CLEVELAND — Just last week, News 5 sat down with Chief Annie Todd who told us her ultimate goal is to keep the community safe.
A week later, News 5 is taking a look at how one local organization is trying to achieve this with the opening of a new space, which will be called The Love Project Movement Community Clubhouse.
“I don’t care where you’re from. This is a place that you can call home,” said New Era Cleveland Chairman Fahiem, or Antoine Tolbert.
Vacant buildings, trash and overgrown weeds are just some of the things Fahiem said you’ll see when driving down Cleveland’s Buckeye Road.
“Traditionally, in the past, this has been a very violent community,” said Fahiem.
Just a block away from the community center is the Huntington Bank on Buckeye, which News 5 has reported on multiple times when we told you the bank had to close due to an increase in crime.
While the bank reopened in October, Fahiem said there are still issues in this area.
RELATED: Cleveland's Huntington Bank Buckeye branch re-opens Monday
Meanwhile across the county, the Cuyahoga County Prosecutor’s Office reported 41 juveniles charged with homicide, 31 victims and 29 incidents in their Juvenile Homicide Summary in January.
I asked: “Last year, the Chief said that one of her top priorities when she first started was working on juvenile crimes. A year later, would you still say there’s more work to do?”
“A lot of work still has to be done, and being from the community, doing this work I seen any progress,” said Fahiem.
But now, Fahiem said there will be results thanks to the establishment of the soon-to-be The Love Project Movement Community Clubhouse.
“If this right here is the starting point, there is no ceiling,” said Fahiem. “This is really establishing a code of ethics in our community. That’s the purpose of us being here.”
As the center prepares to open next month, Fahiem said the community can expect a safe space for men, women, families and teens like 16-year-old Ra’San Ferguson.
“I was looking for mentorship to find some love forreal, forreal. It’s helping me grow. It’s just helping me grow,” said Ferguson, a mentee with The Love Project Movement Community Clubhouse.
Fahiem said it also will be a resource hub for people in need of services like food, housing, clothes and even crime-prevention strategies thanks to a $150,000 grant.
Most importantly, Fahiem and 19-year-old mentor Rameer Askew said the center will be established in love to help people find their purpose.
“For the young men and women out there, understand that they may not speak on it enough, but we see y’all and we understand y’all, and we have a space here at Buckeye for y’all to feel love and feel heard,” said Askew.
The opening date for this community center is April 12.
