Ohio
Mob chased Randolph Freedpeople away with bayonet, threats. Descendants deserve Ohio land.
“I propose identifying state-owned land in Mercer County and returning it to the descendants of the Randolph Freedpeople,” Dontavius Jarrells
State Representative Dontavius Jarrells, D-Columbus, is a member of the Ohio State House of Representatives, representing District 1, and serves as the assistant minority leader.
As the fundamental freedoms that would shape America were being drafted, our Founding Fathers declared that the People were “endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.”
That declaration was not just a vision for their time, but a mandate for all generations to come.
The democracy our founders envisioned was never meant to be completed; it was to be an ongoing endeavor.
Today, as responsible citizens and leaders, it is our duty to continue this work. This requires acknowledging our failures, learning from them, and forging ahead together. Among our greatest failures, America’s original sin has been and remains—the enduring legacy of slavery.
Every so often, we are given an opportunity to confront this legacy and correct history’s greatest wrong. One such opportunity has presented itself through the story of the Randolph Freedpeople, a chapter of Ohio history that remains largely untold but is crucial to our collective understanding and growth.
Randoph Freedpeople denied promised land
In 1833, John Randolph of Roanoke, Virginia, freed his roughly 400 slaves, expressing deep regret for having owned them.
Randolph provided these freed individuals, known as the Randolph Freedpeople, with approximately 3,200 acres of land and the means to relocate. After a prolonged legal battle over his will, the Randolph Freedpeople began their exodus from Virginia to Mercer County, Ohio, in June 1846.
Their journey was met with resistance.
Upon learning of their arrival, white landowners in Mercer County resolved to prevent the Freedpeople from settling, even threatening violence. When the Randolph Freedpeople arrived, they were met by armed mobs and forced to turn back, despite having a legal right to the land.
Denied their promised land, the Randolph Freedpeople were left to wander, eventually settling in parts of Shelby and Miami County, with many making Piqua their new home.
Our View: We must remember, work against ‘America’s original sin’ this long weekend
For generations, they and their descendants have contributed significantly to their communities, to Ohio, and to America. Yet, the promise of freedom and opportunity that Ohio was supposed to represent was denied to them.
Correcting a grave error
This historical episode, unfolding in the years leading up to the Civil War, starkly illustrates that the freedom promised to slaves in the North was far from guaranteed. Ohio turned its back on the Randolph Freedpeople, and now is the time for us to acknowledge this failure, learn from it, and move forward.
With the help of the descendants of the Randolph Freedpeople and other local leaders, we have an opportunity to right this wrong.
We are looking at options to address the injustices faced by the descendants of the Randolph Freedpeople. Ohio lacked the courage to do the right thing then, but I believe we have the courage today.
This is our opportunity to continue the work started by our Founding Fathers. We can recognize this dark chapter in Ohio’s past and write a new one that brings hope, closure, and the promise of a better future. The America we live in today does not have to reflect the injustices of the past. By seizing opportunities like this, we can build a more perfect union, for all of us.
State Representative Dontavius Jarrells, D-Columbus, is a member of the Ohio State House of Representatives, representing District 1, and serves as the assistant minority leader.
Excerpt from Dontavius Jarrells letter to Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine on behalf of descendants of the Randolph Freedpeople delivered June 13:
“Upon his death in 1833, John Randolph of Roanoke, Virginia, freed his roughly 400 slaves, stating in his will that he ‘give and bequeath to all my slaves their freedom, heartily regretting that I have ever been the owner of one.’
Randolph also provided the freedpeople, known as The Randolph Freedpeople, with land and the means to relocate. After a prolonged legal battle over his will, the Randolph Freedpeople finally began their exodus from Roanoke, Virginia, in June 1846 to what was to be their new home in Mercer County, Ohio.
After several weeks of travel, the Randolph Freedpeople arrived in Cincinnati, where they took boats north on the Miami Erie Canal toward their final destination. However, word had spread to the white landowners in Mercer County that the former slaves were traveling to their new home legally inherited by them. The residents of Mercer County resolved, ‘we will not live among negroes, and as we have settled here first, we have fully determined that we will resist the settlement of blacks and mulattos in this country, to the full extent of our means, the bayonet not excepted.’
This was hardly in line with the dream of unalienable rights of life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness for all.
When the Randolph Freedpeople finally made it to the shores of Mercer County, they were met by mobs of white residents and their bayonets. Left with the choice of staying and risking their lives, the Randolph Freedpeople turned their boats around and headed south along the canal.
Like Moses leading the Israelites out of slavery in Egypt, the Randolph Freedpeople were denied entrance to their promised land and forced to wander.
