Ohio residents are voicing alarm and concern following controversial remarks made by Portage County Sheriff Bruce Zuchowski.
Zuchowski encouraged his supporters to write down the addresses of those backing Vice President Kamala Harris in the upcoming presidential election.
The sheriff’s inflammatory comments, posted on both his personal and public Facebook accounts, have sparked fears of voter intimidation and raised concerns about abuse of power by an elected official.
In a Sept. 13 post, Zuchowski referred to Harris as a “laughing hyena” and suggested that her supporters’ homes could be targeted.
“When people ask me… What’s gonna happen if the Flip-Flopping, Laughing Hyena Wins??” Zuchowski wrote. “I say… write down all the addresses of the people who had her signs in their yards! Sooo… when the Illegal human ‘Locust’ (which she supports!) Need places to live… We’ll already have the addresses of their New families… who supported their arrival!”
The sheriff’s comments come amid heightened tensions around immigration issues in Ohio, where immigration policies have taken center stage.
Recently, Republican Vice Presidential candidate JD Vance made baseless claims that Haitians in Springfield, Ohio, were eating people’s pets, comments he later admitted were false.
The inflammatory nature of these comments, alongside Zuchowski’s post, has led to widespread backlash.
Governor Mike DeWine, a Republican, has dismissed the claims as “baseless,” while sending additional law enforcement to Springfield to manage bomb scares triggered by the false narratives.
In Portage County, where Zuchowski serves, residents have voiced outrage on social media, with many calling for his removal from office.
“This is a bigot racist in a badge! This is CRAZY!” one Facebook user, Colnith Anthony Brown, posted in response to the sheriff’s remarks.
Michael Hancock, a former law enforcement officer, commented:
“This guy is a disgrace to the badge. Absolutely despicable. Total abuse of power. He needs to be removed from office immediately.”
Other local residents echoed the concern, with Tom Hove writing:
“This type of messaging, ‘call to action,’ is dangerous, divisive, and absolutely should never be shared by a public official. THIS. NEEDS. TO. STOP.”
As the controversy continues, many Ohioans fear that Zuchowski’s rhetoric could incite further division and potentially lead to acts of intimidation against political supporters in the lead-up to the 2024 election.
