TOLEDO, Ohio — As some inmates are having their prison sentences commuted by the governor, protesters rallied outside the Lucas County Jail on Saturday afternoon for the non-violent offenders locked up there.
The Community Solidarity Response Network met right outside the jail in downtown Toledo for what they called the ‘#FreeThemAll419 Motorcade Mobilization and Direct Action’ event.
The group wants non-violent offenders released and an end to pretrial detention and cash bail during the COVID-19 pandemic.
According to the group, the Lucas County Jail is a “crowded and unsanitary facility which is the perfect breeding ground for infectious diseases.”
The safety of incarcerated people has been an ongoing concern around the country during the coronavirus pandemic.
WTOL reached out to Lucas County Sheriff John Tharp for comment.
Tharp says he has worked with judges to get the jail population down below levels not seen since the 1980s.
He also says inmates, employees and anyone else who comes inside the jail is being provided masks during the pandemic.