They eventually settled in parts of Shelby and Miami County, with many making Piqua, Ohio, their new home. For generations now, they have contributed to their community, to Ohio, and to America.
Considering this all happened in the years leading up to the Civil War, with a nation divided, the freedom promised to slaves in the North was anything but guaranteed. How Ohio handled this situation is a prime example.
Despite being given their freedom, Ohio turned its back on the Randolph Freedpeople. Now is the time for Ohio to acknowledge its failure, learn from it, and move forward.
With the help of descendants of the Randolph Freedpeople and other local leaders, I am exploring legal and just means to right this wrong and finally give what they legally inherited almost 200 years ago. And I seek your support.
I am not advocating for reparations or eminent domain. I propose identifying state-owned land in Mercer County and returning it to the descendants of the Randolph Freedpeople.“
Columbus City officials press conference on ICE
Columbus City officials press conference on ICE
Dozens of people gathered in below freezing temperatures Friday night, Dec. 19, to protest U.S. Customs and Immigration Enforcement officials’ presence in Columbus.
Protesters discovered where ICE officials were staying locally and showed up outside their hotel to blast music and disrupt their sleep, according to reports from social media, a witness, police and a hotel employee.
The music, mostly electronic dance music with heavy beats, began around 9 p.m. and didn’t cease for hours, said Brandon Baker, 36, who happened upon the scene after hearing and seeing activity.
He took a video and posted it on Facebook as he stood outside the Embassy Suites hotel on Corporate Exchange Drive on the Northeast Side near Westerville around 9:30 p.m.
“It’s important to recognize that Columbus is a melting pot and we’re not going to tolerate this kind of intolerance,” Baker said, of why he posted the video. He was also hoping more people might come.
In the nearly hour he was on scene, Baker said he saw approximately 50 people gathered outside grow to a group closer to 150. There were also people in parked cars honking their horns and five to seven police cars there, though he said police weren’t interacting with protesters. He also witnessed people leaving the hotel.
Columbus police said they were called around 9:20 p.m. on Dec. 19 due to noise complaints, but said there was no further information.
The protest followed several reports of increased ICE activity and arrests Dec. 17, 18 and 19 in Columbus, as well as a small group protest outside the Westerville ICE office earlier on Friday.
The increased ICE activity prompted responses from city officials, advocates and more earlier in the week. The response included Columbus Mayor Andrew Ginther and Columbus police Chief Elaine Bryant saying no city resources would be used to help federal agents in immigration enforcement operations.
“It was a good symbol and a good thing to see Columbus kind of fighting back against this group of indivdiuals who have pretty much taken it upon themselves to terrorize people,” Baker said of the protest. “If we’re so anti-terrorism in the United States, why are we allowing something like this to even happen?”
On Dec. 18, an ICE spokesperson said in a prepared release: “ICE officers continue to arrest criminal illegal aliens and immigration violators in the city of Columbus, across Ohio, and throughout the United States.”
“These enforcement actions are part of ongoing efforts to uphold public safety and enforce federal immigration laws,” the statement said.
Some advocates said they feared the increased activity in Columbus in the past few days – including an estimated 15 to 20 arrests each day on Dec. 17 and Dec. 18 – might be the beginning of raids in other U.S. cities. In Chicago, ICE’s “Operation Midway Blitz” ended with 1,600 to 1,900 people arrested beginning in September, according to news reports.
The hotel had to refund at least a few guests, a hotel employee said. He confirmed ICE was staying at the hotel, but emphasized they are open to the public and do not have control over who stays there.
Baker’s video pans as someone states that people are blaring music outside the hotel to keep ICE awake.
“Everyone was doing everything they could to make noise,” Baker said. “The idea is to play the music and stuff as loud as possible to keep them from sleeping.”
It appeared that the music was coming from a bus with speakers attached, Baker said, but people were also playing trombones and trumpets and ringing cow bells.
People Baker spoke to said they were trying to “drown” out ICE and get them to leave.
“Columbus is done with this,” Baker said.
Underserved Communities Reporter Danae King can be reached at dking@dispatch.com or on X at @DanaeKing.
CANFIELD, Ohio (WJW) – Nobody took home the massive Powerball jackpot on Wednesday, but one Canfield man is still celebrating after purchasing a winning ticket worth $50,000.
According to Ohio Lottery, Bryan decided to try his luck after realizing the Powerball jackpot was over $1 billion. He bought a ticket from the Meijer grocery store on Boardman-Canfield Road in Boardman.
