GARFIELD HEIGHTS, Ohio — Debelak Park in Garfield Heights is now closed permanently after city leaders say safety concerns at the park became too serious to ignore.
The decision came after a shooting at the park and a flyer circulating on social media about a planned “teen takeover” there.
A teen takeover is typically a large gathering organized on social media where teens meet at a park, parking lot or other public space. Officials say those meetups can quickly become difficult to control.
The planned meetup at Debelak Park was supposed to happen at 3 p.m. Friday. A flyer shared online told people to meet at the courts and said “BYOE,” meaning “bring your own everything.”
But when News 5 arrived at 3 p.m., no one was there. The parking lot was closed, the courts were closed and the basketball hoops had been removed.
Before the park could be taken over, Garfield Heights Mayor Matt Burke shut it down.
“There’s just too much at stake over the safety of our people,” Burke said.
Burke said the decision was difficult. The basketball courts were something he was proud of.
But after the takeover flyer began circulating, and after a shooting at the park the night before, Burke said he had no choice.
“I get notified that there was a shooting here and right away, you just got into ‘I need to find out what’s going on,'” Burke said.
News 5 confirmed one person was shot in the leg.
Garfield Heights police also posted a zero-tolerance warning on Facebook ahead of the planned takeover. The department said teens would receive one warning before being arrested. The post also said the city has “no shortage of officers, K9’s, pepper balls, and jail space.”
The issue is not limited to Garfield Heights. On Wednesday, Cuyahoga County officials held a summer safety news conference where leaders talked about teen takeovers and youth violence prevention.
“We must understand what young people are showing us,” said Myesha Watkins, the county’s violence prevention administrator.
Watkins said some planned teen events can work when they are organized safely.
“It’s planned and organized by teens and supported by adults and community partner systems and law enforcement,” Watkins said.
Burke said he knows some people will be disappointed to lose the park, but he believes the safety risk is too great.
“They have to understand that their children who play there can get hit with a stray bullet like anybody else,” Burke said.
