Michael DeBose

Michael DeBose (1953 – April 23, 2012) was an African-American politician who served as a Democratic member of the Ohio House of Representatives. He was first elected to that position on 13 February 2002.

Biography

DeBose attended Cleveland State University, where he earned a BA in Mass Media Communications. He was an ordained and licensed minister of the Zion Chapel Baptist church. He was married with three children.^[2]

He was the primary sponsor of four bills, including one to create a mandatory pink sex offender license plate so people can better identify them, saying "The primary reason they can prey is because they're camouflaged from who they really are."^[3] On 1 May 2007, DeBose was taking a walk around his neighborhood after returning from Columbus when two armed robbers attempted to hold him up. He had in the past voted against concealed weapon legislation, but cited this incident as changing his stance: "I don't want to hurt anyone. But I never again want to be in the position where I'm approached by someone with a gun and I don't have one."^[4]

Death

DeBose died of complications of Parkinson's disease on April 23, 2012, aged 58.^[5] He was survived by his wife and three children, all of Cleveland, as well as three grandsons, four brothers and four sisters.

References