Public Comment

The City of Cleveland's leaf pickup has been a biased program since it's inception into 2000. At one point under former Mayor Vonovich it allowed the entire City to enjoy those services but withinthe last 35 years it's changed and in the last 6 years it's even gotten smaller so it's only a small segment of the city that is getting Leaf pick up. But the rest of the City residents are paying for it via taxes. It's not a free program so reinstating it was not right and if the City of Cleveland Council and the Mayor of Cleveland wanted to do right by ALL the citizens they would allow that program to extend the entire City. Leaves are a problem for everybody not just for some it's not as if the City is offering free bags those paperbags are over $2 a bag. They're not cheap people are on budgets, they can't afford bags the number it bags it would take for so many people's yards. It's the audacity that Council persons felt like this is something that should fight for well everybody who felt like it should be reinstated should have felt like every resident should enjoy those same services of leaf pickup. It is a very tedious process to rake those leaves and place them in bags. And just as well as the Mayor changed his mind and reinstated the program, he can also expand it. Council can expand it and include everybody and not just some because last I checked where you picking up leaves you're not charging them for it it's free so it should be free for all.

Thank you Council President for reading this for me. I am writing on behalf of the people who face marijuana convictions. This administration delivered the law that would free 4,077 Clevelanders from the stamp of a criminal for using a plant proven to have positive medical capabilities. The ball is rolling, but the job is not done. Many have already begun the expungement process. A judge claimed 60 cases were currently being cleared. A member of the Bibb administration said it was over 100. Either number is well short of 4,077. People, each day, are facing challenges finding jobs, buying homes, getting child care and more only because they did not see an email or letter from the city. I understand there is much on your plate, so with my more open schedule, I am able to reach out to these individuals and ensure they see the freedom you have given them. I have a small group of volunteers ready to find and call these people to complete their expungements Anyone who is interested in joining, please email Seanfreeman334@gmail.com In order to complete this task, I need the names and any public information on these individuals with cases. After pursuing multiple offices within City Hall, the only place known to have the list of names is Mayor Bibb’s office. Together with myself, Council President Griffin, we delivered the initial expungements to the clerks office. I humbly request the mayors office to complete the records request so free citizens can live free Thank you

I am sadden by the lack of recreation choices and spaces on the eastside of Cleveland for young people. I would like to see more funding spent to create more fun and engaging spaces for them to exist and thrive.

Why is our society in Cleveland pushing more gay stuff. What’s the reason for pushing all the gay stuff on people. When in fact is black people in the hood and projects don’t like that stuff.

Why isn’t the police presence felt in Cham homes. Every other day there a shooting, almost every other weekend it’s a killing. Why aren’t you all putting measures in place to help stop the drugs and shootings and killings in this area?

I would like to see improved traffic enforcement on Lake Avenue. Drivers on Lake Avenue regularly reach speeds of >45mph coming off of the Shoreway. This poses a significant risk to the safety and well-being of our neighborhood's children. The speeding on Lake Avenue is out of control. The lack of enforcement created a frightful scenario for our children during the annual Edgewater 'Trick-or-Treat', when the neighborhood hosted 100's of pedestrians and drivers were flying down Lake Avenue at unsafe speeds. To keep our children safe, I would urge City Council and the City of Cleveland to consider finding a way to calm traffic on Lake Avenue. Perhaps lowering the speed limit? The pedestrian death rate in >30mph zones is 3x higher than in 25mph traffic zones.

Stop housing court and housing inspectors from attacking seniors, low and moderate working poor in our Clark Fulton neighborhood. The SIP Selective Intervention Program misleads homeowners when this is nothing more than a “probation” office not a “clinic” and Housing Specialists are nothing more than “probation officers” making defendants “criminals” there is abuse of authority under the color of the law for code enforcement which is compromising your Constitutional rights including your 14th, 4th amendment rights. There’s another to handle this problem rather than bankrupt citizens of Cleveland. We are not the ones you should be going after in court!

The state of the Amtrak station in Cleveland is pretty abysmal. The station is small and old, and parking is incredibly confusing and poorly marked. I was shocked at the state this city allowed such an important pathway in and out of Cleveland to be in.

