Deters Plays to the Mob

Few politicians are as adroit at hogging the spotlight as Hamilton County Prosecutor Joe Deters. His performance last week, after the death of 3-year-old Marcus Fiesel came to light, was especially exploitative. Investigators apparently made apt use of the grand jury to force out the truth about what happened to the missing child: He’d been killed. Indictments initially handed up Aug. 28 charged Marcus’ foster parents with involuntary manslaughter and child endangering. The little boy died in their home in Union Township in Clermont County, according to Deters. That’s when his involvement should have ended.

But Deters knew this case was bound to evoke public outrage, and he played it to the hilt, announcing Aug. 29 that murder indictments would be sought. That’s an odd thing to do, because the homicide allegedly occurred outside his jurisdiction. Deters knew the case would have to go to Clermont County.

But still he didn’t stop.

The next day, Aug. 30, Deters announced that he wanted, but couldn’t pursue, the death penalty for the foster parents. As quoted in The Cincinnati Post, Deters said, “Would we like to give them the death penalty? Yes, we would. But you can’t indict someone for the death penalty just because you want them to get the death penalty.”

What purpose was served by Deters saying he’d like to use the death penalty? Nothing but to stir up the public. Nothing but to enhance his own standing as someone who’s tough on crime.

It wasn’t until two days later, on Sept. 1, that Deters admitted what he must have known all week: Not only won’t he be seeking the death penalty, but he won’t be prosecuting the homicide charges at all. At a press conference with Clermont County Prosecutor Donald White, Deters said the case would next go to Clermont County, its proper jurisdiction.

White gushed about how well Deters had handled the media all week, unintentionally pointing to his grandstanding performance.

“Joe’ll be handling all the PR,” White said.

Pressed to explain why the homicide case was being transferred to Clermont County while lesser charges will remain in Hamilton County, Deters said, “The last thing we want is a technicality and have these two walk.” But Deters still hadn’t exhausted his camera-ready outrage. He next targeted Marcus’ birth mother, addressing the issue of whether she might file a lawsuit over her son’s death.

“I’m just sickened that people keep using Marcus as a check. … She should mourn her child, but to angle this for money is outrageous,” Deters said.

Angling this tragedy for political points, however, is quite all right.

Flap Your Wings for Freedom
The Cincinnati USA Regional Chamber must have thought this would look good. Last week it announced that this year, for the first time ever, Oktoberfest Zinzinnati will have an African-American grand marshal.

It’s about time, of course. But the way the announcement was handled — making a big deal of the marshal’s skin color without giving his name, which was withheld until a later press conference — bespoke the kind of tokenism that makes such distinctions largely self-serving. The marshal, by the way, is the Bengals’ Chad Johnson, who will have the distinction of leading the annual chicken dance.

Who says there’s nothing good about the much-despised Wal-Mart? The company has managed to alienate the right wing. The American Family Association (AFA) is calling on supporters to send letters of complaint to Wal-Mart for joining the National Gay & Lesbian Chamber of Commerce, “a leading promoter of homosexual marriage.”

AFA is the same group that launched a boycott of Procter & Gamble for supporting the repeal of homophobic Article 12 in the Cincinnati City Charter in 2004. AFA wants people to call Wal-Mart Chair Rob Walton at 479-273-4000 and give him a blast. If you want to congratulate him instead, now you know how to reach him.

Most criticisms of Wal-Mart, of course, are rooted in concerns about economic justice. People supporting a proposed referendum to raise Ohio’s minimum wage took to the streets — or rather the interstate expressway — Sept. 5 to get voters’ attention. The Greater Cincinnati Coalition for the Homeless hosted a rally and unfurled a banner over Interstate 71.

City council became bulletproof last week, and the mayor snubbed a businessman working to make sure The Banks has minority representation. Get the news the others missed at CityBeat‘s Porkopolis blog: citybeat.wordpress.com.

This article appears in Sep 6-12, 2006.