'They want their neighborhoods back;' Sheriff Jack Hall speaks at Lorain Freedom Rally

LORAIN — The Libre Initiative and its parent organization, Americans for Prosperity, held their second annual Lorain Freedom Rally on Saturday in Oakwood Park. The event featured a keynote speech from Lorain County Sheriff Jack Hall, which he gave to a group of around 20 residents from the park's main gazebo. Hall, a Republican, focused his address on the recent arrest on a murder charge of Jomar Lopez, 21, of Lorain, a case which Hall said showed that Lorain residents are ready to get more involved and make their communities safer. The Sheriff's Office was able to arrest Lopez, Hall said, because of an outpouring of tips and information from Lorain residents, including a Ring doorbell camera video which showed Lopez fleeing in a silver vehicle. "The overwhelming response by the residents of the city of Lorain who responded to our Facebook page, who responded to our request for help, in identifying the subject was so overwhelming that we actually had to start pairing down all the tips that were coming in," Hall said. "We caught this person because the city and the citizens in Lorain said 'not in my city anymore.'" Hall said that information from residents led to deputies identifying the owner of a silver SUV in which Lopez reportedly fled, as well as the drug dealer from whom Lopez allegedly purchased the drugs he used to set up an attempted robbery in which he killed Robert Willis, 28, of North Ridgeville. "I was overwhelmed that we were not met by closed doors, we were not met by people who said I'm afraid to talk," he said. "Lorain residents are not afraid to talk. They are not afraid to get involved. Lorain residents want a safe community and they want their neighborhoods back. And we were happy to be able to make an arrest in that case and give the citizens of Lorain their community back." Donovan O'Neil, Americans for Prosperity state director for Ohio, also spoke during the event, and afterward he said he believed Hall's story showed that Lorain residents are ready to take on new challenges and hear new ideas. "One of the things I said was we (AFP) put a megaphone to the voice of Ohioans who want to see change happen in their community, right?" O'Neil said. "I think, in hearing what the sheriff was talking about and the stories he shared of the events of the last few weeks, it sounds like he shares that viewpoint. As an elected official, he is making himself and his deputies available to his community and working as a good partner. When we look at local government, we look at the state, we need folks who want to look at it through that lens. Not in terms of territory or fiefdoms, but really in terms of collaboration." O'Neil said that although only about two dozen people were present at the event, it was competing with the end of the Ohio State-Texas football game, he felt that it was small, organized groups like the one present on Saturday which can effectively drive political movements in Ohio. "Coming back this year, we were trying to build consistency in the community," O'Neil said. "… At times like this, when maybe not a lot of folks are paying attention to what's going on in Washington or Columbus or in the political world, we want to be out there still engaged in the community, reminding folks that grassroots voices have an impact. And so keeping that flame burning, keeping that torch going and trying to keep focused on the things that matter, that unleash economic opportunity and prosperity for all, is what we are looking to accomplish by being here today." The Libre Initiative is a right-leaning political nonprofit which works to pitch free-market, small government ideas to Hispanic voters. In 2019, the group was incorporated into Americans for Prosperity, the primary political advocacy organization supported by conservative billionaire Charles Koch, according to the Capital Research Center. The organization still has separate leadership and volunteers. O'Neil said that Lorain County has been identified as a target area where the Libre Initiative wanted to reach more Hispanic voters, so the Freedom Rally would be back for its third iteration in 2026 and the group was planning more activities in the area until then. Contact Owen MacMillan at (440) 329-7123 or omacmillan@chroniclet.com.