7 hours ago
Demonstrators return to Butler County Jail to demand protester's release
HAMILTON, Ohio — The morning after an anti-ICE protest attended by hundreds, a group of more than 30 people returned to the sidewalk in front of the Butler County Jail to denounce the jail and its officers and to chant: "Immigrants are welcome here."
The demonstrators, organized by Cincinnati Socialists, a local political organization, were there to call for the release of one of their members and for all people detained at the jail by ICE.
Cincinnati Socialists and others protested the Butler County Sheriff's Office's contract with ICE in front of the jail on June 8. Drew Vasser, the political group's media representative, said at least a couple hundred people showed up to the protest. A press release from the sheriff's office said the demonstration drew around 500 people.
One protester, 26-year-old Cayley Baker who lives near Dayton, was arrested by Hamilton police officers, according to jail records obtained by The Enquirer. Baker was charged with felony assault and four misdemeanors: obstructing official business, resisting arrest, failure to disclose personal information and disorderly conduct.
Baker was held at the Butler County Jail on a $5,000 bond and was released hours after the protest began on June 9. She has a preliminary hearing for the felony charge scheduled for June 16.
The sheriff's office said most of the protesters assembled peacefully, but some were obstructing traffic in the street and creating a safety hazard, so officers were deployed to maintain order. Vasser said officers tried to intervene in the demonstration about halfway through.
"One of our marshals basically got caught in the crossfire trying to protect the people from the cops," he said, referring to Baker. "She had her hands up. She was trying to keep the cop away from them (the demonstrators) and got pushed over in the process into a car."
Cincinnati Socialists learned about ICE agents' arrest of Emerson Colindres, a 19-year-old Honduran immigrant, and invited his family to speak at the June 8 protest. Colindres was arrested June 4 during a routine check-in with ICE officials at the agency's office in Blue Ash.
Colindres and his family came to the United States to seek asylum in 2014, when he was 8 years old. His mother said she had been robbed and extorted by gang members, federal court documents show. But an immigration judge denied her asylum application.
Colindres graduated from Gilbert A. Dater High School last month and was a top player on the Western Hills soccer team. He also played for the Cincy Galaxy soccer club.
In April, members of a Dayton-area church also protested outside the jail after the arrest of Armando Reyes Rodriguez. A Dayton resident from Honduras, Reyes Rodriguez was in the process of seeking asylum and was also arrested during a check-in with ICE officials in Blue Ash.
"It's important to highlight that this is continuing to happen. Children (are) being put into these positions," Vasser said. "This is not one person, not even just Butler County ‒ this is a countrywide issue."
This story was updated to add a video.
This article originally appeared on Cincinnati Enquirer: Protesters return to Ohio jail after demonstration ends in an arrest
