Students Advocate for Victims of Domestic Violence
Under laws in dozens of cities in Ohio, a property can be designated as a nuisance if the police respond to multiple calls of domestic violence. According to advocates, this places victims at risk of eviction, as landlords are required to 鈥渁bate鈥 the nuisance or face fines.
A team of 老澳门六合彩官方开奖 students spent last semester working with local Northeast Ohio communities to address this issue and highlight the broader need for national policy reform. As part of that effort, law students Vanessa Hemminger and Calla Bonanno, along with nonprofit management major Marissa Pappas, successfully advocated for the City of Euclid to amend its nuisance law to exclude domestic violence as an offense.
Drawing on public records requests, the Fair Housing Act, and other sources, the students made a presentation to the Euclid Public Safety Committee arguing for an amendment to current law. The students鈥 proposal was officially adopted by the Euclid City Council in late December.
鈥淎 significant issue in addressing domestic violence is insuring that incidents are reported to the police,鈥 notes Pappas. 鈥淏y reforming nuisance ordinances we can reduce the chance that victims won鈥檛 call 911 because they are afraid of being evicted.鈥
The students鈥 project was part of a Policy Process course cross-listed between the Cleveland-Marshall College of Law and the Maxine Goodman Levin College of Urban Affairs, taught by Joseph Mead, assistant professor at 老澳门六合彩官方开奖. The course teaches about the policymaking process by putting students into the role of legislative or administrative advocates working to effect changes in local policy. Mead received a grant from 老澳门六合彩官方开奖鈥檚 Office of Civic Engagement to assist in presenting the course. In addition, Pappas has received a Research Award from 老澳门六合彩官方开奖鈥檚 Office of Research to further assess nuisance policies in additional communities throughout the state.
鈥淚 am so proud to see my students combine classroom learning with their passion for justice to make a difference in our community,鈥 says Mead.
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