Charity Edmiston lives her life guided by a simple saying.
“If you can help, you need to help,” Edmiston said.
And Edmiston helps every chance she gets — most recently, right outside her front door.
Edmiston is the property manager for a building on W. 116th St., right off Clifton Blvd. on Cleveland’s west side. It is a quiet street, filled with people who take pride in their neighborhood.
Around 9:30 a.m. on Saturday, Edmiston was having her morning cup of coffee when she heard a commotion outside. Instead of ignoring it, she sprang into action.
“By this time, I had already put on my shoes, grabbed my taser, my keys, and ran out,” she said.
She saw an older woman struggling with a man in a black SUV. She said it seemed as though he were trying to drag her inside.
“She’s in literally a tug-of-war hold with the passenger in the vehicle,” Edmiston said. As she ran toward the woman, taser in hand, another neighbor joined in the chase. Across the street, another was already dialing 911.
The men in the SUV saw help coming and quickly took off, leaving the shaken woman behind. Edmiston said she was too terrified to even give her name.
It’s a small success on a street they are all proud to call home. And a reminder — don’t mess with West 116th. Security cameras all over Edmiston's building keep a constant close watch.
“The neighbors have come together and worked together as a team to take care of our neighborhood. Take it back, it’s yours, you live here,” Edmiston said.
