CLEVELAND — Following Sunday’s shooting in the Flats East Bank, one local business owner told News 5 he’s concerned the problem could get worse if it’s not addressed.
RELATED: Shooting in The Flats left 6 people injured; 1 suspect in custody, police say
“I just think word of mouth is like what else is there to do? You know this is the place to be, so it’s going to keep getting more and more people,” said Green Light Tattoos and Art Gallery Co-owner and Artist, Marcus Miller.
Just up the hill, overlooking the Flats, is Green Light Tattoos and Art Gallery, which Miller said first opened in 2022.
Since then, Miller said a lot has changed, including the people who visit and now cause trouble.
“It’s been quite a few things here and there to the point where it’s like it doesn’t matter where you are anything can happen anywhere,” said Miller.
This is why Miller is calling for more police to patrol the area, especially on the busier nights.
“I know after 2 a.m. certain crowds disappear, and then other crowds start coming around,” said Miller
During Monday’s press conference, questions on how the city could have addressed overcrowding came up as we learned more about Sunday’s shooting in the flats that left six people injured, including a suspected gunman.
Chief Annie Todd did not give a clear answer on how the department plans to solve this problem besides re-evaluating their staff for certain events.
But Todd had this to say about boarding up Play Bar and Grill, where authorities said Cleveland Fire had been dispatched due to overcrowding.
“We know that the high concentration of what happened was around this establishment, so the decision was made to close down the bar to reevaluate public safety,” said Todd.
Meanwhile, the Managing Partner of Play Bar and Grill, David Hill, is still calling the move unfair and racially motivated, especially since police said it was unclear if the shooters were ever inside the bar.
“I've never seen anything like this in like the history of Cleveland, where you can just board up a place publicly embarrass and lie on the business and blame us for things that are simply, completely untrue,” said Hill.
At this time, Cleveland Law Director Mark Griffin said the local bar is facing several unknown citations, so they stand behind their decision to ensure public safety.
“If it takes a closure of a bar or something else that helps establish that, then the city is going to do what it needs to do,” said Todd.
“It's a lack of accountability at the end of the day, because the real issue is the fact there's a lack of police presence,” said Hill.
As the investigation continues, Miller isn’t sure if anything can be done to address overcrowding, but he’s hopeful.
“You just have to be aware of your surroundings and hope for the best,” said Miller.
News 5 has multiple calls and emails out to city leaders and the police department to understand how they plan to control the crowds, and also for any updates on Play Bar and Grill.
