Posted by Media Release

Photo courtesy of here.

Chennel Pace, a 29 year-old African American woman, was arrested and charged with four counts of child endangering on September 28, 2008 by the Hamilton County Sheriff’s Office.  She spent one night in jail and was released on an ORC bond (her own recognizance) by Judge Dwane Mallory.  All four of her children are alive and uninjured, but they have been removed from her care by Jobs and Family Services.  The court stipulated their removal and also instructed Ms. Pace not to contact them.  The endangerment charge was applied because Ms. Pace’s 12 year-old daughter was watching the other three children ages 8, 6, and 18 months while Ms. Pace went to work.  Ms. Pace works at Lincoln Crawford Nursing and was working a few hours of overtime to pay bills.  Ms. Pace was not in a bar while her children were at home.  She was at work.  Yet, the Hamilton County system has criminalized her and taken away all of her children. 

Hamilton County Prosecutor Joe Deters stated that there was no law to apply to Mrs. Edwards, a white female who recently left her infant in a car all day which resulted in the baby’s death. Joe Deters said in his press conference announcing no charges for Mrs. Edwards regarding her dead baby that there is no racism in the Hamilton County Justice system. Mrs. Slaby, a white woman, was just on the Oprah Winfrey Show nationally televising that she was responsible for her child’s death, but was not charged or jailed.  Neither of these white women were subjected to having their other children removed from their homes, nor were they restricted from being in contact with them.  Joe Deters is being protected by the Democratic Party because he is running unopposed.  The County Prosecutor and County Sheriff positions do not have any term limits like City Council and Mayor positions.

Cincinnati, here is another case in one week where African American parents are charged and jailed for child endangerment when all children in question are still alive.  The case regarding Mr. Reed did involve injury to the child.(The Cincinnati NAACP will be on court watch at 9a.m. on Monday in Judge Mocks’ court room) The case regarding Ms. Pace did not.  But the result for both parents was the same: legal charges, jail time, and removal plus restriction from all children.  The Cincinnati NAACP does not condone any harm to children. The Cincinnati NAACP is an advocacy organization for civil rights and fairness. 

The Branch President, Christopher Smitherman stated, “The Hamilton County Criminal Justice system is racist.  Justice is not blind in Hamilton County.  I ask the broader community to consider these examples and then ponder, ‘What does racism look like?’ “ The criminal justice system has not protected the safety of children; they have made an African American working woman into a criminal and possibly traumatized four children who don’t understand why they cannot be with or talk to their mother.  The Cincinnati NAACP thanks WCPO for covering the story and hopes the other stations will do the same.

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