{"id":36261,"date":"2024-09-18T13:36:10","date_gmt":"2024-09-18T20:36:10","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/occupysf.net\/?p=36261"},"modified":"2024-09-18T13:36:11","modified_gmt":"2024-09-18T20:36:11","slug":"residents-express-fear-after-sheriff-says-write-down-all-the-addresses-of-harris-supporters","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/occupysf.net\/index.php\/2024\/09\/18\/residents-express-fear-after-sheriff-says-write-down-all-the-addresses-of-harris-supporters\/","title":{"rendered":"Residents express fear after sheriff says \u2018write down all the addresses\u2019 of Harris supporters"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
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Portage County Sheriff Bruce Zuchowski at a meeting in 2021 called for spending reforms that would add $2.9 million to the office\u2019s budget over three years. Michael Indriolo\/The Portager<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Ben Wolford<\/a>\u00b7September 16, 2024\u00b7(theportager.com)<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Portage County Sheriff Bruce Zuchowski seemed to encourage his friends and supporters to write down the addresses of people with Democratic yard signs, sparking accusations of voter intimidation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In identical posts to his personal and public Facebook accounts on Sept. 13, Zuchowski wrote what he claims to tell people who ask him what will happen if Vice President Kamala Harris wins the presidential election. Using dehumanizing language, he says he tells them to record the addresses of people with Harris yard signs in order to house immigrants with them.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWhen people ask me\u2026What\u2019s gonna happen if the Flip \u2013 Flopping, Laughing Hyena Wins?? I say\u2026write down all the addresses of the people who had her signs in their yards! Sooo\u2026when the Illegal human \u201cLocust\u201d (which she supports!) Need places to live\u2026We\u2019ll already have the addresses of the their New families\u2026who supported their arrival!\u201d the posts stated, along with accompanying pictures of a television tuned to Fox News. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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In the comments under the post on his personal Facebook page, one supporter replied with the name and street of someone with a Harris sign. \u201cI\u2019ll add that name to the list,\u201d another replied. Someone else commented, \u201cMaking a list and checking it twice.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

As of Sept. 15, that post had hundreds of reactions and over 100 shares.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Zuchowski faces a Democratic challenger to his re-election bid in November. He did not reply to questions emailed to him on Sept. 14.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Support our local news coverage. Thank you.<\/a><\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

The reaction from residents and Portage County officials was intense over the weekend, with people saying they have filed complaints to state and federal agencies, members of Congress and the ACLU. Others are reconsidering putting political signs in their yards, they said. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The most high-profile denunciation came on Sept. 15, when Portage County Commissioner Tony Badalamenti criticized the sheriff\u2019s post and announced his resignation from the county\u2019s Republican Central Committee. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThis is not the leadership I want to be part of,\u201d he said in a video posted to Facebook<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Badalamenti had previously clashed with Zuchowski over the sheriff\u2019s requests for larger and larger budget allocations. Badalamenti had previously supported additional funding but later said the county could no longer afford<\/a> to meet Zuchowski\u2019s requests. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

