As we approach our Statewide Day of Action on March 28, we believe this perspective on Ohio's own Ulysses S. Grant and the "Right to a Remedy" is vital for your readers in Columbus and beyond.
From 1871 to 2026:
Ending the Era of Immunity and Unconstitutional War
To the Editor and the People of Columbus,
Michelle Alexander once famously wrote that we have not ended racial caste in America; we have merely redesigned it. Today, we are facing the "redesigned" face of systemic discrimination. We may have defeated the original Jim Crow, but we are now wrestling with his son: James Crow Jr., Esquire.
This modern version doesn't wear a hood; he wears a suit and uses legal doctrines like "Qualified Immunity" to ensure our civil rights protections are GONE the moment we try to enforce them in a courtroom. We must remember our history to understand our future. In 1871, Ohio’s own President Ulysses S. Grant signed the Civil Rights Act (the KKK Act) to end immunity for government officials who violated the rights of citizens. Grant’s vision was clear: if a state actor harms you, we have a Right to a Remedy. Yet, as we fight for accountability on our streets, we see the same lack of restraint on the global stage.
We are currently witnessing an unconstitutional war—driven by executive overreach without Congressional approval—where Wall Street and billionaires are reaping trillions in profits. While our communities in Ohio struggle for resources, the "war machine" is fueled by a system that prioritizes elite wealth over constitutional law.
Whether it is a local official shielded by "Qualified Immunity" or a federal government engaged in unauthorized conflict, the root cause is the same: A total lack of accountability. We have a system where those at the top are "above the law," while the rest of us are left without a remedy.
The Protecting Ohioans’ Constitutional Rights citizen-led ballot initiative is our democratic answer to this betrayal. We are not asking for "new" rights; we are demanding the restoration of the accountability that Ohio President Ulysses S Grant promised the nation in 1871. He was a former General before being elected to President.
We are demanding that the Constitution be followed—at home and abroad. We are currently mobilizing for a Statewide Day of Action on March 28. We are on a mission to collect 413,488 signatures by July 1, 2026, to ensure that no government official in the state of Ohio is above the law. Whether we are 18 or 80, we must stand together to end the "Accountability Gap" and stop the flow of our rights and our tax dollars into the pockets of the billionaire class.
It is time to finish the work of Ulysses S. Grant. It is time to tell James Crow Jr., Esq. that his time is up. We deserve a Constitution that has teeth. We deserve the right to a remedy.
In Solidarity,
Miss Cynthia Brown Chair, Protecting Ohioans’ Constitutional Rights Committee Chair Founder, The Ohio Coalition for Police Accountability and Transparency Founder & CEO, Heartbeat Movement Inc. Founder & Committee Chair, The Ohio Coalition to End Qualified Immunity (OCEQI) OCEQI. Org