Destruction at the Ohio Statehouse.
Governor DeWine – We urge you to protect the People’s House.
For the second time in three weeks, the Ohio Statehouse fell victim to extensive vandalism, as protesting vandals (anarchists) yesterday afternoon in broad daylight defaced much of the Statehouse grounds, including the Ohio State Motto emblem, the war memorials, The Holocaust Memorial, and the steps and pillars at the Ohio Statehouse. OCA has learned through a 9-1-1 call recording that the Columbus Police Department was aware of the protest and the stopping of traffic on High Street, but as you will hear in the audio, the officer tells the man whose car has been stopped by protestors that there is nothing they can do, as Columbus Mayor Andrew Ginther had told the police to stand down.

Meanwhile, at about the same time as the 9-1-1 call , a small group of protestors turned vandals as they, according to Highway Patrol, rushed the building with buckets of red paint, defacing the war memorials, Ohio State Motto Seal, Statehouse steps, pillars, and building with graffiti and red paint.

OCA President Chris Long spoke with State Senate President Larry Obhof and Speaker of the House Larry Householder. Both the Senate President and the Speaker of the House expressed their concerns about the defacing at the Statehouse and were making calls to the Highway Patrol to find out why a breach of security had taken place late Thursday afternoon. According to the spokesperson for the State Highway Patrol, an investigation was underway, but as of late Friday afternoon no arrests had been made. What is perplexing to many people is how this could take place in broad daylight, and why did the Highway Patrol take no action against the vandals? 

OCA President Chris Long stated, “These are distressing times when we are witnessing the defacing of the seats of government. For nearly two decades it has been my honor to represent the faith community and to address public policy issues at the People’s House in Columbus, our State Capitol. In the 163 years of the existence of the Ohio Statehouse, this level of vandalism has never occurred. This is a watershed moment. We are a nation of laws, and what is being displayed before the people of Ohio at this time is a breakdown of law and order.”
Chris Long continued, “I have been in contact with dozens of Ohioans over the last few weeks who are alarmed and troubled by what they see in our state’s Capitol. We are calling on Governor DeWine to take action. It is your duty, Governor, to protect the People’s House and the citizenry. You have at your command two policing authorities: The State Highway Patrol and the Ohio National Guard. As you have often said in your daily press briefings, the buck stops with you. Therefore, we call on you to take action. Please protect the People’s House, the seat of our state government. We as people of faith will continue to pray for peace and civility to prevail throughout our state and nation.”

Late this afternoon, Governor DeWine put out the following statement.
We urge the Ohio Legislature to conduct hearings as to why this breach of security took place at the Ohio Statehouse over the last three weeks .

We will be reporting back to you when these public hearings will be announced.


Here are some of the questions that need answered in the public hearings on the security breach at the Ohio Statehouse:

  • What did Ms. Laura Battocletti, executive director of the Capitol Square Review and Advisory Board, mean when she said that the red paint was upsetting, but that there would be no prosecution of the vandals?

  •  Why did the Ohio State Highway Patrol that was on duty take no action to arrest the vandals?

  • Was there a stand-down order, and if so, who issued it?

  • With ongoing protest in downtown Columbus, why was the Highway Patrol understaffed again?
These are just some of the questions to which people want answers.