Cleveland-A City Divided: The Legacy of Housing and Race

[Michael Deneen]

Why are you all worked up about Bridget's comment?

As I've said, this will be a great presentation.
It also hits home for Lakewood....the housing patterns of the past echo into today's world, including Lakewood.
Mr. Greanoff and I agree that history is not a "dead thing" that you read about in a book.....history is a living, breathing entity that is all around us.

Decisions made decades ago shape the world we live in today....and attitudes we read about in history books often present themselves today in a more subtle way.
Nationally, yesterday's "segregation forever" became "states rights", and later morphed into stuff like "where's the birth certificate?"
Here in Lakewood, yesterday's "Whites only" has become today's "Pit Bull Ban" and aversion to hoops. Those are just the tip of the iceberg.
I highly recommend that everyone attend.

[bentleymike]

Hi Jim,

No, that IS the problem with the Deck. Most people have been run off and the same six or seven people post over and over again. Somehow, even a nice thing like an announcement of a high school history discussion on race turned into a "we hate Mike Summers" thread.

Sorry if the truth hurts but the forum is a shell of what it once was and what it could be.

Matt

I second this stance. Every conversation turns into an anti-Summers or anti-Trump rant. If you want people to come post, the vitriol needs to stop. Every attempt at a good, positive message on the Deck gets polluted.

Just an opinion from someone who helps the Observer pay the bills

[Jim O'Bryan]

Hi Jim,

No, that IS the problem with the Deck. Most people have been run off and the same six or seven people post over and over again. Somehow, even a nice thing like an announcement of a high school history discussion on race turned into a "we hate Mike Summers" thread.

Sorry if the truth hurts but the forum is a shell of what it once was and what it could be.

Matt

I second this stance. Every conversation turns into an anti-Summers or anti-Trump rant. If you want people to come post, the vitriol needs to stop. Every attempt at a good, positive message on the Deck gets polluted.

Just an opinion from someone who helps the Observer pay the bills

Mike/Matt

As much as I would love to agree with both of you, it is not true, and it is vast marginalization that you accuse others of.

I was as serious I have been since day one. I post at least one or two subjects a day that have nothing to do with the hospital, the lies at City Hall, nor the Solstice Steps. Other people do as well. Certainly it filters into conversations it has no place, but it is a barometer of what a large part of Lakewood feels, like it or not.

As I have stated before, people that start threads have an earned right to "control" that thread from getting off topic. To date, I think there has been 2 complaints, both rectified.

So instead of following a negative comment with another blanket bashing comment, post something positive.

It is funny in the only place in Lakewood that allows an individual to own their words, people feel the need to lump everyone together, except themselves.

Michael, "Every attempt at a good, positive message on the Deck gets polluted."

Not true, and you know it.

Sports Podcast
http://lakewoodobserver.com/forum/viewt ... =7&t=24170

Tall Ships
http://lakewoodobserver.com/forum/viewt ... =7&t=24141

Eclipse
http://lakewoodobserver.com/forum/viewt ... =7&t=24150

Annoying Drone
http://lakewoodobserver.com/forum/viewt ... =7&t=24143

Give crews space
http://lakewoodobserver.com/forum/viewt ... =7&t=24162

Gold Coast Conversation
http://lakewoodobserver.com/forum/viewt ... =7&t=24157

Baby You Can Drive My Car
http://lakewoodobserver.com/forum/viewt ... f=7&t=8595

Lakewood finally cuts ribbon
http://lakewoodobserver.com/forum/viewt ... =7&t=24149

All positive stories about Lakewood, Ohio that does not mention Solstice Steps, hospitals, lying, cheating, whatever.

I did not see you post in those. You should read them, so with some you can see years of positive information, photos, love and respect given by all of the members of the Lakewood Observer, on their own, with no group think or agenda.

You both know this, and I suppose that is what makes the comments disappointing.

Both long members, both take part. How many times were you told what to say or post?

Thank you both for taking part, and pointing this out, so I can once again say, false narrative.

peace

.

[m buckley]

Hi Jim,

No, that IS the problem with the Deck. Most people have been run off and the same six or seven people post over and over again. Somehow, even a nice thing like an announcement of a high school history discussion on race turned into a "we hate Mike Summers" thread.

Sorry if the truth hurts but the forum is a shell of what it once was and what it could be.

Matt

I second this stance. Every conversation turns into an anti-Summers or anti-Trump rant. If you want people to come post, the vitriol needs to stop. Every attempt at a good, positive message on the Deck gets polluted.

