Commissioner Teri Wang

Beauty and justice. Shanghai-born 🇨🇳. @Harvard biochem & art educated. Ex-commissioner @216cpc . Follow for insights on police oversight and the 🇺🇸 Midwest.

[Commissioner Teri Wang @tylw]

Here’s the low-down on why @216cpc has not heard a case. The Commission received an appeal from Mr. Antoine Tolbert on 2/1/24 arising from a complaint made to the Office of Professional Standards (OPS), the investigatory arm of the Civilian Police Review Board (CPRB).

[Commissioner Teri Wang @tylw]

On 2/1/24, the Community Police Commission @216cpc received an appeal from Mr. Antoine Tolbert. Over the next few days, I will be providing an overview, as the Chair of the Police Accountability Committee, of why this appeal process has stalled.

[Commissioner Teri Wang @tylw]

Nick Castele's framing turns a structural police accountability crisis into a story about a mayor’s motivations. Perhaps this is because he can't write about the real structural issues because I've never seen him at a @216cpc meeting or a Consent Decree status conference . The real question is whether Cleveland’s policing system—union contracts, discipline policies, Internal Affairs investigations, and civilian oversight—can actually function without federal supervision or independent civilian oversight.

As a former Community Police Commissioner and Chair of Police Accountability—who faced open retaliation and intimidation from Mayor Bibb, Blaine Griffin, and Mark Griffin for pushing real reform—I can say plainly: Cleveland has not built the institutional systems and accountability necessary to sustain constitutional policing without meaningful external oversight.

But the public won’t hear these facts and analyses from outlets like Signal Cleveland. That’s not accidental. Signal is funded by the Cleveland Foundation and operates within the same political and philanthropic networks that opposed Issue 24 and meaningful civilian oversight.

Signal Cleveland has even published attacks on me that undermined my reform work. Its managing editor, Rachel Dissell, once followed and filmed me while I was speaking with another reporter, after participating in efforts that helped the Community Police Commission violate my First Amendment rights. So, Signal isn’t independent journalism—it’s media protection for the business class, with so-called journalists hiding open defamation and intimidation of dissenters behind the label of “press freedom.”

[Nick Castele @NickCastele]

“What mayor would give up his own authority?”

“He’s walking away from it slowly.”

“It’s easier to support something on the outside.”

5 years after he endorsed sweeping police oversight, Justin Bibb is moving to end the consent decree. What comes next?
https://t.co/QBUs0jRbI7

[Commissioner Teri Wang @tylw]

Your framing turns a structural police accountability crisis into a story about a mayor’s motivations. The real question is whether Cleveland’s policing system—union contracts, discipline policies, Internal Affairs investigations, and civilian oversight—can actually function without federal supervision or independent civilian oversight.

As a former Community Police Commissioner and Chair of Police Accountability—who faced open retaliation and intimidation from Mayor Bibb, Blaine Griffin, and Mark Griffin for pushing real reform—I can say plainly: Cleveland has not built the institutional systems and accountability necessary to sustain constitutional policing without meaningful external oversight.

But the public won’t hear these facts and analyses from outlets like Signal Cleveland. That’s not accidental. Signal is funded by the Cleveland Foundation and operates within the same political and philanthropic networks that opposed Issue 24 and meaningful civilian oversight.
Signal Cleveland has even published attacks on me that undermined my reform work. Its managing editor, Rachel Dissell, once followed and filmed me while I was speaking with another reporter, after participating in efforts that helped the Community Police Commission violate my First Amendment rights. So, Signal isn’t independent journalism—it’s media protection for the business class, with so-called journalists hiding open defamation and intimidation of dissent behind the label of “press freedom.”

[Commissioner Teri Wang @tylw]

@edgallekfox8 If he's not meeting the standards of leadership, then how can he still be a lieutenant? This is why the Cleveland Police Department will continue to decline. Because they will not deal with over cronyism and corruption.

[Commissioner Teri Wang @tylw]

Cleveland, Ohio: Somewhere there are family and friends who may not yet know what has happened. But before their identities are even known, before their loved ones have had the chance to mourn them, their deaths are already being turned into political theater.

These were children. They had lives that will now remain unlived, futures that should have been protected by the adults, the institutions, and the social systems meant to care for them. Instead, they were abused and discarded in the most horrific way.

