CLEVELAND — Mayor Justin Bibb may have thought it was going to be a day of celebration for Cleveland but instead was tested and accused of breaking promises.
Just minutes after Mayor Bibb introduced the 13 nominees to the Community Police Commission, air horns sounded.
Mayor Bibb tried to speak more about police reform and the selection process, but Issue 24 supporters weren’t having it and called the city liars.
The mayor retreated into city hall and was not made available for an interview. News 5 was told he had left for another event.
"The nominees who stand before you today reflect the racial, social and cultural diversity of our great city,” said Mayor Bibb as he was disrupted toward the end of his announcement by the sound of an air horn.
Drafters and supporters of Issue 24 called out the city, saying it did not follow the charter amendment’s language correctly.
"They lied, they lied, we didn't vote for this,” said Alicia Kirkman.
"We led an extensive public engagement process with community leaders, faith leaders and legal experts,” said Mayor Bibb.
The mayor’s introduction of the nominees comes nearly one year after voters approved Issue 24.
"To both delay and screw it up simultaneously is simply unacceptable,” said principal drafter, Subodh Chandra.
Chandra says the charter amendment requires five specific categories to be fulfilled, including a family member or victim of police violence or an attorney with experience pursuing police misconduct either as a prosecutor or in a civil manner.
"When I first saw the list, I thought it was a commendable list of people,” said Chandra.
According to the charter amendment, a single member can fulfill more than one, but Chandra says what can’t happen is one or more of the five requirements being ignored.
"Unfortunately, it appears as though city leaders have deliberately flouted that and engaged in a tortured interpretation — they only need to pick from one of those five categories — that's simply incorrect,” said Chandra.
City law director Mark Griffin says they are confident in their interpretation.
"We don't agree, we believe we completely meet the charter to have the most socioeconomic group we could have and they're knowledgeable about every section required under the charter,” said Griffin.
News 5 asked Griffin about having knowledge and having actual courtroom experience.
“The charter says knowledgeable, and so that's what we've fulfilled,” said Griffin.
Griffin says one nominee has experience with police violence after being knocked down at a protest.
"My son Angelo Miller was killed by the police 15 years ago and the city continues to do what they want to do,” said Kirkman.
Kirkman says they will challenge this legally.
"We're going to continue to fight, it's not over, they're going to do it the exact way it was wrote. They're going to do it the exact way people voted for,” said Kirkman.
"We have always known there would be legal challenges and we expect to prevail,” said Griffin.
Chandra says he personally briefed then-candidate Bibb at his request on the charter initiative and says Bibb knew, understood and appreciated that multiple categories needed to be represented on the commission.
In a statement, Mayor Bibb said he accepts the law director’s interpretation and that it was done in good faith. He said won’t let interruptions or distractions stand in the way of Cleveland’s progress.
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