The “Yost” Roast – Comedy Roast Fundraiser to End Qualified Immunity is scheduled for 8 p.m. Sunday at the Hilton Columbus/Polaris, not The Attic Comedy Club, due to a last-minute venue change. Credit: Michael Sweeney
The Libertarian Party of Franklin County and the Ohio Coalition to End Qualified Immunity are aiming to fundraise $3,000 for the coalition by making a serious political agenda laughable at the “Yost” Roast – Comedy Roast Fundraiser to End Qualified Immunity.
The roast, which will take place at 8 p.m. at the Hilton Columbus/Polaris — located at 8700 Lyra Drive — Sunday, is designed to poke fun at Ohio Attorney General Dave Yost and his positive stance on qualified immunity. Executive committee chair of the Franklin County Libertarian Party Michael Sweeney said the event will host a handful of comics, including Ian Miller as the roast’s emcee.
Merriam-Webster defines qualified immunity as “immunity from lawsuits that is granted to public officials (such as police officers) for acts that violate someone’s civil rights if it can be shown that the acts do not violate clearly established statutory or constitutional rights of which a reasonable person would be aware.”
Sweeney said he and the Franklin County Libertarian Party view qualified immunity as an overly sweeping protection of government officials.
“The whole concept really stems from a reluctance on the part of our court system to acknowledge the harm that is done to civil rights violations, and then to find justice for those victims,” Sweeney said. “So you have a direct conflict of people who put themselves in a position to say, ‘We are the law and we’re enforcing the law,’ and then they end up putting themselves above the law in doing so.”
The “Yost” Roast makes its message clear in its title; the audience and comedians alike are there to call out Yost on his policies and actions toward qualified immunity, Sweeney said.
The Ohio Attorney General’s Office didn’t respond to The Lantern’s requests for comment.
Cynthia Brown, founder and committee chair of the Ohio Coalition to End Qualified Immunity — which has been in collaboration with the Franklin County Libertarian Party since 2020 — said while qualified immunity is a serious political subject, even activists need to take a break to unwind and laugh every once in a while.
“For us, we’re always so seriously read,” Brown said. “You’re collecting signatures, being nice to people and explaining what qualified immunity is. Sometimes we need the laughter to keep from crying.”
Though laughter and fundraising are core components of the event, the roast itself serves as an exciting opportunity to comedically criticize Yost — in more ways than one — Brown said.
“I’m sure they might comment on his characters or his policies, things he’s done, his mannerisms, how he talks, his voice,” Brown said. “I am looking for the jokes about his character.”
Sweeney said Yost’s political policies — such as his August 2023 rejection of the coalition’s petition requesting to put a qualified immunity constitutional amendment on Ohio ballots — have actively interfered with the goals of both the coalition and the party at large.
“I’m sure Dave is a fine fellow to sit down, have a beer or your beverage of choice [with], but on a political level, he is actively interfering and now it is his job to make that decision,” Sweeney said. “If he wants to go on to be governor, he is going to need support from the law enforcement community. And this is a contentious issue for them. They would prefer to go on having absolute immunity from any prosecution.”
Since the fundraising goal is $3,000 and the entrance fee is $30, Sweeney said he hopes every spot in the 100-seat comedy club will be filled on Sunday.
“One of the goals for the roast fundraiser is to bring people together and make them aware of this topic, this conversation, and then have that conversation in a courageous way where we can laugh at ourselves and the upset and the anxiety that we live through,” Sweeney said.
All performing comedians are Columbus-based, which Brown said is thanks to 2018 Ohio governor candidate and Libertarian Party member Travis Irvine — a local comedian himself — stepping in as one of the show’s coordinators.
“So Travis Irvine, I’m sure he reached out to other comedians [locally],” said Brown. “This is the best of Columbus.”
All jokes aside, ending qualified immunity is still the end goal for both the coalition and the county’s Libertarian party, Brown said.
“This is our call to action. We think we have to do more than “Say his name”, or ‘Whose streets? Our streets,’ or ‘No more racist police,’” Brown said. “You have to take legal policy actions or wash the policy, or nothing’s ever going to change.”
Sweeney said the call to action will certainly linger in the roast, but the audience can — and should — laugh over the shared experience of “the upset and the anxiety that we live through.”
“If we can help people laugh a little while at the absurdity of our government or court system, that’s worthwhile because we should always be making fun of it, it is absurd,” Sweeney said.
The “Yost” Roast – Comedy Roast Fundraiser to End Qualified Immunity will take place at the Hilton Columbus/Polaris Sunday at 8 p.m. Tickets, only available at the door, will be $30 and further donations outside of the ticket price will be accepted.
More information about the show can be found on both the Ohio Coalition to End Qualified Immunity’s Facebook page and The Franklin County Libertarian Party’s Facebook page.
Note: This story was updated Saturday, March 2 at 12:36 p.m. to account for the event’s venue change. The roast will now take place at the Hilton Columbus/Polaris, not the Attic Comedy Club.
