CLEVELANDERS FOR PUBLIC TRANSIT: RALLY AT PUBLIC SQUARE TO OPEN SUPERIOR AVENUE!

CLEVELANDERS FOR PUBLIC TRANSIT: RALLY AT PUBLIC SQUARE TO OPEN SUPERIOR AVENUE!

ON A COLD, SATURDAY, DECEMBER 3, 2016, CLEVELANDERS FOR PUBLIC TRANSIT HELD A RALLY IN THE RENOVATED PUBLIC SQUARE A.K.A. JIMMY DIMORA PUBLIC SQUARE WITH THE GOAL OF PERSUADING MAYOR JACSON TO OPEN 48-FOOT WIDE SUPERIOR AVENUE TO FOUR LANES OF RTA BUS TRAFFIC.

THE WELCOME JIMMY DIMORA PUBLIC SQUARE CAMPAIGN PARTICIPATED IN THE RALLY.

With chants of “Open the Square”, “Open it up”, "Transit where? Public Square!. – participants in the rally heard from RTA riders about their experiences in coping with delays resulting from the renovated Public Square because of re-routed buses.

A plywood mockup of an RTA bus with the header PUBLIC SQUARE was used at the rally.

Protesters held signs reading:

MAYOR JACKSON OPEN PUBLIC SQUARE

DUMP MAYOR JACKSON

MAYOR JACKSON THROWING RTA RIDERS UNDER THE BUS

Kevin $$$$ Kelley (Cleveland City Council President) should be Forced to Ride RTA w/ Public Sq. Delays

STOP IGNORING BUS RIDERS

PUBLIC SQUARE, PRIVATE INTERESTS

UNDESIRABLE BUS RIDER

#TRANSIT BELONGS

Rally: The rally was organized by Clevelanders for Public Transit with Chris Stocking in the lead.

Many thanks to Chris Stocking for a very successful rally.

Participants included RTA riders, Councilman Zack Reed (Ward 2), Welcome Jommy Dimora Public Square campaign, and others.

The campaign first opposed the bogus $50 million project with LEAVE PUBLIC SQUARE ALONE signs. Later the campaign continued with the WELCOME JIMMY DIMORA PUBLIC SQUARE signs. So far, there have been nearly 900 hours of demonstrations with the objective of educating citizens about corruption in the project. There was also a ten-day long hunger strike to protest corruption in the project. The 2.5-year old campaign continues unabated.

Speakers included Chris Stocking (Clevelanders for Public Transit); Yavonka Hall, from the Northeast Ohio Black Health Coalition, Derek Bauman, from the NAACP, and Michael Berler, from the Cuyahoga County Progressive Caucus.

I (Satinder P. S. Puri) also spoke on behalf of the WELCOME JIMMY DIMORA PUBLIC SQUARE campaign urging City Hall to open Superior Avenue and compensate RTA for the expenses incurred:

$3.5 million dollars for full closure during the 16-month construction period;

1 million dollars annually for closing Ontario Street; and

$4,384 for every day Superior Avenue was closed after the official opening on June 30 – calculated at the annual rate of $1.6 million.

RIDING THE RTA TO THE RALLY AT PUBLIC SQUARE WITH THE MESSAGE: MAYOR JACKSON OPEN PUBLIC SQUARE

MESSAGE FOR MAYOR JACKSON: OPEN SUPERIOR AVENUE!

WELCOME JIMMY DIMORA PUBLIC SQUARE, MIRED IN CORRUPTION!

OUTSIDE AN RTA BUS SHELTER ON SUPERIOR AVENUE:

MAYOR JACKSON OPEN PUBLIC SQUARE!

MAYOR JACKSON THROWING RTA RIDERS UNDER THE BUS BY NOT PAYING PUBLIC SQUARE COSTS!

ESTIMATED COSTS TO CASH-STRAPPED RTA:

Construction: $3.5 million

Closure of Ontario: $1 million per year

Closure of Superior: $1.6 million per year

OUTSIDE AN RTA BUS SHELTER ON SUPERIOR AVENUE: MESSAGE FOR MAYOR JACKSON: OPEN SUPERIOR AVENUE!

OUTSIDE AN RTA BUS SHELTER ON SUPERIOR AVENUE:

WELCOME JIMMY DIMORA PUBLIC SQUARE, MIRED IN CORRUPTION!

MAYOR JACKSON OPEN PUBLIC SQUARE!

