In the event that William "Bill" Cleveland announces his candidacy for any local office in Alexandria, I want to share this. There is one and only one Republican I have and would vote for in a non-primary election.
William "Bill" Cleveland was the only person in the entire city of Alexandria that stood by me, treated me like a human being and showed genuine care and compassion for me as a human being in duress. This was during the post Karl Stowe IHOP killing of Aaron Brown. I was writing daily letters of protest in defense of the Integrity of Police requiring a Judge to review all legal questions of the killing rather than just allowing CA Sengel to wave his hand and unilaterally dismiss charges from ever being brought by his office. Aaron Brown was the third person the police had killed in Alexandria in a very brief time, all of which resulted in Sengel shielding the officers from a court date. I was terrified, but determined. I knew that this passive protest through a local Alexandria paper was going to get me arrested or killed, but just so somewhere there was a record of Alexandria not being 100% cool with police hunting children for sport, I carried on.
Mr Cleveland, got dressed up in his finest suit, and acted the absolute model of a kind and caring gentleman when he visited me at the old Chicken Out Rotisserie in Bradlee Shopping center. He came in the same day I had to serve over a dozen police officers who had decided that visiting my place of work a dozen at a time and harassing me was fun. Mr Cleveland brought his wife, who I thought was the most graceful woman that I have ever and possibly will ever have the fortune to be in the presence of.
Mr. Cleveland joked with me, doing a dance when I felt like crying from the hell of that time period. He and his wife showed so much support for me personally, that I don't care how far astray and lost the Republican Party goes, any opportunity to vote for him is one I will take joy in being presented.
Mr Cleveland hasn't declared for any office yet. But I ask every fellow Alexandria Democrat who is reading this, to put aside party loyalty and judge this man by his golden heart.
Henry Johnson
Alexandria