This refusal helped precipitate a rift in the Portage County Republican Party<\/a> that led Zuchowski to endorse primary challengers for Badalamenti\u2019s and Commissioner Sabrina Christian-Bennett\u2019s commission seats. Badalamenti lost his primary race to the Zuchowski-backed candidate.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Badalamenti could not be reached for comment, but in the video he seemed to suggest the sheriff\u2019s Facebook post was the last straw.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201c[Zuchowski] posted that we should all copy down the addresses of the people that display political signs which are different from our beliefs,\u201d Badalamenti said. \u201cIt scares people. It\u2019s called bullying, from the highest law enforcement official in Portage County.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Portage County residents who contacted The Portager said they were surprised and fearful. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI have a sign in my yard. Our sheriff is asking MAGA to write down our addresses. This is not normal and it is scary,\u201d one person said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Another expressed concern for her parents: \u201cMy parents are elderly and have been very politically active Democrats. I am afraid for them now. I don\u2019t want to scare them or suggest they take down their signs, but I am sick to my stomach with worry.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Others drew parallels between Zuchowski\u2019s reference to people as \u201clocusts\u201d and racist rhetoric that took place during genocides in Germany and Rwanda.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe Portage County NAACP was very disappointed to see the divisive post from our elected sheriff,\u201d the organization said in a statement. \u201cWe believe that law enforcement and elected officials both have a duty to ensure public safety for all citizens. Encouraging people to keep addresses, presumably so they can later be targeted, is counter to bringing all of us together to better our community. We encourage all citizens to vote their values in November.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Portage County Democratic Party Chair Denise Smith also encouraged voters to respond to the sheriff\u2019s comments at the polls.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cAny elected official is free to put whatever they want on their personal Facebook page,\u201d she said. \u201cAnything that someone believes is intimidation, the way to counter that is to vote against that in November, and the 109,000 registered voters should fire any elected official that tries to intimidate them.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Smith said the Portage County Democrats have distributed around 750 Harris yard signs and that residents had been calling her on Saturday. Several told her they were reporting the sheriff\u2019s comments to the attorney general, she said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It\u2019s unclear whether the post crosses any legal lines. Portage County Prosecutor Vic Vigluicci could not be reached for comment. Smith, a lawyer, declined to offer a legal analysis but said, \u201cI would be intimidated if he said it to me.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

After backlash from the community, Zuchowski responded in another Facebook post saying his recent post \u201cmay have been a little misinterpreted.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIf the citizens of Portage County want to elect an individual who has supported open borders [\u2026] and neglected to enforce the laws of our country then that is their prerogative, Zuchowski posted Tuesday evening. \u201cWith elections, there are consequences. That being said, I believe that those who vote for individuals with liberal policies have to accept responsibility for their actions! I am a Law Man\u2026Not a Politician!\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Jon Barber, the Democratic candidate for sheriff, said the episode illustrates the difference between the two men. He said he found the racist language \u201cappalling\u201d and that, in any case, undocumented migration is not a major issue in Portage County.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI think we can agree that people who are fleeing their home countries and are willing to come across a treacherous plain and unbearable conditions are doing it to seek a better life for their children,\u201d he said. \u201cThe sheriff and the former president think they\u2019re all criminals. And I have a hard time seeing that.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He said he has talked to residents over the weekend who were concerned about putting out signs.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cHe ordered his supporters to write down addresses and make a list so that they can pass those on to potential criminals,\u201d Barber said. \u201cI certainly feel that this is voter intimidation.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI encourage everybody to ensure you\u2019re registered to vote and that your registration is good,\u201d Barber said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Portage County ACLU of Ohio Action Team provided information about how to report voter intimidation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cSheriffs are elected officials who have a duty to serve ALL members of the community. They are sworn to protect the public from intimidation and oppression. For the sitting sheriff of Portage County to be engaging in this type of behavior he\u2019s meant to combat is despicable. Putting out a political sign is most decidedly protected core First Amendment speech,\u201d they said in a statement. \u201cVoter intimidation is illegal. If you are experiencing voter intimidation please contact the Voter Hotline 1-866-OUR-Vote.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This article was updated with comments from the ACLU <\/em>and from Bruce Zuchowski.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Ben Wolford<\/a><\/h5>\n\n\n\n

+ posts<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Ben Wolford is the editor and publisher of The Portager.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

ben@theportager.com
330-249-1338<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Portage County Sheriff Bruce Zuchowski at a meeting in 2021 called for spending reforms that would add $2.9 million to the office\u2019s budget over three years. Michael Indriolo\/The Portager Ben Wolford\u00b7September 16, 2024\u00b7(theportager.com) Portage County Sheriff Bruce Zuchowski seemed to encourage his friends and supporters to write down the addresses… Continue reading → <\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/occupysf.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/36261"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/occupysf.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/occupysf.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/occupysf.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/occupysf.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=36261"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/occupysf.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/36261\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":36262,"href":"https:\/\/occupysf.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/36261\/revisions\/36262"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/occupysf.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=36261"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/occupysf.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=36261"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/occupysf.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=36261"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}