East Cleveland Residents Feel Their City and Souls have been Abandoned

 

East Cleveland once flourished with the wealthiest of residents, housing the nation’s first billionaire, John D. Rockefeller. Since its establishment in 1911, the city has declined to the point of having 32 percent of residents living below the poverty line and 26 percent of its properties left abandoned. The city claims to have funds to aid in the demolition of abandoned and vacant properties, yet the people say nothing has been done.

Joseph Nanni, the chief of staff on Cuyahoga County Council, told us:  “years of political strife, declining property values, private divestment and reduced state revenue have taken a severe toll on the city’s ability to keep up with the needs. Nanni also said Councilman Anthony Hairston has been working to identify all legal means available to assist the city of East Cleveland, but when we reached out to Haiston he had no comment on the issue.

One example of the assistance in process is the creation of a $50 million Cuyahoga County Demolition program. Specific details of the program include $3 million demolition fund provided to the city of East Cleveland and 305 structures approved for demolition, with 76 already having been demolished to date.

According to the Dave Yost Auditor of State of East Cleveland Report, the city was placed in fiscal emergency for the first time on September 9, 1988, for 17 years after an analysis showed a deficit of $3.7 million. The city was then put in a state of fiscal caution on January 5, 2012 after having a deficit of  $5,872,222.  On October 9, 2012, the city was again placed in a fiscal emergency for failing to submit a feasible recovery plan. The city still stands in a state of fiscal emergency.

The Dave Yost Ohio Auditor website explains the reasons behind declaring a state of fiscal emergency: failure to distribute payroll within 30 days and default of any debt payment within 30 days, among other reasons.

According to an article published by cleveland.com, in 2015, Yost said filing for bankruptcy or merging with Cleveland were the two best options for East Cleveland. It explored the idea of filing for bankruptcy until facing problems when the Tax Commissioner’s office required permission from the state rather than the mayor. Merging was also considered but came to a halt when the East Cleveland Council had too long of a list of requests.

Melran Leach, director of community development (CDBG) and director of building and housing, said the most recent data available is from a 2014 East Cleveland Property Inventory Report done by the Western Reserve Land Conservatory. It shows 1,380 vacant and abandoned properties throughout East Cleveland.

“You have people fleeing the inner city, and even though East Cleveland is considered a suburb … it’s just like Cleveland. A lot of the more fluent residents moved outside of the inner ring suburbs,” Leach said.

A city such as East Cleveland can pose many hazards to both residents of the community and commuters. Many buildings are seen having missing doors and windows that allow for people to enter as they please.
“You have young children. You don’t want a vacant and abandoned apartment or house where it could be a safe haven for criminals that can do things to young children or even grown women,” Leach said.

Nikki Moore, a current resident of East Cleveland, said she’s sure that children cannot simply walk to school without being afraid.

There is also the issue of “squatters,” which is what Leach refers to as people who use the abandoned and vacant homes and apartments for illegal drug activities.

According to Leach, the CDBG has its own budget of $260,000 for the year of 2017 that is allocated toward demolition. They also applied for and received funds from the county demo fund, getting $1 million the first round and $2 million the second round.

If the city holds a fund specifically for demolition, and is continuing to receive money for the upkeep of the city, why are so many vacant and abandoned homes left standing? The residents of East Cleveland have their own opinions and are tired of not seeing change.

“My street was one of the nicest streets in Cleveland, now there’s more vacant lots and abandoned houses on my streets than houses people livin’ in. My house ain’t worth nothin’,” Lawrence McClure said. McClure is a current resident of East Cleveland.

Nikki Moore and another resident of East Cleveland, Ricky Moore, both feel as though the members of City Hall have let them down. McClure feels the same way, claiming the past four or five mayors have done nothing to help the residents of East Cleveland.

According to cleveland.com, this past December, East Cleveland mayor Gary Norton Jr. and City Council President Thomas Wheeler were recalled from their positions in a special election. Devin Branch led the effort to recall Norton and Wheeler and while the voter turnout was low, he said majority of the city dislikes the mayor.

“Working class people of the city of East Cleveland are soundly against Mayor Norton,” Branch said in a phone interview with cleveland.com.

While no immediate actions are currently being taken, there may be hope for the future of East Cleveland as Brandon King, vice president of East Cleveland City Council President, is being considered for the position of mayor.

“This area is too valuable based on its location. It’s right next to Cleveland Clinic, University Hospitals, University Circle, it’s in between Euclid, South Euclid, down the street from Cleveland Heights, so it’s in the center,” Leach said. “It’s not going to stay down forever, it just depends on when investment will happen and how long.”

The lack of love the city is receiving is taking an emotional toll on the cities residents. Take a look at the peoples opinions on the city they call home.