One of the activists ticketed during a protest outside Cuyahoga County Executive Chris Ronayne’s house in November was found guilty during a bench trial Thursday in Cleveland Municipal Court.
Cleveland police cited Lucas Waggoner for a minor misdemeanor noise violation for using a bullhorn during the afternoon protest in the Edgewater neighborhood.
There have been demonstrations at Cleveland City Council, Cuyahoga County Council and around the region since the start of the Israel-Hamas War last year, initially calling for ceasefire resolutions and then for the divestment from Israel Bonds.
Waggoner argued in court protestors outside Ronayne’s house in Cleveland were never told they would be cited if they made noise while marching outside a designated area — a small park at West 110th Street and Baltic Road, which is far from the Lake Avenue block where Waggoner was cited.
The judge overseeing the brief trial found Waggoner guilty based on the arresting officer’s testimony that an announcement about the designated area was made three times and the department received noise complaints about the protest.
It’s unclear, from the trial when exactly those noise complaints were received.
Initially, when asked by the prosecutor whether there were noise complaints about the protest, the arresting officer, David Adkins, said he was unsure when those complaints were made.
“Multiple complaints prior to this actual event, on multiple days, I just don’t know personally the actual days when the complaints were being made,” Adkins said.
“But you were aware that day that there had been complaints?” the prosecutor asked.
“Correct,” said Adkins.
Officer Adkins was the only witness called during the trial and Waggoner acted as their own attorney.
Waggoner paid a $25 fine and court fees.
“I find all this fascinating because even the framing of the protest – it was about keeping taxpayer dollars here in the county,” Waggoner said, after his trial, about the long-running call for Cuyahoga County to end its investments in Israel Bonds. “And then to go to this length, to slap these charges on people and then go to trial, it seems like an additional waste of resources.”
Three other activists cited at the same protest have trials scheduled in January.
