CLEVELAND — Abandoned Building Activist Ed McDonald spends a lot of time exploring abandoned buildings.
"There’s a thrill of going around checking out something that's abandoned, something that's been left behind, and you're just trying to get a look at it,” said McDonald.
He likes to bring awareness to vacant or abandoned lots across Cleveland, and sometimes he must trespass to do so.
"I want to see the kind of condition the building is in because I do, as an activist, and if I have to go inside, then that's what I'm going to have to do to document it and get a good look,” said McDonald.
Others like him call themselves urban explorers.
"Urban exploration is an opportunity for typically younger people to go into either what they perceive to be vacant buildings, or even if they're not vacant, just properties that are just not being used. They explore, take video, post it on social media,” said Freddy Diaz with Cleveland Police.
Urban exploring may look exciting, but Cleveland Police want to remind people that entering abandoned or restricted buildings is extremely dangerous and illegal.
"It is illegal, no doubt that when you're going into an abandoned building, and it’s not yours, you're trespassing,” said McDonald.
Cleveland Police have seen a dangerous rise in urban exploring and want to put a stop to it.
"It's a crime, whether we want to paint it as just for fun, just a hobby, or people doing some things on social media, it's still a crime,” said Diaz.
Cleveland Police want to educate people on the dangers that come with exploring these abandoned buildings.
"These vacant properties are depleted, there’s floors that are not completely together, and they could fall. And as a juvenile entering this property, there could be someone in there that has a criminal background, and that maybe is intended to create harm. Now you put yourself in that position where you're out of sight, no one knows you're in there, and so it’s dangerous all around,” said Diaz.
But McDonald believes there should be a line between urban exploring and people looking to harm the property or others.
"A true urban explorer isn't going into these buildings causing destruction, you're just exploring,” said McDonald.
The deteriorating Corlette Movers Building has become a popular place for urban explorers and a victim of vandalism.
"Anytime they break into a building and they destroy the building, that makes not only the community but the urban exploration community look bad. It also makes the neighborhood look bad because it's obvious that it's creating an eyesore for the neighborhood. So, that's what we don't want to have,” said McDonald.
But despite Cleveland Police's warning that urban exploring can lead to federal charges, McDonald still plans to explore.
"I think what's going on is that there's this kind of mix between the community where there are people who get into the buildings and they do a tick tock while destroying a bunch of stuff, and then there are people who know risks and are responsible and want to safely explore,” said McDonald.
Police recently arrested two male juveniles, ages 16 and 17, for urban exploring. They were released to their parents, but the parents were issued citations for curfew violations.
For this incident, the crimes involved include criminal trespass, obstructing justice, possessing criminal tools, vandalism and breaking and entering.
An 18-year-old male was arrested for criminal trespass, obstructing justice and possessing criminal tools.
"Sometimes there's just a lack of education in terms of what the law is, and that's our responsibility as officers of the law to just educate folks that may not know necessarily that it's wrong. But again, the bottom line is if it's not your property, you shouldn't be trespassing in it without authorization," said Diaz.
