CLEVELAND (WJW) – House Bill 486, also known as Aisha’s Law, is personal for Ohio Representative Juanita Brent of Cleveland.
“What is propelling me is, you know, the person. At one time, she went to my church, she lived in the community. I knew the person that took her life. She’s not just somebody,” said Brent.
Brent, who represents District 22, is a co-sponsor of the bill that was introduced for the third time last week.
The legislation is named after Aisha Fraser, a Shaker Heights teacher who was killed by her ex-husband, former Cuyahoga County Common Pleas Judge Lance Mason, in 2018.
Mason is now serving a life sentence.
“It would have made a world of a difference. During the pandemic, we saw an uptick of cases in domestic of violence. Our police officers need that level of support of training so they can know the signs when they go to people’s homes,” said Brent.
The bill would require police to screen victims of domestic violence to assess the risk that they could be killed by their partners.
Brent said Aisha’s Law previously passed through the House twice but failed in the Senate.
“The difference is we’ve actually passed the language that defines the word strangulation. So now that part does not have to be in this,” said Brent.
The bill also states that police are to refer any high-risk victims to local or regional domestic violence advocacy services.
Brent said it’s additional protections that could have saved Fraser and others, like Amanda Williams who was shot and killed by her fiancé at their Warrensville Heights home last October.
“They are two women who were in the same sorority, same community who both lost their lives. If we had this bill in place when police first had interaction with these ladies, Aisha and Amanda would still be alive right now,” said Brent.
Melissa Reid
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