CLEVELAND, OH – Democratic Party Judge Ann Clare Oakar should have admonished and not laughed at the filth that sprang from the racist mouth of Cleveland Municipal Court bailiff Deidre Mueller when she described the East side residents who voted for her as a Democrat as “animals” in front of American Negro and bailiff Alicia Gray.
Gray’s Grandfather and Great-Grandfather were lynched by members of the Ku Klux Klan in Alabama; and she lives on the East side of Cleveland like I do. “West is best and East is least” is not something everyone knows. You also don’t travel to the East side of Cleveland “if you want to see some animals” like her bailiff Mueller said in front of Gray.
Those words weren’t funny. Telling Gray she didn’t get Mueller’s joke was not Oakar’s job as a dispenser of justice.
None of my sources inside the Cleveland Municipal Court have said it was wrong for Judge Pinkie Carr to defend Gray’s perspective in the Oakar-Mueller racial drama. Oakar should have shown respect and not arrogance; and apologized directly to Gray as she dealt with Mueller. Judge Joseph Zone’s personal bailiff, a Zimbabwean alien named Vincent Zvomuya, should have kept his mouth shut when he told Gray not to return to the 14th floor.
If Oakar was wondering if she was going to be an unopposed candidate in this year’s municipal elections her answer is now “more than likely.” Attorney and East sider Andrea Nelson-Moore intends to pursue one of the open seats on the Cleveland Municipal Court. Andrea Nelson-Moore’s campaign is now taking orders for an April 2, 2021 fish fry that’s her first fundraiser. $20 a dinner. Call 216-268-9658 and ask for Pam Gray to purchase by March 31st.
Andrea Nelson-Moore’s worked as a government attorney for Cuyahoga County and as the chief of staff to the county’s Inspector General. She’s also worked for the judges of the Cuyahoga County Court of Common Pleas as a staff attorney.
Andrea Nelson-Moore and campaign finance law violator Judge Joan Synenberg competed for a court of common pleas judgeship in 2016. Synenberg failed to deliver her campaign finance reports to the Cuyahoga County Board of Elections within the 12 and 38 day deadlines as prescribed in Section 3517.10 of the Revised Code of Ohio. R.C. 3517.11(d) instructed Synenberg not to enter the office of judge or advance to the general election if the deadlines had not been met.
Oakar should have accepted her bailiff’s resignation offer and delivered an apology to Gray instead of to Judge Michelle Earley to deliver to Gray. American Negro Earley should have stood up for “right” instead of holding Oakar’s hands in front of Gray and telling her there’d be no internal investigation or discipline for Mueller’s racist words.
Both judges will have to explain themselves to the voters during their next elections. Despite her affiliation with the Cuyahoga County Democratic Party Oakar being an incumbent judge and the political organization’s endorsement won’t help. Just ask attorney and girlfriend beating Joseph Russo. Republican Judge Marilyn Cassiday crushed him in 2019.
I won’t repeat all the names readers of EJBNEWS have used to describe Earley to this writer. One unfairly disparages Uncle Tom whose characteristics don’t reflect Early’s actions towards Gray. The noun “uncle” was replaced with “aunt.”
The slave character Uncle Tom was beaten to death by slave master Simon Legree for refusing to tell where two enslaved women run-aways were hiding. Author Harriet Beecher Stowe in “Uncle Tom’s Cabin” portrayed this courageous man much more differently than he’s been remembered. Uncle Tom was no sellout.
A Moore – Oakar matchup for now appears to be a possibility. Oakar’s been described by at least one source inside the Cleveland Municipal Court as “nice” and someone they thought was “cool.” Her refusal to apologize to Gray was viewed as “not cool.”
“She won’t be getting my vote,” said one Cleveland westsider during a private conversation.
