STATE BOARD RECOMMENDS CLEVELAND HEIGHTS’ PROPOSED SHAKER FARM HISTORIC DISTRICT FOR NATIONAL REGISTER OF HISTORIC PLACES

Cleveland Heights / Cuyahoga County: Shaker Farm Historic District, roughly bounded by properties along Fairmount and North Park Blvds. to the south, Fairfax Road to the north, Roxboro Middle School to the west and Ashton Road to the east.

A team of residents helped me with the application.  I couldn’t have done it without the invaluable help of Jack Sulak, Marjorie Kitchell, Bill Collins, Ken Goldberg, Kara Hamley O’Donnell, Leslie Marting and Diane Christ.

Keys to the success in reducing street crime were adding policemen, being much more aggressive and focusing on crime “hotspots” where serious crimes were being reported.  This is not the same as “broken-windows policing” or “zero tolerance.”  Patrols of police are deployed to crime hotspots, “…sometimes for weeks at a time, systematically stopping and frisking anyone who looks suspicious and staring down everyone else.”

Somewhat surprisingly, it turned out in New York that “…crimes prevented one day at a particular location do not ineluctably have to be committed somewhere else the day after.”  It seems that police aggressiveness made some criminals just give up.

Perhaps not surprisingly, “…the street stops, bullying and pretext-based arrests fall disproportionately on young men of color in their own neighborhoods, as well as in other parts of the city where they may venture.”  But here’s what’s important:  “…the benefits of reduced crime also disproportionately favor the poor – ironically, the same largely dark-skinned young males who suffer most from police aggression now have lower death rates from violence and lower rates of going to prison than in other cities.”  In short, what New York has been doing is working, though it’s impossible without more research to attribute the success to any one factor – except that police make a difference.

What does this have to do with Cleveland Heights?  Unfortunately, some of our kids don’t have adults in their lives instructing them in how to behave properly.  Not long ago, I was happy to see a police officer talking to one of our youth who was walking in the roadway about how dangerous and wrong that was.  As I’ve been about our city this summer, I have been pleased to see that almost all of our kids have been walking on the sidewalks.  It may not be easy, but we have to find ways to talk to kids about what the rules are – all kinds of rules – and why it’s important to obey them.  It’s an important step in helping them to achieve their potential.

Our city is rightly highly regarded for safety, and we should keep expecting and demanding the best from everyone.  When asked by a police officer why she had given her curfew-breaking child money to take the bus to Coventry Road in Cleveland Heights, a Cleveland mother said it was because she knew the kid would be safe in our city.  That was an ironic comment.  But we should be proud of it.

My first day of teaching chemistry at the school, at the end of one class, three boys deliberately knocked over the demonstration I had set up, breaking several items and ran out the door – a mini flash riot.  I had no idea who the students were, but I told the principal what had happened.  The guilty ones spent three days out in front of the school cutting the tall elephant grass with machetes.  The broken items had to be ordered from England and took months to arrive.

Later, Father Cunningham said it was no kindness to let the boys misbehave because, if they were unruly when they returned to their villages, they would be severely dealt with and could even be killed.  Though he spoke of a far away place in a long-gone time, what he said still rings true.

It is unkind to let children and young people misbehave, because they will be punished for bad behavior sooner or later.  The earlier they can be set straight the better, because otherwise they seem not to know where to stop.   And there are increasingly serious consequences as one grows older for not managing oneself the right way in our society.  It is a kindness to have high expectations for all young people’s behavior and academic performance.  Let’s be kind.

Why is the bicycle coalition important?  As I explained in a Heights Observer article in the May 2011 issue, having a lot of bicyclists is a sign of a city that attracts creative thinkers and young professionals seeking vibrant, sustainable communities in which to live and work. After all, bicycles are a perfect mode of transportation for those who are concerned about the environment, their health or their pocketbook. In addition, bicycling can make one feel good physically, and depending on oneself to get around can feel empowering.

I and others have posted many items on the Cleveland Heights Bicycle Coalition’s Web site – www.bikesintheheights.org    I invite you to take a look at this Web site.  I think you’ll like what you see!

Unfortunately, because of rain, our collaboration with the Coventry merchants on Thursday, July 28, had to be rescheduled for Thursday, September 1.  We are urging bicyclists to climb on their bikes and ride to a showing of the Academy Award-winning classic film, Breaking Away, which is being offered at Coventry Peace Park as part of the Coventry Village Summer Music & Movies Series.  This movie is eighth on an American Film Institute list of the 100 most inspiring movies.  Music starting at 7:30 p.m. can accompany your picnic dinner, which can be acquired from one of the nearby restaurants.  The movie starts at 9 p.m.

The application provides an inventory of Cleveland Heights’ current activities, programs and facilities for bicycling.  The League said they would be in contact toward the end of April.  All of us involved in this initiative are looking forward to the feedback.