CLEVELAND — The City of Cleveland is targeting eyesores in four areas it has identified as hotspots for crime in this year’s summer safety plan.
Public Safety Director Wayne Drummond briefed City Council safety committee members last Wednesday.
Drummond said they’ve identified several areas based on crime statistics for rapes, homicides, felonious assaults and thefts.
“We’ve taken the crime stats, looked at a map, a hotspot map to be honest with you, and identified areas again east and west where they’re most concentrated,” Drummond said.
His staff drove out to those four locations and identified quality of life issues.
Jean Young lives in the Hough neighborhood just south of Wade Park. She grew up on Whitethorn Avenue and later inherited her home.
She’s tired of her view across the street where a house sits overgrown and boarded up.
"And there might be someone else who wants to move in down this way, and if they see an upkeep of the community and the neighbors being friendly, they don’t mind moving in,” Young said.
Young says it’s mostly quiet in her neighborhood, until recently, when her grandson’s car was broken into.
“It’s a target, so I would appreciate it if maybe the city could do something about that, and as you scroll down the street, you might see one or two more vacant homes,” Young said.
The city has not disclosed the four locations they will concentrate on this summer.
"And we’re going to go into those areas and concentrate on those areas, vacant fields, abandoned homes, and we’re going to hit those areas extremely hard,” Drummond said.
As Cleveland tackles neighborhood blight this summer, one group will work to keep kids on the right path.
Kareem Smith is part of The Safety Unit, which offers summer boot camps to 6th and 8th graders to help with their grades and keep them away from violence.
The program expanded to include more Cleveland children.
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Smith grew up in Cleveland’s Mt. Pleasant neighborhood.
“Sometimes we didn’t have to watch tv, just open the window you hear car accidents people fighting, shooting,” Smith said.
Smith says blighted properties can also attract kids.
“When I was young and we would be around abandoned buildings and stuff like that we used it as a playground,” Smith said.
This is the second summer for the Safety Unit boot camp. Smith hopes to double the number of boys they help to 50.
“We’re going to take them out of the neighborhood, we're going to take them out of Cleveland so they know what’s out there in some other places around Cleveland that offer other opportunities for them,” Smith said.
Drummond told council members that even though they’ll have a concentrated focus on four hotspots, other areas will still receive city services.