MAYOR JACKSON THROWING RTA RIDERS UNDER THE BUS BY NOT PAYING PUBLIC SQUARE COSTS!

ESTIMATED COSTS TO CASH-STRAPPED RTA:

Construction: $3.5 million

Closure of Ontario: $1 million per year

Closure of Superior: $1.6 million per year

Chris Stocking (Clevelanders for Public Transit) being interviewed by local TV stations at the Public Square Rally!

Cleveland Ward 2 Councilman Zack Reed, at left, at the Public Sqaure Rally!

Chris Stocking (Clevelanders for Public Transit) speaking at the Public Square Rally and leading the protesters to

chants of: “Open the Square”, “Open it up”

RTA rider with a sign reading: Dump Mayor Jackson, Give Us Our Government Back!

Chris Stocking speaking at the Public Square rally and an RTA rider with a sign reading: STOP IGNORING BUS RIDERS!

RTA riders at the Public Square rally with signs reading:

PUBLIC SQUARE, PRIVATE INTERESTS!

Kevin $$$$ Kelley should be Forced to Ride RTA w/ Public Sq. Delays!

RTA riders at the Public Square rally with signs reading:

Dump Mayor Jackson, Give Us Our Government Back!

Public Transit over Private Profits, Keep Public Sq. Open!

Undesirable Bus Rider!

RTA rider at the Public Square rally with sign reading:

Dump Mayor Jackson, Give Us Our Government Back!

RTA rider at the Public Square rally with sign reading:

Public Transit over Private Profits, Keep Public Sq. Open!

RTA rider at the Public Square rally with sign reading:

Campaign Cash Rules, People Lose!

RTA riders at the Public Square rally with signs reading:

PUBLIC SQUARE, PRIVATE INTERESTS!

Campaign Cash Rules, People Lose!

Satinder P. S. Puri, an RTA rider, holding his campaign signs at the Public Square rally:

WELCOME JIMMY DIMORA PUBLIC SQUARE, MIRED IN CORRUPTION!

MAYOR JACKSON OPEN PUBLIC SQUARE!

MAYOR JACKSON THROWING RTA RIDERS UNDER THE BUS BY NOT PAYING PUBLIC SQUARE COSTS!

ESTIMATED COSTS TO CASH-STRAPPED RTA:

Construction: $3.5 million

Closure of Ontario: $1 million per year

Closure of Superior: $1.6 million per year

A sign reading: MAYOR JACKSON, OPEN THIS SQUARE -- can be seen in the background.

RTA riders at the Public Square rally with signs reading:

Kevin $$$$ Kelley (Cleveland City Council President) should be Forced to Ride RTA w/ Public Sq. Delays

MAYOR JACKSON OPEN PUBLIC SQUARE!

RTA riders at the Public Square rally with signs reading:

MAYOR JACKSON OPEN THIS SQUARE!

MAYOR JACKSON THROWING RTA RIDERS UNDER THE BUS BY NOT PAYING PUBLIC SQUARE COSTS!

ESTIMATED COSTS TO CASH-STRAPPED RTA:

Construction: $3.5 million

Closure of Ontario: $1 million per year

Closure of Superior: $1.6 million per year

RTA rider (Satinder P. S. Puri) at the Public Square rally with signs reading:

MAYOR JACKSON OPEN PUBLIC SQUARE!

MAYOR JACKSON THROWING RTA RIDERS UNDER THE BUS BY NOT PAYING PUBLIC SQUARE COSTS!

ESTIMATED COSTS TO CASH-STRAPPED RTA:

Construction: $3.5 million

Closure of Ontario: $1 million per year

Closure of Superior: $1.6 million per year.

The sign, #TRANSIT BELONGS can be seen in the background.

RTA rider at the Public Sqaure rally with a sign reading:

MAYOR JACKSON OPEN THIS SQUARE.

The sign, #TRANSIT BELONGS can be seen in the background against the model of an RTA bus used in the protest.

The sign, #TRANSIT BELONGS can be seen in the background against the model of an RTA bus used in the rally at Public Square..

RTA riders at the Public Square rally with signs reading:

MAYOR JACKSON OPEN THIS SQUARE!

Kevin $$$$ Kelley (Cleveland City Council President) should be Forced to Ride RTA w/ Public Sq. Delays

Undesirable Bus Rider!

RTA riders at the Public Square rally with signs reading:

Kevin $$$$ Kelley should be Forced to Ride RTA w/ Public Sq. Delays

MAYOR JACKSON OPEN PUBLIC SQUARE!

