I am in the cross fire with this entire story for a multitude of reasons... I hear ambitious local, lifelong residents of Cleveland who wish to "Start Up" a variety of small businesses right now. They are seeking out storefronts, considering the investments, and trying to work within their resources to do such. They are all willing to make sacrifices to revitalize deteriorated locations and put the effort in to put something simple in those shops... but then they realize the systematic governmental processes (abusive practices) associated with running a legitimate business and they are defeated at the door. Their little dreams seem to go up in smoke.

One gentleman wishes to open another little thrift shop on Fulton.

One young ambitious gentleman wants to open up a golf course or mini put put location right here on the west side.

One lady wants to open up an antique store on Clark avenue.

One person wants to open up a mechanic shop on the west side.

One person wants to open another coffee shop.

One person wants to open a "FLEA MARKET" right here on the west side.

One person wants to open a 'Car Hop" for classic cars right here on the west side.....

One person wants to open a unnamed Sports Entertainment business locally.

One person wants to open an Amusement Park for families.

One person wants to open an arts club for teens.

One person wishes to open another Bicycle shop.

Multiple people are interested in being real estate investors, but competing against not for profit community development stakeholders locally has dissuaded and disrupted countless investors from working to invest in our community any more.

Wow...come to think of it; there are countless ambitious folks right here in Ward 14 hoping to build up our community...

Some of the most common issues I see with these wonderful people is the basic start up needs...because they are ready, willing, and able to "work" their small business investments.  These folks usually don't have degrees in business. They are usually hardworking and ambitious. They want to do things right; but cannot afford the legal and accounting costs to get started legally. They are willing to do what it takes; but they get frustrated with the round robin three ring circus required to even be in business locally... permits, licenses, business plans, no capital resources, and a dream that is burning inside them...

How do you empower an entreprenuer with the tools to overcome the obstacles? 

Cleveland has an amazing underground and untaxed business industry in narcotics trade of prescription meds & street drugs, unlicensed stores & businesses, scrap metal recyclers (scrappers), and so much more. (HOW DO YOU THINK OUR LEGAL SYSTEM, JUDICIAL SYSTEM, AND GOVERNMENTAL SYSTEM STAY IN BUSINESS? THEY LEARNED TO PROFIT FROM THE PEOPLE!!!) 

Our people have been used to support a system of "QUOTAS" for so long that they learned to thrive underground and under the table... Sadly, they'd benefit more if they'd just pay the taxes and realize that they would build their credit, be able to own instead of rent in some cases, and they'd learn that they may even qualify for an annual tax refund for duly paying taxes. Yet, most are too vested in the underground "RAT RACE" that means they work harder; not smarter and only benefit their "employers" and not their own families.

After seeing years of "corruption" destroy the faith of good citizens; how can you really blame them for fighting back in these ways? While they have watched their tax dollars used abusively in venues like the Community Development nightmare; they have been neglected, their neighborhoods have demised, and their sense of "community" has been distinguished. Who can they trust? What would inspire them to stop being a "quota" for the countless agencies and organizations in our community that thrives off of them? I mean; the not for profit industry in Cleveland, Ohio is a MULTI BILLION DOLLAR INDUSTRY locally..... Is Cleveland ready to start supporting the FOR PROFIT SECTOR in a way that promotes business investment which would result in countless agencies becoming non essential? Or will Cleveland work to continue thriving off of it's best industries to date including the entire court, legal, and judicial system? 

Where's the balance? 

I recommend that these philanthropic agencies quit investing their resources into administration heavy agencies....and start offering individuals the opportunity to receive their grant opportunities as small business investors in the FOR PROFIT world. Put the meat and potatos back on the tables of the citizens through good old fashioned All American pride and self made options of investing in a small business.

If you want to inspire the public at large to get active in their community; help them to be a vested stakeholder. Stop dividing and conquering them with this nightmare of social services that teach them to live under certain income levels in order to survive. Give them the beginner tools to help them thrive and feel good about being productive and reward their community investments with reasonable things like abatements and waivers on start up costs like permits, licenses, and so much more. Provide them with legal, accounting, and business plan support tools that empower them to overcome the obstacles. Provide them with certifiable training that will promote small business growth. Cultivate them... Don't put them in the pay to play world of sending corrupt inspectors to their door with a hand out; don't send them chasing their tales trying to get on track, and don't defeat their ideas at the door...open the doors. Moreover, stop snubbing blue collar investors with that suburbinate "attitude" that looks down on others. It's a joke.

The attitudes must change about small business investors. They are the heartbeat of America more than words can say. But politicians and public servants have to learn how to respect blue collar entreprenuers who are required to orchestrate their business with a one man band mentality. Respecting that hard work and less than gentrified type of small business investors seems far beyond the capacity of many local politicians and public servants. Prayerfully; in the next lifetime; our local area will grow exponentially by realizing how to change old bad habits that have imploded our city.

Heck, I remember going to the Police community relations meeting and hearing the Detroit Shoreway residents complaining about families who had "Yard Sales" 7 days per week....and how it alone was detracting from their neighborhood and they wished for it to be regulated and stopped by the police ticketing those families. Someone from commmunity development should have worked to collaborate a business option for a family like that...help them get started and coordinate opportunities like a building and other resources that would have empowered their home made business to "Grow."....But our leadership is not calibrated to work with hardworking people in that fashion. They have become target enforcers and they steer out inspired folks. It's simply yucky.

Historically, community development has worked against such idealists. They have divided, conquered, and reinvented the wheel of our local government offices. Moreover, there should be clauses in many of the trickle down grant options from the federal government that enable the community development departments of our City of Cleveland government to offer OPEN and COMPETITIVE proposal OPPORTUNITIES to the for profit and not for profit sectors...yet; those funds are already predetermined in those back room deals and by our elected officials long before they are even funded and that in and of itself should be a crime...it's unfair, unethical, and dishonest to our citizens at large... But, that's how they get away with corruption....keeping us in the dark and doing whatever they want... This part of our local system needs revamped.

CHANGE is good.

By the way....the idea that community development organizations learned how to make HUGE PROFITS via paychecks by reinventing the wheel of for profit real estate business locally has ultimately resulted in more corruption than you can shake a stick at. It's insulting to know the truths of many ugly "Take Over" transactions that originated from greedy CDC leadership desires to get possesssion of properties "ONE WAY OR ANOTHER" and without regard to the owners' rights. Their use of adverse possession avenues, housing inspectors, housing court, and code enforcement to "push" people out and take over via "receivership" options was disengenous to the public at large. While it seemed appropriate; in some cases their actions were unacceptable and premised with alterior motives of development.

Always Appreciative, "ANGELnWard14"

Its not Cleveland thats shutting down, its America. Its not EVERY  neighborhood, but primarily, low income neighborhods across the country, including rural America. I agree its been shutting down since the 1960's, but to be more specific, its been shutting down  since the late 1960's. There were many achievements in the early - mid sixities--perhaps too many. and so the effort to shut down America stepped up, so as to maintian social order. It began in poor black communities around  1968, but now includes rural , white communities and the poor in general.  No matter how it looks though, or how successful the 'shut down' appears to be, I guarantee you God will have the last word over man and politicians, the latter of which are their own race & breed.