considerably.

The Drupal software behind realneo probably has a module or two which could resolve the association issue (everyone could design their own home page content), but then that would avoid the problem which we really need to tackle and solve. 

 

I don't know the answer...still in failure mode right now..but that may mean we're on the way to resolution.

 

Kathy - your issues have been excellent

I think you are confusing some old garbage that has recently resurfaced.

I asked earlier - I think it got lost - Did Murray ask Ms. Bronaugh if she waived her right to an attorney at time during this hearing?

The attorney of record, Bob

The attorney of record, Bob DeMarco, withdrew on March 8, 2011 and Judge McLaughlin Murray ordered the girl to court two days later and without an attorney to harass her. The day of the March 10, 2011 heaing, Attorney Anthony Jordon entered an appearance at about noon for the girl but said he could not make the 1:30 pm hearing do to a prior engagement. The girl's mother and grassroots reminded the judge that the girl had no attorney to appear with her and she ordered her there anyway and had the 3 police involved in the arrest there for intimidation purposes.  The girl did not waive anything where after the judge saw grassroots people and Cleveland Ward 8 Councilman Jeff Johnson she continued the hearing. There is no way around this , the judge did it to harass Destini Bronaugh, 19-years-old and Black,  and because she has no respect for the law where Rule 17 of the Ohio Rules of Criminal Procedure provide for counsel at all stages of proceedings if requested when the defendant is facing prison. Scheduling a hearing  2 days after you let an attoney withdraw is pure harssment and we believe that  the judge did it to harass Destini for police and officials of the City of Cleveland, including law director Robert Triozzi,  who brought the charges for Mayor Jackson who is angry because Destini protested last year as a student at Collinwood High School around teacher layoffs and school closings. --Kathy Wray Coleman, the Imperial Women--The judge is unfair  and violates the law, and should be voted out of office this year--

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Thank you

Thank you