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Resident meeting focuses on downtown Cleveland safety
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Safety was the primary thing on people's minds at the downtown Cleveland residents meeting on Tuesday night.
Over a dozen residents from Hart Condiminiums, Riverbend, the Bingham, the Grand Arcade and the Bradley building attended the meeting at the Bingham's community room, led by Ward 13 councilman Joe Cimperman. The crowd may have been bigger had the Cavs not been beating the Pistons down the street.
The main topic of conversation was safety. Despite the shooting of two people on East 12th Street five weeks ago that left one of them dead, "Downtown is a safe place and a good place to live," according to Community Relations Manager Theasha Daniely. She said Cleveland Mayor Frank Jackson is committed to bringing entertainment, restaurants and jobs downtown.
"There's the perception" that downtown is unsafe, said Cimperman, "if you watch Channel 19." But he cited a "radical decrease" in downtown crime over the past 24 months, including a 40 percent drop in panhandling calls and a 75 percent drop in calls about problems on Public Square. There's also been a drop in scalping. One scalper said he wasn't coming back to Cleveland because the cops were so strict with him and their scalping rules. I don't think he'll be missed.
One of the reasons for the drop in panhandling is the Generocity Cleveland campaign which encourages residents not to give to panhandlers directly but to instead give to programs that help those who need it. Six people have been taken off the streets and put into housing thanks to this program. Bright green change collectors that look like parking meters will soon be installed in areas with the highest panhandling. You can put your change into these devices and know it's going to a good cause instead of giving it to a panhandler when you don't know what he'll use it for.
Mark Lammon, Special Projects Manager for the Downtown Cleveland Alliance, said many downtown residents and businesses still don't know about the free escort service the DCA offers. Let's say you live in Bridgeview and are leaving Cadillac Ranch at 1am on a Saturday night. Don't feel safe walking back home by yourself? Call the Downtown Cleveland Alliance at 216-621-6000 and one of their 55 ambassadors will walk you home, free of charge. This service is available Sunday through Thursday from 7am till 10pm and on Fridays and Saturdays from 7am till 3am. This is a number you should be putting into your cell phone right now.
Lammon says residents should be calling the DCA for a multitude of reasons. Is there dog poop all over the sidewalk on Lakeside Avenue? Call the DCA. Have you noticed an aggressive panhandler? Call the DCA. Have you heard a rumor about a safety issue you're concerned about? Call the DCA. In terms of safety, "perception is reality," said Lammon. "Downtown, for the most part, is very safe." But rumors can't be squashed and issues can't be addressed if no one is reporting them.
Lighting can also affect someone's safety perception. If you ever see a street light out in downtown Cleveland, please call Cleveland Public Power at 216-621-5483 and report it. (that's 216-621-LITE) If you don't like talking to people, report the outage through their website. The only way the city can possibly track all these outages is if residents are reporting them. That's another number you should be putting into your cell phone so you can report a burned out street light as soon as you walk past one.
Several residents had concerns over the safety of their cars in downtown parking lots. Cimperman said a new parking lot initiative will be announced next week that will mandate parking lot owners post the exact hours a lot will be attended. Parking lot owners will also be pooling their money to have the Downtown Cleveland Alliance pay for two off duty police officers to patrol parking lots during special events downtown.
Also, every parking lot downtown will have a clearly posted address so it's easier to track where the most crime is occuring when it's reported.
Many parking lots have issues with lighting in and around the lot. Cimperman cited the lot at East 9th and Bolivar near Progressive Field as an example. One of the reasons is that currently, the city controls half the lights while First Energy controls the other half. And in any given part of downtown, nine different types of lights are used. This becomes a big problem when a crew goes out to fix a light. They're working on focusing on just three different lighting styles.
The DCA will be launching its "Put Your Junk in the Trunk" campaign soon, which will encourage people parking in downtown lots to move their valuables to the trunk before leaving their car. The less items can be been sitting in your car, the less likely it is your car will be broken into. Even hide your change.
Daniely wanted residents to be aware of the monthly police community meetings where residents can sit down with the police and voice their concerns. Downtown Cleveland is covered by the Third District which meets on the last Tuesday of every month at 7pm. (The next meeting is April 28) The group usually meets at the Third District police headquarters at 10600 Chester Avenue, Cleveland, OH 44106. For more information, call the Third District at 216-623-5305.
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