Moments like this demand grief, humility, and honesty, not a rush to turn their deaths into talking points about crime, punishment, or vigilantism.

Because the truth is harder than that.

Children are not protected by outrage, increased policing, or individual acts of heroism. They are protected by a society with schools that strengthen them, social services that reach them, institutions that intervene before violence happens, and communities that are supported rather than neglected. Safety does not come from momentary displays of toughness or care after something terrible has already occurred. It comes from the steady work of building social conditions in which every child’s life is valued and protected.

When two children are found murdered like this, it is not only an isolated crime. It is also a reflection of the social and political conditions we have allowed to persist, conditions in which some lives are protected while others are left exposed to neglect and harm. It forces us to ask what kind of society we have built, and whose lives we allow to matter.

Two girls have lost their lives. Their deaths are not only a crime but a reflection of a society that distributes safety unevenly. The task before us is to build institutions and systems that no longer reserve protection for the fortunate few.

[Commissioner Teri Wang @tylw]

Hey Nick, instead of centering a candidate like Tanmay Shah who doesn't talk about affordability in concrete, specific terms, why don't you do a piece on actual plans like the ones I had proposed based on economic data and speaking with real residents? Affordability is not an electoral "message", it is a concrete need requiring a plan of action.

[Commissioner Teri Wang @tylw]

@ComradeOhio Exactly, I forgot Alice Walton is literally the richest woman in the world, due in great part to Walmart taking massive federal subsidies by purposely keeping their workers underemployed.

[Commissioner Teri Wang @tylw]

Perhaps today’s anti-Trump protest is called “No Kings” rather than “No Oligarchs” or “No Billionaires” because Alice Walton—heiress to the Walmart fortune—is helping bankroll it. When a movement is funded by wealth derived from monopoly and oligarchy, can it truly develop the logic and strategy needed to confront the very economic system at the root of our crises? And yes, I’ll name it: capitalism.

[Ed Gallek @edgallekfox8]

https://t.co/17jzCNK3Qs

[friends of Bones @FriendsofBones]

Case at the @CCAuthority meeting: Lt. Patrick "give me my gun so I can lock up some n****rs" Caton, who murdered Roger Owensby Jr, and is suing the city for reverse racism, put a guy in psych observation for being mad about being refused the bus home.
https://t.co/KljoO273GH

[Commissioner Teri Wang @tylw]

@VanDamaged Thank you!

[Commissioner Teri Wang @tylw]

Tremont could have burned last night. So when are we finally going to bury these electrical wires and modernize our grid?

This fire scene—two fire trucks responding to electrical wires igniting inside two trees—unfolded at the corner of Jefferson and Professor. Sparks rained down onto a car while firefighters hosed it off to prevent a secondary fire. They were forced to remain on site for an extended period because the Illuminating Company failed to respond to their urgent plea to shut off power.

Our political leaders spend their time worrying about protestors burning down the city—but maybe they should focus on how their own negligence will do just that.

The Stockyards once burned to the ground but instead of prioritizing safety and resilience, our City Planning Commission and Planning Department just pushed through sweeping new development rules—rules that allow townhouses to be built closer and closer together with little to no regard for fire safety. And they did so without consulting police, fire, or the Fire Examiner—a reckless failure of planning and public accountability.

This is Cleveland: a city hollowed out by a development agenda driven not just by corporate speculators, but by philanthropic power brokers like the Cleveland Foundation. Far from acting as a neutral benefactor, the Foundation has helped shape development policy citywide—often aligning with City Hall and private developers to advance a broader revitalization agenda that doesn't always reflect the needs or voices of long-term residents.

Even more troubling is the structural conflict of interest: Lillian Kuri, the CEO of the Cleveland Foundation, also serves as Chair of the Cleveland City Planning Commission. While she recuses herself from votes on projects the Foundation directly funds, the Foundation’s broader development priorities—including zoning changes, infrastructure advocacy, and strategic investments—regularly intersect with the Commission’s work. That overlap creates the perception, and potentially the reality, of private influence over public planning—undermining public trust and skewing development outcomes toward elite institutions rather than everyday Clevelanders.

