Basheer Jones
Basheer Jones | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Member of the Cleveland City Council | |
| Assumed office January 1, 2018:[1] | |
| Constituency | 7th Ward |
| Personal details | |
| Born | October 25, 1984[2] Brooklyn, New York, U.S. |
| Political party | Democratic |
| Education | Morehouse College (BA) |
Basheer S. Jones (born October 25, 1984) is an American politician serving on the Cleveland City Council since January 2018 for Ward 7.[3] The district includes the Hough, St. Clair–Superior, and the Asiatown neighborhoods of eastern Cleveland.[4] Jones is the first practicing Muslim elected to the Council.[5]
Early life and education[edit]
Jones was born in Brooklyn, New York and moved between Cleveland and New York City numerous times as a child. He was primarily raised by his mother and attended Martin Luther King Jr. High School in Hough. He started writing poetry at 8 years old while homeless and has worked as a public speaker[6]
He graduated from Morehouse College in 2006 with a BA in African American studies.[7] He returned to Cleveland in 2008 to register voters and worked as a field organizer for the Obama 2012 campaign in the 2012 Presidential election.[8][9]
Cleveland City Council[edit]
Jones was elected to the Cleveland City Council in 2017 for Ward 7 by a margin of 13 votes over incumbent Councilman TJ Dow, who he lost against in 2013 by 700 votes.[8][3]
Tenure[edit]
His first action on the Council was to open the Imani Food Distribution Center, named in honor of his late mother.[6][10]
Jones proposed firearm education for women in order to combat domestic violence.[11][12]
Despite stay-at-home orders and limits on international travel during the COVID-19 pandemic, Jones travelled to Egypt with a friend in late 2020.[13]
Committee assignments[edit]
Jones serves on the following committees[4]
- Health and Human Services Committee (Vice Chair)
- Safety Committee
- Wrokforce and Community Benefits Committee
2021 Mayoral campaign[edit]
Jones announced he would run in the 2021 Cleveland mayoral election on May 6, 2021.[14] In an interview with The Plain Dealer, Jones advocated for more transperancy in government through public comment, attracting international trade, and redeveloping Lakefront to be more accesible for residents.[15]
A 2017 video in which Jones told a Howard University audience "Where's the men? Why are we not leading the women? They are not our leaders. I don't care what they say. They are not our leaders. We are their leaders!" was heavily scrutinized.[16] He claimed the clip was "taken out of context", but opponents called it mysogynistic.[5]
Ideastream reported that Jones had raised $362,748 as of July 30, 2021, which was the most money raised of any candidate.[7] Donor's full names and addresses were originally not disclosed as required by campaign finance laws, Jones claimed this was a mistake and his campaign treasurer fixed it.[17] The campaign gave $6,500 to Philadelphia-based Youssef Kromah, a University of Cairo student and activist that is a friend of Jones whom he had travelled to Egypt with, for "consulting". Sam Allard of The Cleveland Scene speculated that the money was actually used to pay for the trip or a $2,000 donation to an Egyptian orphanage Kromah claimed to have made with Jones.[18]
Personal life[edit]
Jones has said his faith as a Muslim heavily impacts his views.[5]
His residency within Cleveland has been questioned.[19] He claimed his wife and kids live in South Euclid while he lives in Cleveland, but he is linked to and has attended City Council meetings from adresses in South Euclid and Cleveland Heights.[16][20]
References[edit]
- ↑ "The 121st Cleveland City Council is Sworn In". December 27, 2017. Retrieved August 3, 2021.
- ↑ Abelson, Jennifer (February 12, 2014). "Basheer Jones to Inspire Cleveland High School Students". Retrieved August 3, 2021.
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 Higgs, Robert (December 5, 2017). "Basheer Jones confirmed winner of Ward 7 Cleveland City Council race". The Plain Dealer. Retrieved August 3, 2021.
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 "Cleveland City Council Ward 7". Retrieved August 3, 2021.
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 5.2 Allard, Sam (July 13, 2021). "Basheer Jones' Outspoken Religious Beliefs Defining Factor of His Candidacy". Cleveland Scene. Retrieved August 3, 2021.
- ↑ 6.0 6.1 Hannan, Sheehan (December 23, 2019). "Most Interesting People 2020: Basheer Jones". Cleveland Magazine. Retrieved August 3, 2021.
- ↑ 7.0 7.1 Castele, Nick (July 30, 2021). "Cleveland Mayoral Candidates Raise More Than $1 Million So Far This Year". Ideastream. Retrieved August 3, 2021.
- ↑ 8.0 8.1 Richmond, Matthew (November 8, 2017). "Cleveland City Council Gets 5 New Members". Ideastream. Retrieved August 3, 2021.
- ↑ Ruthhart, Bill (October 11, 2020). "Black turnout for Biden in these 3 cities viewed as key in race vs. Trump". The Detroit News. Retrieved August 3, 2021.
- ↑ "Meet Cleveland Councilman Basheer Jones". Spectrum News 1. January 8, 2020. Retrieved August 3, 2021.
- ↑ Higgs, Robert (October 28, 2020). "Cleveland Councilman Basheer Jones promotes firearms training for 1,000 women to combat domestic violence". The Plain Dealer. Retrieved August 3, 2021.
- ↑ Haggerty, Taylor (October 29, 2020). "Councilman Basheer Jones Calls For Women To Undergo Firearms Training". Ideastream. Retrieved August 3, 2021.
- ↑ Higgs, Robert (December 4, 2020). "In the midst of a coronavirus stay-at-home advisory, Cleveland Councilman Basheer Jones visits Egypt". The Plain Dealer. Retrieved August 3, 2021.
- ↑ Barry, Kevin (May 6, 2021). "Ward 7 City Councilman Basheer Jones announces he's running for Cleveland mayor". WEWS-TV. Retrieved August 3, 2021.
- ↑ Richardson, Seth (May 6, 2021). "Basheer Jones announces run for Cleveland mayor". The Plain Dealer. Retrieved August 3, 2021.
- ↑ 16.0 16.1 Naymik, Mark (July 2, 2021). "Video shows Cleveland mayoral candidate Basheer Jones declaring, 'Women are not our leaders. ... We are their leaders!'". WKYC. Retrieved August 3, 2021.
- ↑ Richardson, Seth (February 6, 2021). "Suburban money fueling Cleveland mayoral race". The Plain Dealer. Retrieved August 3, 2021.
- ↑ Allard, Sam (February 12, 2021). "Basheer Jones' Campaign Finance Report Raises Serious Red Flags". The Cleveland Scene. Retrieved August 3, 2021.
- ↑ Brewer, Eric J. (September 22, 2020). "Jones moved from S. Euclid to Cleveland Heights to run for Cleveland mayor". EJBNews. Retrieved August 3, 2021.
- ↑ Naymik, Mark (January 9, 2017). "Activist Basheer Jones to challenge Cleveland Councilman TJ Dow in 2017 city primary". The Plain Dealer. Retrieved August 3, 2021.
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