Progress! Ohio Governor Kasich Pledges To Investigate Kelley Williams-Bolar Case

by Carol Scott · 2011-02-01 11:55:00 UTC
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This just in! Ohio Gov. John Kasich has pledged to investigate the case of Kelley Williams-Bolar -- an important step forward for the more than 80,000 who have signed the Change.org petition urging him to pardon Williams-Bolar.

Earlier today, Kasich announced that his legal team is meeting with Williams-Bolar's attorney, prosecutor and the Copley-Fairlawn school district. "Our laws exist for a reason and they must be enforced, but the idea that a woman would become a convicted felon for wanting a better future for her children is something that has rightly raised a lot of concern with people, including me.”

The entire statement, posted on his website, also includes: “Karen and I work hard to make a better future for our girls so when I first heard about Ms. Kelley Williams-Bolar’s case last week it really struck me, as it has many other people.  My legal team has been reviewing it in detail and is in the process of talking to her lawyer, the prosecutor and the school district, in order to provide me a complete briefing."

Meanwhile, activists and advocates continue to keep the pressure on Gov. Kasich. On Twitter, hundreds of supporters have tweeted to Gov. Kasich's Twitter account, @JohnKasich, demanding a pardon using the hashtag #KelleyWilliamsBolar. Facebook groups like this one are also spreading the word.

The nationwide outcry over the case of Williams-Bolar, an Akron, Ohio single mom slammed with a felony conviction for allegedly falsifying residency documents, has led to a campaign calling for the full pardon. Celebrities and experts, from hip-hop mogul P Diddy to Syracuse University professor and editorialist Dr. Boyce Watkins, have called on Kasich to right this wrong.

The petition on Change.org, started by member Caitlin Lord, argues that Williams-Bolar's sentence was unjust and fails to address the problems of neighborhood safety, quality education and racial inequity facing our country today. Williams-Bolar plans to appeal the conviction and continues to argue that her daughters lived in both her home and her father's hope in suburban Copley, Ohio, where they attended school for two years.

Change.org also received word from Kelley Williams-Bolar's family today that they have set up a Paypal account for Williams-Bolar to cover legal fees. You can donate by going to Paypal.com and making a payment to kelleywilliamsbolar@hotmail.com.

Carol Scott is the Education Editor for Change.org.

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Gov. John Kasich: Pardon Kelley Williams-Bolar -- she shouldn't go to jail for protecting her kids
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