The next morning, Bryan woke up and checked the ticket, stunned to discover that he won $50,000.
After mandatory state and federal taxes, the lucky winner will take home more than $36,000.
Bryan told lottery officials that he doesn’t have specific plans for money yet, but the big win will certainly make for “a very good Christmas.”
It has been months since someone won the Powerball jackpot, which now sits at a massive $1.5 billion. There is also a cash option worth $689.3 million up for grabs.
The next drawing will be Saturday night at 11 p.m. Learn more about the Powerball right here.
A mom searching for answers about her son’s death in a car wreck won a victory on Dec. 19 when the Ohio Supreme Court ordered the Richland County Sheriff to release records to her.
The court ruled in a unanimous decision that Andrea Mauk is entitled to three sets of records withheld by the sheriff, with only Social Security numbers being redacted. Mauk will be awarded $2,000 in damages but will not receive attorney fees.
On June 23, 2023, 18-year-old Damon Mauk lost control of his 1998 Ford Mustang and slammed it into a tree. His mother wanted to piece together what happened, collect his belongings and grieve the loss of her child. She didn’t think she’d have to fight for public records and take her case to the Ohio Supreme Court.
Following the crash, Richland County Sheriff’s deputies, a township fire department and the Ohio State Highway Patrol responded.
During the investigation, a trooper told a deputy to leave Damon’s iPhone and wallet in the car, according to Mauk’s court filings. Instead, the deputy took the belongings to the hospital and handed them off to someone who said he was Damon’s dad.
Mauk didn’t understand. Damon’s father was largely absent from his life. How could he have been there to pick up the wallet and phone?
A few weeks after the fatal crash, Mauk asked for records, including: the sheriff’s report and inventory of items taken from the car, body camera footage from deputies who gave away the belongings, the report, photos and videos created by the patrol and more.
Mauk, of the Mansfield area, received some but not all of the requested records. Mauk hired attorney Brian Bardwell to pursue records she believes exist but weren’t provided or were improperly redacted.
The sheriff’s office claimed that some of the requested records were exempt from disclosure because they are confidential law enforcement records or personal notes. The court privately reviewed the records withheld from Mauk and determined that they should be released.
The decision in favor of releasing records runs contrary to recent rulings from the high court.
In 2024, the court held that the cost of sending troopers to protect Gov. Mike DeWine at a Super Bowl game weren’t subject to disclosure and that the Ohio Department of Health should redact from a database the names and addresses of Ohioans who had died, even though that death certificate information can be released on an individual case basis.
In 2025 the court ruled that police officers’ names may be kept confidential if they’re attacked on the job, giving them privacy rights afforded to crime victims.
State government reporter Laura Bischoff can be reached at lbischoff@usatodayco.com and @lbischoff on X.
Texas A&M takeaways: Aggies offense sputters in playoff loss to Miami
Boston sports anecdotes aplenty feature on new YouTube channel
Sacrificing Convenience for Safety Is the Right Thing to Do
Three West Seattle schools’ teams advance in FIRST Lego League competition
San Diego’s cost-of-living committee led big policy fights in 2025. The City Council is ending it.
Florida High School Football Rankings: Top 25 teams – Oct. 21
Cleary's 21 help Le Moyne down Central Connecticut State 69-64 in OT
How old is Bo Nix? What to know about Oregon quarterback ahead of 2024 NFL Draft
99th annual Pony Swim held in Virginia
Video: ‘It Didn’t Have to Happen This Way:’ U.Va. Faculty Call for Review of Police Response to Protests
Sen Murphy warns ‘people are going to die’ as Congress punts on expiring Obamacare subsidies
Ex-Pakistan PM Imran Khan, wife sentenced to 17 years in corruption case
U.S. launches strikes in Syria targeting Islamic State fighters after American deaths
Trump administration touts ‘most secure border in history’ as 2.5 million migrants exit US
How the reparations loan for Ukraine fell apart at the eleventh hour
-
Iowa6 days agoAddy Brown motivated to step up in Audi Crooks’ absence vs. UNI
-
Iowa1 week agoHow much snow did Iowa get? See Iowa’s latest snowfall totals
-
Maine4 days agoElementary-aged student killed in school bus crash in southern Maine
-
Maryland6 days agoFrigid temperatures to start the week in Maryland
-
Technology1 week agoThe Game Awards are losing their luster
-
South Dakota6 days agoNature: Snow in South Dakota
-
New Mexico4 days agoFamily clarifies why they believe missing New Mexico man is dead
-
Nebraska1 week agoNebraska lands commitment from DL Jayden Travers adding to early Top 5 recruiting class