Weekly Roundup | Investigating region's mental health safety net

Last week was dominated by national politics, and the Dayton Daily News had you covered, from the local implications of President Joe Biden dropping out of the election to Republican vice presidential candidate Sen. JD Vance visiting his hometown Middletown.

If you’re a political junkie, I encourage you to follow my colleague Avery Kreemer’s Ohio Politics Newsletter to stay on top of the ever-moving political landscape.

This is the weekly roundup, where we bring you the top stories from today’s Dayton Daily News and major stories from the past week you may have missed.

This week, that includes an investigation into what happens when police pink-slip someone in a mental health crisis, the story behind the art piece installed last week memorializing the victims of the Oregon District shooting in 2019, and the latest in the federal raid of Fuyao.

Our mission is to help you understand what’s really going on in the Dayton region. This includes comprehensive coverage of local governments and agencies, hard-hitting investigations, and in-depth analyses of important issues.

Do you have a news tip or an issue you think our reporters should look into? Contact me at Josh.Sweigart@coxinc.com, or you can use our anonymous tipline.

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Few people pink-slipped by police are committed, investigation finds

The Dayton region’s mental health safety net has been a major local issue this year since the local crisis receiving center ended its contract with Montgomery County.

Our healthcare reporter Samantha Wildow investigated what happens when police come in contact with someone in mental health crisis. Read her full story here.

• Key takeaway: Her main finding is police routinely pink-slip people they believe to be a danger to themselves or others — under the impression those people will be committed and force into treatment — but 96% of the time those people are released without mandated treatment.

• Police say: “They oftentimes are back in our communities before the paperwork is done. Within two hours, three hours. We ask these questions. How can this happen?” said Doug Jerome, president of the Montgomery County Association of Police Chiefs. “We don’t get a lot of answers.”

• The impact: Many of these people end up in county jail — nearly half the inmates of the Montgomery County jail have a diagnosed mental illness — or in the worst case put the community in danger. The man who shot four people at a Beavercreek Walmart in December had been pink-slipped twice and never involuntarily committed.

• The numbers say: There are 10 times more individuals with a severe mental illness ― such as schizophrenia spectrum disorders, severe bipolar disorder and/or major depression with psychotic features ― in jails or prison than in state psychiatric hospitals, according to the Treatment Advocacy Center, a national policy and research organization.

• Solutions: Sam’s story explores how this problem is decades in the making, and both near- and long-term solutions are needed.

• Pink slip process: Wondering what pink slips are and how they work? Sam did a separate piece on that, and proposed legislation to change it.

‘Seed of Life’ Memorial a labor of love for collaborators

The fifth anniversary of the 2019 Oregon District shooting is next Sunday, Aug. 4. And we will have several stories about the community’s recovery from this tragedy over the past five years.

This week, we look at the memorial being installed in the Oregon District.

• The memorial: This story by Russell Florence has photos of the main art piece from the memorial being installed last week. The official unveiling of the memorial is Aug. 4.

• The artists: For that same story, Russell also interviewed the four local artists involved in creating the memorial about how they developed the design, symbolism and language behind the memorial.

• Key quote: “We have a genuine, beautiful, public place where people can gather and use for their own vigils or protests,” said sculptor Terry Welker. “If somebody wants to talk about gun violence, this might be the place to do it. If somebody wants to have a cool performance, this might be the place to do it. This gathering spot is a memorial, and the spirit of the victims in a positive light moves us forward.”

• ‘Remember the seed’: Russell did a separate piece about the powerful poem written by local poet Sierra Leone to accompany the memorial. That story includes video of Leone reading her poem; it gave me chills.

• The community: Previous reporting by Russell explained how the community was invited to help build the memorial as a gesture of community healing.

• A solemn anniversary: We will have much more reporting on the anniversary, including a remembrance of the victims, a look at the healing process and more.

Homeland Security raids Fuyao, 27 other sites, probing financial, labor crimes

One of the biggest stories of last week broke Friday, when hundreds of federal and local law enforcement agents from agencies including Homeland Security and the IRS raided Fuyao Glass American in Moraine and 27 other sites across the region. Go here for the latest on this developing story.

• What is Fuyao: Fuyao is a major local employer, with an estimated 2,000 people working there. Coincidentally. Saturday was the 10th anniversary of when the Dayton Daily News broke the news that the Chinese glass manufacturer was moving into the former GM plant.

• What’s being investigated?: Representatives for Fuyao declined to comment on the probe, which Homeland Security Investigations Detroit Special Agent in Charge Jared Murphey said includes a focus on money laundering and potential human smuggling.

• Who’s being investigated?: There were no arrests Friday. Federal agents told Fuyao workers that Fuyao is not the target of the investigation. Tips to the Dayton Daily News have suggested a staffing agency is under scrutiny.

• Pols react: Federal officials such as U.S. Rep. Mike Turner, R-Dayton, and Sen. Sherrod Brown, D-Ohio, say they are monitoring the situation.

- State Sen. Niraj Antani, R-Miami Twp., raised concerns about state funding to Fuyao. “I’m deeply concerned by today’s federal law enforcement action at Fuyao. Before I was elected, the State of Ohio, through JobsOhio, provided millions of dollars in incentives to Fuyao, understanding that American jobs would be created. I look forward to learning more about today,” he said.