MAYOR JACKSON THROWING RTA RIDERS UNDER THE BUS BY NOT PAYING PUBLIC SQUARE COSTS!

ESTIMATED COSTS TO CASH-STRAPPED RTA:

Construction: $3.5 million

Closure of Ontario: $1 million per year

Closure of Superior: $1.6 million per year

RTA riders at the Public Square rally with multiple signs, one of them reading:

MAYOR JACKSON OPEN PUBLIC SQUARE!

Michael Berler (Cuyahoga County Progressive Caucus) speaking at the Public Sqaure rally:

Geza John Vamos, a low-vision RTA rider (member of the National Federation of the Blind) speaking at the Public Square rally about his experiences from delays resulting from the re-routing of RTA buses.

A plywood mockup of an RTA bus with the header PUBLIC SQUARE was used at the rally.

WELCOME JIMMY DIMORA PUBLIC SQUARE, MIRED IN CORRUPTION!

Derek Bauman (Cincinnati NAACP and All Aboard Ohio) speaking at the Public Square Rally.

An RTA rider with her best friend at the rally. She spoke of her experiences dealing with RTA bus delays resulting from the re-routing.

WELCOME JIMMY DIMORA PUBLIC SQUARE, MIRED IN CORRUPTION!

CAMPAIGN SIGNS:

MAYOR JACKSON THROWING RTA RIDERS UNDER THE BUS BY NOT PAYING PUBLIC SQUARE COSTS!

ESTIMATED COSTS TO CASH-STRAPPED RTA:

Construction: $3.5 million

Closure of Ontario: $1 million per year

Closure of Superior: $1.6 million per year

WELCOME JIMMY DIMORA PUBLIC SQUARE, MIRED IN CORRUPTION!

MAYOR JACKSON OPEN PUBLIC SQUARE!

WINTERFEST 20I6 IN RENOVATED PUBLIC SQUARE, Saturday November 26!

WELCOME JIMMY DIMORA PUBLIC SQUARE, MIRED IN CORRUPTION!

MAYOR JACKSON OPEN PUBLIC SQUARE!

MAYOR JACKSON THROWING RTA RIDERS UNDER THE BUS BY NOT PAYING PUBLIC SQUARE COSTS!

ESTIMATED COSTS TO CASH-STRAPPED RTA:

Construction: $3.5 million

Closure of Ontario: $1 million per year

Closure of Superior: $1.6 million per year

AN ABANDONED ICE SKATING RINK ON A BALMY WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 30, 2016 AFTERNOON -- TOO WARM FOR ICE SKATING!

WELCOME JIMMY DIMORA PUBLIC SQUARE, MIRED IN CORRUPTION!

MAYOR JACKSON OPEN PUBLIC SQUARE!

MAYOR JACKSON THROWING RTA RIDERS UNDER THE BUS BY NOT PAYING PUBLIC SQUARE COSTS!

ESTIMATED COSTS TO CASH-STRAPPED RTA:

Construction: $3.5 million

Closure of Ontario: $1 million per year

Closure of Superior: $1.6 million per year

INVESTIGATE CITY HALL: IMMY DIMORA PUBLIC SQUARE, MIRED IN CORRUPTION!

Jimmy Dimora Public Square: The renovated Public Square a.k.a. Jimmy Dimora Public Square, because of the corruption involved -- -- is a $50 million bogus project built with cheap materials and mostly paved with hard surfaces.

The renovated Public Square officially opened on June 30, 2016 with the north-south Ontario Street completely blocked and Superior Avenue narrowed from the previous 77 feet width (for 6-lanes of vehicular traffic) to 48 feet for only four lanes of RTA bus traffic.

Superior Avenue was scheduled to open on August 1, 2016 – but Mayor Jackson held up the opening.

On Tuesday, November 15, 2016 -- Mayor Jackson and Joe Calabrese (RTA CEO) announced, at a hastily called press conference, that Superior Avenue would remain closed in the best interests of everyone.

The joint decision was made without any public hearings.

On November 30, 2016 – the Transportation Committee held a hearing to discuss what can be done to open Superior Avenue. However, no concrete steps were taken to force Mayor Jackson to open the avenue.

So far no one knows if Superior Avenue will ever open.

Reference: See the REALNEO post with the title:

“CLEVELAND ACTIVIST CALLS $50 MILLION RENOVATED PUBLIC SQUARE – A BOGUS PROJECT AT CITY COUNCIL MEETING”

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