[Commissioner Teri Wang @tylw]

@NickCastele Like Blaine Griffin is a legitimate alternative. They all serve the business and development interests in Cleveland, much like Signal Cleveland.

[Commissioner Teri Wang @tylw]

This clip shows Mayor Justin Bibb’s words are as empty as his promises. @CLEMayorsOffice continues to obscure the truth about what his administration has done to dismantle civilian oversight and police accountability in Cleveland—even as the city remains under an active Consent Decree for systemic failures in policing.

Mayor Bibb appointed me to the newly established Cleveland Community Police Commission, which—by law—has the broadest powers of any civilian oversight body in the country. I served as Chair of the Police Accountability Committee. Yet for two years, his Law Department systematically obstructed my efforts to activate the Commission’s oversight authority and advance a misconduct case involving an officer who violated the constitutional rights of a Black community leader and violence interrupter.

Bibb stood by as I was defamed and targeted by local media outlets aligned with his administration and the corporate interests that oppose real oversight. He refused to investigate the sexual harassment, physical assault, and retaliation I endured at the hands of corrupt Commissioners—many of whom he appointed precisely to suppress reform. Instead of confronting misconduct, his administration doubled down—pushing through a dangerous police drone policy that initially authorized warrantless surveillance of protestors. It was only through the work of myself and local socialist activists that this provision was removed. But even now, the policy still harbors vague language that can be misused and abused by @clepolice.

Let’s be clear: Mayor Bibb does not serve the people of Cleveland. He serves the business and police interests that have long controlled this city. His doublespeak, sabotage, and relentless self-promotion make one thing unmistakable—he’s already campaigning for higher office on the backs of those who believed in real reform.

Follow me at @commissioner_teriwang on Instagram to learn the truth about how Justin Bibb is oppressing Cleveland—the second poorest city in the nation, plagued by staggering wealth inequality. This is the city where AIPAC began, where infant mortality rates are among the worst in the country, and where the ruling class maintains its power through billion-dollar “philanthropic” foundations like @clevefoundation that serve only their own interests. The state of Cleveland and politicians like Justin Bibb are a warning to the rest of America: do not rely on corporate Democrats (they are often fascists in disguise).

[Commissioner Teri Wang @tylw]

The liberal establishment behind the Consent Decree crippled reform so badly it’s now easy prey for those who hate police oversight. The Commission was our last shot at real accountability—but crony appointees and political interference killed it. Don’t confuse the idea of the Commission with what the Mayor and Council turned it into. The Commission must be reconstructed or the City's public safety forces will collapse.

[Cleveland Community Police Commission @216cpc]

President Donald Trump issued an Executive Order yesterday, ordering the U.S. Attorney General to review all ongoing Federal consent decrees, out-of-court agreements, and post-judgment orders within 60 days, among other things.
https://t.co/s9GBozMESU

[Commissioner Teri Wang @tylw]

The liberal establishment behind the Consent Decree crippled reform so badly it’s now easy prey for those who hate police oversight. The Commission was our last shot at real accountability—but crony appointees and political interference killed it. Don’t confuse the idea of the Commission with what the Mayor and Council turned it into.

[Commissioner Teri Wang @tylw]

This report is a thinly veiled (and ineffective) attempt at propaganda and revisionist history. Notably, every individual who volunteered for the work groups I led—the Brady-Giglio and Discipline work groups—has been omitted from the list of acknowledgments. Many of these individuals and professionals contributed to multiple work groups, yet the common thread in their exclusion is clear: they supported my efforts at police reform and opposed the Commission’s unlawful retaliation against me.

Additionally, the descriptions of the work of the Rules Committee and Accountability Committee are misleading and too generic to depict reality. Actually, pretty much all of the committee descriptions are misleading showing that outside of the work they buried from my work groups, there was no real work accomplished at all.

