Judge tells students of struggles he overcame

YOUNGSTOWN – Judge Michael J. Ryan articulated in precise detail a childhood memory of painstakingly reaching for and successfully opening the sole wrapper left in a box of crackers on a top shelf, the last food in his home, only to discover cockroaches were eating what remained.

“School was the one place I could go to get something to eat,” said Ryan, 55, who serves on the 8th District Court of Appeals in Cleveland.

That was one of many instances of childhood abuse, neglect and trauma he faced in his early years, Ryan told an auditorium of Youngstown Rayen Early College Middle School students during a presentation he gave Wednesday morning at the school, 731 S. Hazelwood Ave., on the West Side.

Ryan’s lecture, which the Mahoning Valley Sojourn to the Past organization hosted and was part of Nonviolence Week in Ohio, was focused primarily on reinforcing to the students that they have the wherewithal and strength to make positive choices and overcome adversity.

When she was in ninth grade, Ryan’s mother was taken to the hospital thinking she was ill, but soon discovered she was pregnant before she gave birth to him at age 15. Ryan’s father was a “ghost” after the birth because he was on the run from police after having committed a bank robbery, the judge said.

While serving a lengthy prison sentence for the robbery, Ryan’s mother married his stepfather, who began a pattern of abuse against his mother that included slamming her against a bed or the floor, as well as slapping, strangling and stomping on her.as she yelled for help, and “as my sister and I begged him to stop,” he recalled. Ryan added that his mother often wore turtleneck shirts in the summer to hide bruises.

“That was just the tip of the iceberg of what we were dealing with,” Ryan said, adding that neither his mother nor his stepfather had high school educations, but that both of them became heroin addicts.

The family moved frequently, including to California, to get away from his stepfather, though he followed them there and brought them back to a housing development in Cleveland, where the abuse continued and access to drugs was easy, Ryan told his rapt young audience.Concequently, he had been enrolled in 11 schools between kindergarten and 10th grade.

By age 11, the domestic violence ceased because his stepfather was incarcerated, but his mother continued to worsen largely because of chronic drug use before she died at 28. The saving grace was living for close to two years with his maternal grandmother, who provided stability, refuge, plenty of food and other necessities, though he also lost her at a young age.

“I was the poster child for someone who should give up,” Ryan said, adding that faith in God and a strong work ethic were pivotal in allowing him to persevere. “I refuse to let anyone work harder than me.”

Over time, such persistence paid off when the 30-year judge graduated at age 17 from Cleveland Heights High School, then attended Allegheny College, a private liberal-arts school in Meadville, Pa., where he maintained high grades and qualified for scholarships that paid about $54,000 of his education, Ryan recalled, adding that he also played football and ran track.

With further help from teachers, coaches, religious figures and others, Ryan was able to solidify a positive life trajectory.

While enrolled in a civil liberties class at Allegheny College, an instructor convinced him to consider becoming an attorney, despite a distrust in law enforcement he harbored because of his father’s imprisonment. Nevertheless, Ryan graduated from Cleveland State University Law School, became a defense and a prosecuting attorney, then served with the Cleveland Department of Public Safety as administrator of its Office of Professional Standards.

In addition, he was a magistrate for Cleveland Municipal Court, which helped pave the path for him to launch a career as a judge, Ryan continued.

The opportunity to serve on the 8th District Court of Appeals came when Ryan’s longtime friend and colleague, Judge Larry A. Jones Sr., died unexpectedly Oct. 7, 2021, at age 68.

At one time, Ryan coined the four “C’s” regarding what he feels it takes to be a solid jurist: commitment, courageousness, consciousness and consistency.

MESSAGE TO STUDENTS

Much of Ryan’s presentation Thursday focused on using his trials and tribulations – sprinkled with occasional humor – to drive home the importance of young people making positive choices, and how a single decision can affect and alter one’s life.

“The choices you make can cost you your life or the life you envision,” he stressed.

To accentuate his point, Ryan held up his cellphone to dramatize the fact that using technology to send a single threatening, bullying or mean-spirited text message can be damaging and potentially life-altering. He also gave the students a series of hypothetical scenarios for which criminal charges can be filed and penalties administered.

For example, a person who is with a perpetrator, even if that individual did not directly commit the crime but failed to intervene when given the opportunity and to summon help for the victim, can face complicity charges, Ryan noted.

Cheering or egging on a fight – even without directly participating in it – can result in a person under 18 being sentenced to 90 days in juvenile detention for inciting violence, he continued.

“If you see an altercation taking place, go and find the right authority,” the judge advised.

Ryan added that he hopes his young audience members will give serious thought to decisions they make, and to realize they also have the capacity to overcome great obstacles.

In addition, Ryan penned a book, titled “The Least Likely: From the Housing Projects to the Courthouse.”