CLEVELAND — Crime prevention is top of mind in Cleveland after a stretch of violence this summer. Wednesday, city leaders heard concerns directly from some neighbors during the mayor’s neighborhood safety walk.
“We’ve all got some work to do,” Mayor Justin Bibb told his cabinet, city workers and leaders from the Cleveland Division of Police before leading them on a walk through the Cudell neighborhood on the city’s west side to talk to neighbors.
The event was the last in a series of safety walks through all five of Cleveland’s police districts. Though already scheduled, it fell days after three separate shootings involving three teenagers elsewhere in the city.
Safety and violence prevention were topics of conversation.
Ariel Wade said she worries about her young sons, especially after a teen boy was shot and killed near her home last summer.
“They’re my son’s age. My son was scared to come outside for a moment. He didn’t turn to playing the game,” she said.
Others in the neighborhood have also experienced violence. Shaunne Watson said her home and car were hit by gunfire.
“I have a 14-year-old, I have a 12-year-old. I have children. They come to swim; they like to play. They’re not violent children, so to have it in our community is not right,” she said.
Both women said violence in the neighborhood has improved in recent years. They credit their neighbors for watching out for one another.
“If we’re seeing something, we’re saying something. And that’s what’s helping,” said Preston Triggs, who’s lived in the neighborhood since 2010.
The neighbors were among several dozens who shared concerns ranging from violence and drug sales to negligent landlords, nuisance properties and road conditions. The mayor said he and his staff have been able to elevate many of the complaints to be addressed quickly.
“This is us doing the work, putting boots on the ground, talking to residents, meeting them where they are,” Mayor Bibb said. “We hear their concerns, and we’re going to do everything we can as a city to keep our city safe, to encourage them to join the fight for a safer city.”
He touted recent initiatives to tackle crime and violence, including partnering the city’s police with the county sheriff’s office to target car thieves, encouraging residents and business owners to share their surveillance video and working strategically with crime analysis to leverage limited police resources.
“Back in the day, we had a lot more officers. So if there was an issue, you could throw cops at it,” said First District Commander Jarod Schlacht. “So we have to work smarter now. We have to use our analysts that we’re hiring on to let us know this is where the crime is occurring.”
He and the mayor said they were confident the new efforts will yield positive results. They both agreed to foster community relationships and making families aware of community and youth resources is also key.
Neighbors told News 5 they appreciated the visit from city leaders and hoped their concerns for safety and neighborhood investment are taken seriously.
“This is all these kids got. And if we don’t fix it up, then what do they have? They’re going to run to the streets,” Wade said.
The first district neighborhood safety walk was the last of the summer, but Bibb pledges more community outreach.
Watch live and local news any time:
Download the News 5 Cleveland app now for more stories from us, plus alerts on major news, the latest weather forecast, traffic information and much more. Download now on your Apple device here, and your Android device here.
You can also catch News 5 Cleveland on Roku, Apple TV, Amazon Fire TV, YouTube TV, DIRECTV NOW, Hulu Live and more. We're also on Amazon Alexa devices. Learn more about our streaming options here.