[Commissioner Teri Wang @tylw]

This is one reason why @CLEpolice has spent over $265K on drones, including one military-grade reconnaissance drone, the Loki MK2. There are strawman arguments being made over drone use: no one is arguing over whether there are beneficial, legitimate uses for drones in law enforcement situations. The real question is whether the Cleveland Police can be trusted to competently and ethically use drones. I think the Division's targeting of peaceful protestors on November 24, 2024, without an authorized police drone policy says all we need to know about the matter, and also the issues facing the Division and why it is unable to sustain its ranks: lack of administrative and organizational competence, exacerbated by corruption especially within its police intelligence units. This is probably true for many police departments across the nation, but it's had a disparate impact on Cleveland's public safety. It's almost karmic: elements of the police mistreat citizens, mistreat internal colleagues, and eventually the whole thing collapses because people don't like to suffer abuse at their workplace or in their daily lives. The Consent Decree was not aggressive enough to resolve these labor and organizational dynamics issues because the Consent Decree is not set up to be a strategic plan for improvement. The no statistically significant change, up or down, for uses of force over the last 10 year span, speaks volumes as to the effectiveness of the Consent Decree. And without robust civilian oversight, we are left again with @CLEpolice managing itself. Time for a new Mayor, new City Council, and new prosecutors. Those are the only routes forward that I see: a complete reconstruction of City and County government, including the police forces.

[Ed Gallek @edgallekfox8]

New class of Cleveland Police officers graduating this AM: City says it includes 27 recruits. But 28 officers have already left the force this year—City still struggling with a chronic shortage of officers even after raising pay and benefits

[Commissioner Teri Wang @tylw]

Yesterday, the Commission again used @CLEpolice to intimidate me after I voiced against the problematic police drone policy at a public meeting. Now they are pushing blatant defamatory propaganda about maintaining decorum and safety— when their intent was to obscure the truth and silence dissent. For months, the Commission has actively obstructed public engagement on the police drone policy. Police Policy Chair Piet van Lier has refused to open the Surveillance Tech Work Group, blocking meaningful community discussion on the policy’s serious constitutional implications.

Commissioner van Lier has repeatedly misrepresented who has been involved in shaping the policy and has refused to release public records, even after direct orders from Law Director Mark Griffin. He has also collaborated with local media outlets, including Signal Cleveland, to conceal his role in authoring the original policy—a policy that permitted warrantless surveillance of protestors and other First Amendment-protected activity.

These aren’t hypotheticals. On November 24, 2024, a police drone was launched against protestors opposing County investment in Israel Bonds. Those protestors were later maliciously prosecuted by the City for "noise violations."

The Commission’s repeated meeting cancellations have nothing to do with safety. They are part of a deliberate strategy to suppress dissent and weaponize procedural decorum rules to violate the public’s rights to free speech and petition.

Worse still, the Commission has actively engaged the Cleveland Division of Police in an open conflict of interest to intimidate me—first as a public official, and now as a private citizen—for speaking out against corruption, surveillance abuse, and misconduct within this body.

This isn’t governance. It’s repression—cloaked in process and fueled by fear of accountability.

[Cleveland Community Police Commission @216cpc]

Our reasoning for last night's Accountability Committee meeting cancelation.

[Commissioner Teri Wang @tylw]

This is blatant defamatory propaganda by the Commission—designed to obscure the truth and silence dissent. For months, the Commission has actively obstructed public engagement on the police drone policy. Police Policy Chair Piet van Lier has refused to open the Surveillance Tech Work Group, blocking meaningful community discussion on the policy’s serious constitutional implications.

Commissioner van Lier has repeatedly misrepresented who has been involved in shaping the policy and has refused to release public records, even after direct orders from Law Director Mark Griffin. He has also collaborated with local media outlets, including Signal Cleveland, to conceal his role in authoring the original policy—a policy that permitted warrantless surveillance of protestors and other First Amendment-protected activity.

These aren’t hypotheticals. On November 24, 2024, a police drone was launched against protestors opposing County investment in Israel Bonds. Those protestors were later maliciously prosecuted by the City for "noise violations", using footage captured through aerial surveillance.

The Commission’s repeated meeting cancellations have nothing to do with safety. They are part of a deliberate strategy to suppress dissent and weaponize procedural decorum rules to violate the public’s rights to free speech and petition.

Worse still, the Commission has actively engaged the Cleveland Division of Police in an open conflict of interest to intimidate me—first as a public official, and now as a private citizen—for speaking out against corruption, surveillance abuse, and misconduct within this body.

This isn’t governance. It’s repression—cloaked in process and fueled by fear of accountability.