I write in strong support for the Zaclon River Landing project on the Cuyahoga River. As one of the project’s volunteers, I am excited to encourage City Council to support the application by West Creek Conservancy to the Clean Ohio Fund program by the Ohio Department of Public Works. The funds being applied for will make an accessible, ADA compliant ramp system which will allow members of the community to access the Cuyahoga River. The group organizing the creation of this park are not seeking funds from the City of Cleveland, and have amassed funds to date from private donors and the Brownfields Fund to “green” the space. In addition to river access, the plans call for expanded greenspace, an historical information kiosk, and public restrooms for cyclists and runners. This project has been highlighted enthusiastically by the Vision for the Valley, and has also obtained the support of Cuyahoga County (through the Brownfields Grant), Cuyahoga Soil and Water (through a recent ODNR application), Flats Forward, and several other waterway stakeholders. Additionally, there is a budding relationship with CWRU, as one of the University’s student organizations will maintain the site. This park is the lone project currently in development in Jefferson Link Zone of the Vision for the Valley plan. The support of City Council will help transform this industrial area of the Cuyahoga River into a mixed-use area, so that human-powered watercraft can safely transit the Cuyahoga Water Trail. There are no “safe harbors” for recreational river users between the southern City Limits and the Flats entertainment area, and the Zaclon River Landing solves for that public safety concern. This concept has been applauded by industrial river stakeholders and shippers’ organizations as being a very positive thing. Additionally, any river infrastructure will be outside of the Federal Channel, and the project has been vetted in a preliminary way by the Army Corps of Engineers twice as being sheltered and unobtrusive to commercial traffic. This project is the collaboration of several greenspace & river stakeholders, who have come together as a nonprofit collaborative to put this former industrial site to good use. City Council’s support in the Clean Ohio Fund application will significantly assist in making yet another part of Cleveland great.

OFFICIAL LGBT COMMUNITY CENTER OF GREATER CLEVELAND STATEMENT CITING SUPPORT OF UPCOMING CITY OF CLEVELAND ANTI-CONVERSION THERAPY ORIDINANCE Since 1975, the mission of the LGBT Community Center of Greater Cleveland has been to provide the vital resource, care and support for members of Northeast Ohio’s LGBTQ+ community. Over the course of the organization’s history, we have proudly advocated and celebrated major steps forward in a long-standing movement that began with a brick at 53 Christopher Street, New York City in June 1969. In the last decade alone, we had realized some of the most progressive societal shifts towards the equitable treatment of LGBTQ+ individuals leading to the recognition of same-sex marriages in all corners of the United States. But as any student of history may have been taught, the historical and political landscapes of this country have swung like a pendulum, back and forth between social progression and more conservative ideology. We have without question experienced a swing to the latter in recent years and it has shown through a national movement to censor literature and speech within our schools. It has shown through legislation prohibiting youth from enjoying the comfort of their own identity within the realms of sport as well as seeking gender affirming medical care. And with this swing has seen the resurgence of a harmful practice that today we proudly take a stance against. Conversion therapy is an aggressive tactic to suppress an individual’s own naturally occurring instincts and has time and again proven to lead to more serious long-term damage to the mental health of LGBTQIA+ individuals, especially youth. This practice has widely been condemned as having no scientific basis and often incorporates verbal, physical and even sexual abuse [1]. Numerous studies have shown that this practice, which often aims to coerce an individual to alter their sexual preference or gender identity through the aforementioned abusive behavior, is generally unsuccessful and has widely been discredited by health professionals and even past practitioners [2]. The LGBT Community Center of Greater Cleveland firmly supports any action that helps improve the quality of life and promotes equality for every individual here in Cleveland, Ohio. For too long this practice has damaged LGBTQ+ youth’s mental well-being and has hindered an individual’s ability to accept one’s identity without guilt or shame. With this ordinance, we call for support from City of Cleveland leadership, who have the ability to take a step in swinging the pendulum away from this destructive practice and back towards one of unity, acceptance and love. We thank our leaders in council for hearing this ordinance and hope for a resolution that promotes the respect and dignity each individual within our Cleveland community so justly deserves. [1]Collins, Donald. “The Damaging Mental Health Effects of LGBTQ+ Conversion Therapy.” Psych Central, 25 June 2021, psychcentral.com/news/conversion-therapy-for-lgbt-kids-linked-to-higher-risks-of-depression-suicide. [2]Cheers, Hannah. Proposal of Alternative Solutions to Address Children’s Rights Violation: Conversion Therapy | Social Work and Policy Studies: Social Justice, Practice and Theory. 2019, openjournals.library.sydney.edu.au/index.php/SWPS/article/view/14075.