Just an opinion from someone who helps the Observer pay the bills

When will the presentation, Lakewood-A City Divided: The Legacy of Mayor Mike Summers be held?

Vitriol: Cruel and bitter criticism.
Really. Ms. Conant's one-off reaches that level?

I thought it was funny. As I said earlier, sadly funny.
I also thought it was notable that in a city which is bitterly divided, by a mayor who has made no attempt at reconciliation, that The Lakewood History Club would present "Cleveland - A City Divided".
It does begs the question when can we look forward to, "Lakewood- A City Divided: The Legacy of Mike Summers".

Mr. Bentley you don't pay my bills. You don't get to curtail my free speech.

[Brian Essi]

Hi Jim,

No, that IS the problem with the Deck. Most people have been run off and the same six or seven people post over and over again. Somehow, even a nice thing like an announcement of a high school history discussion on race turned into a "we hate Mike Summers" thread.

Sorry if the truth hurts but the forum is a shell of what it once was and what it could be.

Matt

The Truth never hurts, but arriving at it can be painful.

“the central point of a college education is to seek truth and to learn the skills and acquire the virtues necessary to be a lifelong truth-seeker,” and “open-mindedness, critical thinking, and debate are essential to discovering the truth.”

Perhaps we should aim high and keep this in mind as a central point of a high school education too and not worry too much about hurt feelings. So far we don't have the skinhead Nazi's and Antifa in Lakewood. Just a misguided 14 year old and some well intentioned folks who held a peaceful rally.

Racism runs as deep in Lakewood as outside of Lakewood and is a longstanding problem with longterm solutions.

Hats off to LHS students!

https://www.theatlantic.com/education/a ... lf/538317/

[bentleymike]

What I failed to say earlier was that the vitriol doesn't belong in this thread. This is a high school kid and her teacher who have worked hard on a research project, and are presenting it. The same respect anyone wants in all the work they do, we owe it to them to keep the politics out of it.

[Lori Allen _]

I commend the work of this student and the teacher.

Perhaps this controversy could be put to bed if this were moved to the "Schools & Education" forum, since it does deal with schools after all.

[m buckley]

When will the presentation, Lakewood-A City Divided: The Legacy of Mayor Mike Summers be held?

That's the original comment.
A comment Matt Lee and Mike Bentley have felt compelled to criticize a combined 6 times on this thread.

What I failed to say earlier was that the vitriol doesn't belong in this thread. This is a high school kid and her teacher who have worked hard on a research project, and are presenting it. The same respect anyone wants in all the work they do, we owe it to them to keep the politics out of it.

Again not vitriol. And no matter how many times you insist, it's still not vitriol.
And I'll tell you what else it's not, it's not an attack on the teacher or the student.
If you want to spare them whatever trauma you imagine is being inflicted, then why don't you shut it down.

[Michael Deneen]

This is a high school kid and her teacher who have worked hard on a research project, and are presenting it. The same respect anyone wants in all the work they do, we owe it to them to keep the politics out of it.

The teacher and the kids are very smart. If you attend the event, I'm sure they'll mention how racist policies from public officials were key to housing discrimination.
Politics are at the very heart of this discussion....not a side troll comment or a thread drift.

[Jim O'Bryan]

OK Gang, I will be moving some of this to a thread entitled, "Is Lakewood Sick Of..."

It is a legitimate conversation, and I feel everyone in this discussion has a point to make, and I think if we take the time, it could be one of those learning moments for all.

Alas, it was up to Lori Allen, to sort the real issue out, document it and bring it to our attention.

Probably should have been moved to Schools, but General gets more traffic.

As long as we are speaking about the schools. Christine Gordillo, media person. She makes no policies, merely reports on them. She works for the Superintendent who works for the Board. It is her job to get information out. Information she is given to get out. She has a great background, and I was asked by the schools back when they hired her what I thought. My answer, very professional, knows the craft at the level needed, grew up in Lakewood, many generations, all attended Lakewood Schools, loves Lakewood Schools. And she has never been afraid to tell me I was wrong when wrong,

While she has opinions, about most things in Lakewood. that she has never been afraid of owning, she rarely post anything here but school information.

.

[Christine Gordillo]

This event is this Sunday at the Lakewood Public Library main branch. Program begins at 7 and should be very interesting. Please come out and support the efforts of our students to understand history and its impact on our lives today.