Lynching

Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine and first lady Fran DeWine attended the funeral of Pierre Damas Bel, a young Haitian man in Springfield who died by suicide in August after his family said he was bullied for wearing an immigration ankle monitor. DeWine, who lost his own daughter in a 1993 car crash, met privately with Bel's family and praised Bel as hard-working and emblematic of the American dream, saying "we needed him."

Bel arrived in Ohio in 2023 under Temporary Protected Status, graduated from Springfield High School, and was preparing to attend Wright State University when fitted with the monitor, which he said drew bullying and accusations of criminality. Pastor Carl Ruby compared his death to Emmett Till's, and Haitian Bridge Alliance co-founder Guerline Jozef said Bel "was killed by the system."

The funeral coincided with a Trump campaign rally nearby. The Trump administration ended TPS for Haitians this summer following a Supreme Court ruling, affecting roughly 340,000 Haitians nationally, including about 15,000 in Springfield.
Ohio Gov. DeWine mourned Haitian immigrant Pierre Damas Bel, whose death spotlighted bullying tied to ankle monitors and TPS policy.

The Aiken County Branch NAACP held its 45th annual Freedom Fund Banquet on Sept. 25, marking the branch's 108th anniversary under the theme "We the People." Bishop Eric J. Freeman of The Meeting Place Church of Greater Columbia served as keynote speaker, addressing efforts throughout history to silence Black voices and the importance of organizing to be heard. NAACP Youth Council President Prince Julian Broughton, 13, also spoke about the power of youth voices in pushing for change.

The event featured the unveiling of a historical marker commemorating the 1926 lynching of Bertha Lowman Cheatham and Damon and Clarence Lowman, who were taken from the Aiken County Jail and killed following a disputed conviction tied to the 1925 death of a sheriff during a liquor raid. A formal dedication is set for Oct. 6 at the Aiken County Courthouse. The banquet also recognized community members, including Christina Cue, James Gallman Sr., and Louisiana Wright-Sanders, for service and leadership.