Portage County residents share concerns on racism, voter intimidation after sheriff's comments

Portage County residents expressed concerns of racism and voter intimidation at a NAACP meeting Thursday evening in response to Sheriff Bruce Zuchowski's controversial Facebook post on Saturday.

In the post on his public Facebook page , Zuchowski called on residents to write down the addresses of people with signs supporting Vice President Kamala Harris, so they can send immigrants to their homes. He also referred to immigrants as "illegal human locusts." The American Civil Liberties Union of Ohio and the Portage County Board of Elections have both received complaints of voter intimidation because of the post. Portage County is 86% white, according to data from the U.S. Census Bureau.

Many residents at the Portage County NAACP meeting Thursday shared concerns about Zuchowski's posts perpetuating racism, like Pumpkin, an indigenous woman who lives in Kent.

"I'm brown, very brown, and most of you wouldn't know me as native unless you looked at me," she said. "And you would automatically assume I'm Mexican, which happened."

After former President Donald Trump was elected in 2016, Pumpkin said she faced increased racism.

"I got ugly looks," she said, "and I got ugly comments."

Now, she's even more scared, she said.

"I have intentionally not put up signs in front of my house. I have intentionally not put it on my car," she said. "I have them, but I'm scared."

In a post on Tuesday, Zuchowski defended his original post , writing that he has the right to freedom of speech protected by the First Amendment. But residents argued that his stance on Facebook infringes on their freedom of speech to put political signs in their yards and share their political affiliation. Other residents shared concerns about accountability.

"Who holds someone in this position accountable?," Kent resident Loralea Allen said. "I'm concerned that the only accountability is at the ballot."

Zuchowski is up for reelection in November, and voting him out was a popular solution supported by many residents at the meeting.

"The thing about it is, we are in election time," NAACP President Reney Romine said. "We've got to get people registered, and you can vote your conscience."

However, some shared concerns that voting will not be safe due to fears of intimidation by Zuchowski.

"Many of the things that I've heard - they've saddened me," Board of Elections Deputy Director Theresa Nielsen said, choking back tears. "You should not be afraid to vote."

Voter safety has not been an issue in Portage County, Nielsen said, but the board of election has plans in place if issues arise.

"Please don't be afraid to vote," she said, "because if you are afraid to vote and you do not vote, the bully wins."

The NAACP is encouraging residents who have concerns about voter intimidation to not vote alone, Vice President Geraldine Nelson said.

"Some of us may have to go to the polls with a partner, OK?," she said. "We will go together."