The Ohio Republican Party called on Mayor Justin Bibb to stop deflecting responsibility for the violence occurring in Cleveland and to instead fix the problem by supporting law enforcement.
On Sunday, an early morning shooting in a nightclub area of downtown Cleveland sent nine people to MetroHealth Medical Center with injuries. According to authorities, no fatalities were reported.
Following the incident Bibb (pictured above) released a statement blaming Republican lawmakers, for passing Senate Bill (SB) 215 last year to allow for permitless carry, and law-abiding gun owners for the tragedy.
According to Bibb, “Republican lawmakers need to do a better job in both Columbus and in Washington to pass common sense gun reform laws.”
The Cuyahoga County GOP said that Bibb is reading from the same sheet of music played by failed liberal mayors around the country. Cut police funding and blame law-abiding gun owners.
“Our hearts go out to the victims of this senseless crime, and it is sickening to see Mayor Bibb play politics rather than doing everything in his power to stop the violence in our city. Elected Democratic leadership—including Mayor Bibb and the City Council—have a dangerously understaffed and under-supported police force, resulting in rising crime and dangerous conditions for residents and business owners. It is time for Mayor Bibb and the elected leadership to address these issues and take responsibility,” Cuyahoga County GOP Chairman Lisa Stickan said.
According to the Ohio GOP, this incident is another example of increasing crime under Bibb’s watch. The GOP details that for the first four months of the year, felony assault is up 25 percent, sex offenses are up 22 percent, robbery is up 19 percent, and theft is up 23 percent. Also, the number of stolen cars has more than doubled.
The Ohio GOP alleges that “despite the spike in crime, it appears Mayor Bibb is more focused on spending taxpayer dollars to promote himself than he is about fixing violence in his community.”
Bibb is not the only Democratic Ohio Mayor pushing out-of-touch policies. Following a recent series of shootings in Columbus, Mayor Andrew Ginther blamed small business owners and food trucks for the violence by implementing a curfew shutting them down early and penalizing them for the crime occurring in the city.
According to Ohio GOP Chairman Alex Triantafilou, Bibb needs to stop promoting soft-on-crime policies.
“It is amazing that every time there is a tragedy involving a firearm, Democrat mayors who villainize law enforcement want to also remove families’ ability to defend themselves. The soft-on crime policies in New York, Chicago, and San Francisco have been a complete disaster, and Mayor Bibb should stop trying to emulate them,” Triantafilou said.
The Ohio GOP said it’s far overdue for Democratic mayors in Ohio to take responsibility for the violence in their cities, support law enforcement, and stop playing the blame game whenever there is a tragedy.
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Hannah Poling is a lead reporter at The Ohio Star, The Star News Network, and The Arizona Sun Times. Follow Hannah on Twitter @HannahPoling1. Email tips to [email protected]
