I consistently attempt to have a “positive” outlook about North East Ohio and Cleveland. I consider the substance of my posts on Realneo and affirmatively select material which I believe is conducive to improving the region. However, there can be a problem with this self steered Polly Anna editorial policy . Always looking at the bright side might be just perpetuating a lie – maybe always having a positive outlook is actually misleading people and leading others into the false belief that the region is doing ok, that the region is improving. Maybe it would be more helpful if I used my blog to accelerate failure – get to the bottom of it, get it over with and start new…
Cuz all the statistics are going the other way: Cleveland is consistently losing population, the area’s lost manufacturing for decades, the home foreclosure rate is sky high, the County has huge bonded debt for “investments” in Gateway and Browns and Hopkins, etc. which will continue to suck the area dry for years to come, the Port Authority is AWOL and in bed with Wolstein, Sewer District is corrupt, taxes are about the highest in the state and the local philanthropies are too well paid and inbred…and the Dirty Dealer isn’t even shy about headlining Squire Sanders’ Fred the Fixer. It goes On and On and On.
So I’m going to start posting some negative reality check stuff about NEO…maybe expediting failure for the region is the way to the top….
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When friends and I attended Ingenuity Fest my friend’s Honda had its window smashed out and the dashboard and radio bashed in.
After viewing the cheerful fireworks display on the last (Sunday) night of the fest we walked back to where we had parked the car on a well lit downtown street. When I walked up to the side of the car I noticed bits of glass on the ground – not a good sign – and looking up from the ground I got the rest of the bad news - A chunk of concrete block was lodged in the inside pocket of the driver’s door. Shards of glass were all over the seats and the rugs. The trunk had been rifled…
A telephone call was made to the police, and they said they would come by to take a report, but after waiting 40 minutets no police showed up so we drove to the District police station. As we drove past the station I saw a homeless person sleeping in a cardboard sleeve on the porch of the police station.
The cop taking our report was waiting, basically to retire. He wasn’t waiting to retire that night, but soon.
He took the report in long hand on paper. There was no computer on his desk. The police department doesn’t appear to have computers. No money to buy them we were told.. He said that in the area where the car was parked it was probably a homeless person who broke into the car. He said it happened routinely.
When the report was filled out, the policeman made a call or two to other police records departments telling them the “code” of the smashed glass vandalism to auto or whatever. This would have happened electronically if there had been computers.
Frankly, the policeman was surprised that we would even come into Cleveland if we didn’t have to. He said his advice to the public and especially tourists was “don’t come to Cleveland”. Joe Roman, the officer's right, isn't he?
He didn’t see any reason for anyone, even cops, to come to Cleveland. He told us that beginning cops in Cleveland are paid about $38,000. He said a relative had just gotten a police job in another nearby suburb where the starting salary was $64,000. So why come to Cleveland?
He's right, isn't he...
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