Editorials from around Ohio

Excerpts of recent editorials of statewide and national interest from Ohio newspapers:

The Cleveland Plain Dealer, April 29

Charm City, as Baltimore is known, has been anything but charming since 25-year-old Freddie Gray died of a spinal injury in mid-April after he was arrested by police…

The rioting has achieved nothing except more destruction and has prompted Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan to call in the National Guard, and Baltimore Mayor Stephanie Rawlings-Blake to announce a citywide curfew.

Yet the Baltimore riots are the latest warning sign of the need to address the stew of problems facing African-Americans in major urban centers that are feeding both alienation and anger — from economic inequality and lack of opportunity to perceived racial bias on the part of government officials, especially police.

When people start destroying the very place they live, the churches where they worship and the businesses that their neighbors own, it’s not only criminal but a form of reckless, misdirected anger that pulls them further down into their funk of hopelessness.

But municipal officials also need to respond to such potentially emotional incidents with clear actions and open communications…

In Baltimore, city leaders failed to provide a satisfactory explanation for what happened to Freddie Gray, no doubt fueling the anger…

Change is needed, in Baltimore and elsewhere, but more rioting will not make it happen.

Online:

https://bit.ly/1FAZEpx

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The (Youngstown) Vindicator, May 1

The country of Nepal at the foot of the Himalayan range has been changed forever - and not in a good way. Six days after a magnitude-7.8 earthquake and its many aftershocks caused widespread devastation, the death toll has surpassed 6,000. Millions of Nepalese remain without adequate shelter, clean water and life-sustaining food, and at least 1 million children need urgent care and other help.

Countries around the world have responded well, with aid pouring in so fast that the only airport in the country has been unable to accommodate all of the aircraft bringing in medicine, tents, blankets, food, heavy earth-moving equipment and manpower. The poverty-ridden country that depends on tourism is in need of everything…

So here’s a suggestion to ensure that Nepal will continue to receive the assistance it will need for years to come: The nearly 800,000 tourists who visited the country last year should donate money to any of the humanitarian missions as a token of their appreciation for the spiritual experience of being in one of the most beautiful settings on earth.

And to repay the hospitality of the Nepalese, the tourists should consider another visit this year - to assist with the rebuilding of the devastated country.

The humanitarian crisis will not end any time soon, and people around the world have a moral obligation to do all they can to alleviate the suffering.

Online:

https://bit.ly/1GVm4DI

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(Warren) Tribune Chronicle, May 1

School systems use Ohio’s criminal background check system to ensure they are not hiring someone who may be a danger to children. Police officers rely on it to alert them when they have stopped people who may be a threat to them. Employers utilize it to guard against job applicants who may plan to steal them blind.

Let us hope all involved have backup plans -because the system sometimes does not work. State officials admit that during its 15-year-history, the background check program has inaccurately indicated thousands of criminals did not have records…

According to published reports, state officials are taking two actions to provide more reliable background checks. First, they are buying a replacement. Second, they are insisting on better performance by the contractor for the existing system.

Good. Knowing of errors in the past, state officials should have taken such action long ago.

But even now that upgrades are being made, the experience is a reminder to all who rely on computer-generated background checks. It is that no matter how good the system, errors will be made - and the most dangerous threats to Ohioans, especially to children, are experts at concealing their pasts. With that in mind, multiple safeguards such as calling previous employers are vital, especially when the safety of children is involved.

Online:

https://bit.ly/1FKzaC4

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The Columbus Dispatch, May 4

A new memoir from two of Ariel Castro’s victims is a story of resilience and survival on the part of two young Cleveland women who suffered unimaginably after being kidnapped by a sick and evil man. It also is a reminder that there are young people being trafficked and abused every day, and that people should be aware and report things that they find suspicious….

Many have questioned how the events recounted in Hope: A Memoir of Survival in Cleveland could have gone on right under the noses of neighbors.

Some neighbors say they called the police; Cleveland police said they have no record of such reports. But reporting suspicions is vital. Those who fight abuse and human trafficking have picked up the expression “If you see something, say something.”

People often are afraid to get involved, figuring it’s none of their business or simply reasoning that there’s no upside to calling police. But authorities rely on people to alert them to problems. Whether it’s a block-watch group, a single neighbor or a concerned family member or friend, people need to be the eyes and ears for their community. Someone’s life could depend on it.

Online:

https://bit.ly/1ERt5mv

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