Last week, I talked a little bit about some of Mayor Justin Bibb’s statements about his decision to end the consent decree. As a longtime criminal justice nerd, when Bibb told residents that the city had the “only police accountability team in the country,” I wanted to check to see if that was true.

A few days after the video was posted online, I sent a very specific question to the City of Cleveland’s communications team for Bibb:

While I waited for the city to respond, I started reaching out to every Police Accountability Team that I could find. Beyond reading the websites, I also reached out directly to each office to confirm my understanding of how all of these teams work.

Naturally, I started with my first chosen home, Boston. Through a quick conversation with the team’s community engagement specialist, I learned that Boston created its Police Accountability Team in 2020, two years before Cleveland got its own. To further cover my bases, I confirmed that Boston’s team does report to the mayor. 

In addition to Boston, both Seattle and Boise’s teams also report to the mayor, as do plenty of others.

Here’s the response I received from the city:

I sent an email back asking that the spokesperson cite his sources, but have not heard back. 

Although it may seem relatively minor, it’s concerning that Bibb – and the people paid to speak for him – could make these statements with such confidence. 

Bibb claims that the city is ready to end its consent decree. But isn’t this further proof that maybe isn’t a great idea?

Hit reply and let me know what you think. Keep scrolling for pop culture recommendations and a separate story about another political official struggling to get their story straight.

Happy reading,
Dakotah

P.S. As always, tips are appreciated → venmo or cash app.²

I wonder why themes of government corruption pushed to the forefront of my mind… Oh, and of course, anxiety.

Let’s be honest, Batman kind of sucks and the villains have always carried the franchise. That’s exactly what HBO’s Harley Quinn series gets absolutely 100% correct. And 96% on Rotten Tomatoes, if you care about that type of thing.

Growing up as a Harley Quinn fan (back when no one really knew who she was¹), this is the version of her that I’ve been waiting to see since the 90s. Better yet, it’s not at all a kids show, which means that the characters are not held back by the rules of primetime television.

The series follows Harley Quinn as she tries to get recognized as a villain in her own right, now departed from the Joker. She quickly teams up with Poison Ivy – now a lone wolf ecoterrorist – as they face the trials and tribulations of creating a new team of supervillains. And they are nothing short of hilarious.

Plots include: The Joker running for mayor on a socialist platform, Bane essentially setting up a reformatory prison for villains, and just so much critique on toxic masculinity and government corruption. 

I just can’t say enough good things about this show. We’re five seasons in, and I’m keeping my fingers crossed it gets greenlit for a sixth. Also, #TeamBane4Ever.

There’s really nothing to say about this song that Megan Thee Stallion doesn’t say herself. My only complaint is that it’s so short at just over two minutes, so instead of me telling you about it, just go give it a listen.

There is also an awesome podcast called Louder Than A Riot that explores the relationship between hip-hop and the criminal legal system. The second season is dedicated to examining sexism and has an entire episode about the Tory Lanez trial in 2022.

One of my favorite things to tell people is that the Hunger Games franchise completely ripped off – and sanitized – Battle Royale. Originally a book, it was also adapted into a movie in 2000, which I admittedly saw before reading the book. The movie is great, but as always, the book is better.

Set in Japan, Battle Royale is about a corrupt and fascist government that abducts middle school children to fight to the death in a remote location as a way of keeping the public in line. Sound familiar?

I’m not sure if calling this mechanic “neat” is appropriate, but the book goes through the perspectives of each of the students on the island. Some characters come back multiple times, but other characters only get one chapter or a few pages. There is a counter in the corner of the pages and each time a student dies, the number goes down.

For more than a decade, this has been my favorite book. I just love it and have been waiting for the right time to recommend it.

When Prosecutor Michael O’Malley faced questions about his reasoning for letting employees run for partisan office, he cited… events that happened after he changed the policy.

For decades, Cuyahoga County has seen its fair share of government corruption stories. One example includes the Dimora-Russo scandal that resulted in the convictions of more than 70 public officials and raised questions about then-prosecutor Bill Mason’s involvement. In 2012, the Cuyahoga County Prosecutor’s Office marked a step in the right direction when they established a new policy that prevented employees from holding positions that can influence local politics. 

That rule is long gone.

Now, more than 30 current and former employees – including O’Malley himself – signed-up to run for a powerful committee within the Cuyahoga County Democratic party. Although the central committee does not directly endorse candidates, it is responsible for the party’s operations, including dictating how the endorsement process runs. 

For example, the committee can decide which races and issues are put up for an endorsement vote, and how many votes – currently 60% – it takes for a candidate to receive the party’s endorsement.

Specifically, when Upbeat Nonsense pressed for the reason behind the change, O’Malley cited multiple 2026 tragedies in Minneapolis, such as the police murders of Renee Good and Alex Pretti, along with the arrest of five-year-old Liam Conejo. He said the same thing in a March interview with Cleveland.com. 

According to records obtained by Upbeat Nonsense, this explanation appears at odds with when the policy change was made on August 8, 2024.³

In 2023, employees of the prosecutor’s office were subject to the following policy language:

A few months after touting the policy on the campaign trail in 2024, O’Malley removed both of these paragraphs and added this one:

Upbeat Nonsense has made multiple attempts to reach the prosecutor’s office for comment, and none of those requests have been returned. (This article will be updated accordingly, should the office respond.) 

So, why did O’Malley change the policy in August of 2024, prior to even the presidential election? 

We’re still waiting for an answer. 

Early primary voting has already started in Cuyahoga County, which include these central committee races. You can find a sample ballot through the Board of Elections and check the list of prosecutor-affiliated folks running for central committee.

Something that I forgot to mention last week: Remember Shizuku from Whisper of the Heart? Well, she’s also the original “Lofi Girl.”