Updated 7:15 p.m., 6/25/2020
Cleveland city prosecutors are dropping charges against a Bail Project staffer .
Police stopped Anthony Body twice on the Monday after the city鈥檚 May 30 demonstrations. Although Body showed them identification with his Downtown address, officers arrested and jailed him. He was charged with two misdemeanors for failing to comply with police enforcement of Mayor Frank Jackson鈥檚 curfew order.
Prosecutors did not elaborate on their reasons for dropping charges in a motion filed in Cleveland Municipal Court on Wednesday.
鈥淔or good cause shown and review of the order in question and the facts surrounding this case, Plaintiff moves to terminate the charges,鈥� city prosecutor Jonathan Cudnik wrote in the motion.
The city has not responded to ideastream鈥檚 request for comment.
Body told ideastream that he was glad to see the case resolved.
鈥淚 would like an apology,鈥� Body said, 鈥渂ut if not an apology, just the mayor and the chief of police and other elected officials taking a deeper dive and a deeper look into the way things happen.鈥�
That deeper look would examine inequities in the justice system, Body said.
鈥淚 was blessed to have a lawyer to represent me,鈥� he said. 鈥淚 was blessed to have my neighbors downtown to back me and to say that the charges should be dropped. But everyone doesn鈥檛 have鈥攖here鈥檚 not a lot of people who have that type of support system.鈥�
The the evening of May 30 鈥� and later expanded it 鈥� after demonstrations against the police killing of George Floyd boiled over into vandalism. The curfew order prohibited people from moving through Downtown, but exempted residents traveling to essential activities.
Police first stopped Body as he biked into Downtown across the Detroit-Superior Bridge after picking up food, he said. At first, he said, he told an officer he lived Downtown and continued riding until police made him stop. They ran his ID and issued him a citation.
Later, officers flagged Body down again at East 6th Street and Superior Avenue as he rode his bike from his Downtown apartment to the Justice Center, where he was to . He stopped at East 3rd Street, where police checked his ID, arrested him, took him to jail and confiscated his bike, according to a police report.
A municipal judge released Body on a personal bond the following day. Body has retrieved his bike since his release.
Alan O鈥機onnell, president of, called the arrest a 鈥渕istake鈥� in a letter to the mayor last week, asking the city to drop the case.
鈥淭his man, our neighbor, had his freedoms and property taken away despite the fact that he proved he lives downtown,鈥� O鈥機onnell wrote.
Letter written to Mayor Jackson by DCR President, Alan O'Connell, regarding the recent curfew and the arrest of a downtown resident. 鈥� Downtown Residents (@dtCLEresidents)
Eric Long, Body鈥檚 attorney, said he expects prosecutors could dismiss charges against other defendants arrested in the wake of the demonstrations and curfew.
鈥淭he troubling thing to me is there鈥檚 very little accountability, and these police officers were not trained appropriately in advance of the protest and the implementation of the curfew,鈥� he said. 鈥淎nd these officers took it upon themselves to make decisions that I believe were unconstitutional.鈥�
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