Kauffman hoops closed?

[Peter Grossetti]

I hope this ends up with some "teaching moments" for the kids!

[Ryan Salo]

http://lovelakewood.com/2013/06/02/resi ... ll-courts/

Maybe if Mike Summers didn't cave into this crazy man's requests he would move out of this city into an old persons home where there aren't any pesky kids...

[Stephanie Toole]

Not only did they close the courts but the police are also telling kids not to play down on the grassy area.

Just ask my 13 year old son and his 3 friends, who just over a week ago were asked by a police officer(who my son said was very nice by the way),
"Hey guys don't worry your not doing anything wrong. Could you just not play here. We have a neighbor that constantly complains. Could you just play somewhere else in the park incase he comes out and takes matters in his own hands."

Are you telling me this a safety issue for our kids and our community?

Because there CERTAINLY WAS NOT ANYTHING our kids did to deserve this! The average age of the kids on that basketball court at Kaufmann Park is about 10 years old!!! Beyond ridiculous!
We are holding hostage our kids and our community and the city is being reactive yet again. Roll the side walks up why don't we.

The facts are simple. The city caved to a very disgruntled incessantly complaining neighbor who bought a home with a city park in his back yard. He CAN NOT stand the sound of bouncing basketballs even though HE PLAYED BASKETBALL IN LAKEWOOD WHEN HE WAS GROWING UP!

Oh and if I do recall those hoops were paid for by private citizens donations $10, $15, $25 at a time. If your going to keep them locked could we have them back? We'd like to find a new place to put them so our kids could do something called EXERCISE! Thank you.


Oh and just in case your wondering....school is out in just over a week.

Thanks...from all the little voices in Lakewood that no one seems to hear.

[marklingm]

It appears that - around midnight - Mayor Mike Summers may have instructed his minion(s) running City Hall’s Facebook page to start trolling the web in an attempt to “control the message.”

Based upon a simple “like,” it would also appear that the “renovation” and “holiday” excuses may be the next “spins” – some would call them lies – to explain away Mike Summers’ most recent attack on our residents.

Read it for yourself:








Hey, Mike, George Washington was right, “It is better to offer no excuse than a bad one.”

[Paul Schrimpf]

What if, say 50 cheesed off parents happened to show up at the hoops with basketballs, positioned themselves around the perimeter and started dribbling? A "Bounce In?" Would they break out the paddy wagon?

[Ryan Salo]

Lets say the city received credible evidence that a neighbor was capable of causing injury to a child playing basketball. Do you close the hoops indefinitely while they figure out how to handle the neighbor and move the courts to another location? Based on information I received this morning that is what is happening.

Do we negotiate with domestic terrorists?

[Danielle Masters]

Lets say the city received credible evidence that a neighbor was capable of causing injury to a child playing basketball. Do you close the hoops indefinitely while they figure out how to handle the neighbor and move the courts to another location? Based on information I received this morning that is what is happening.

Do we negotiate with domestic terrorists?

No we don't. We figure something out, we don't punish kids especially during a gorgeous holiday weekend. We don't cave to the criminal element, which that guy clearly is based on two arrests. A good mayor, a good council would communicate with the residents, something that doesn't happen here.

[Jeff Dreger]

I sent this to my councilperson and the mayor's office at 8:08AM today. I will advise if/when I get a response and what it is. I hope others will update us with their city interactions today which I hope and expect to be voluminous.

"Good morning. Please address my concerns as follows:

Why was part of Kaufman park closed and locked this weekend?

Why was no notice provided? (Not even to the friends group nor the basketball group)

Why was no explanation provided?

Why has the city not responded to questions, comments and concerns when someone was clearly online and monitoring and liking things?

Thank you."

[marklingm]

The next city council meeting appears to be on June 2, 2014, at 7:30 p.m.

Lakewood City Council Meeting Dates 2014
Monday, December 15, 2014 7:30 PM

REGULAR MEETINGS OF CITY COUNCIL
1ST & 3RD MONDAYS AT 7:30 P.M.
HELD IN COUNCIL CHAMBERS
MUNICIPAL BUILDING, 12650 DETROIT AVENUE

Lakewood City Council will meet on the following dates in 2014:

***

JUNE 2, 2014

***

http://www.onelakewood.com/CityCouncil/MeetingNotices.aspx

[Stephanie Toole]

Ryan I agree there is credible evidence that Mr. Heller has escalated his anger and bitterness towards the kids playing basketball.

So we lock the basketball/tennis courts up??

We don't park a police car there to monitor the situation?

We don't engage the community in a conversation? We don't discuss moving the hoops to better locations, something LOBC has advocated for from the very start?

The question begs, is he still a potential threat? Or is the city and police just tired of fielding calls from him day in and day out? I really would like an honest answer to this.

To me, seeing as at least one police officer has told kids not to even play in and around the grassy area located just north of the tennis courts, will Mr. Heller now hyper focus on the grassy area of the park?

I put a call into the Mayor's Office on Thursday May 22, LOBC sent an email on Fri. May 23, and I sent my own email this morning. No response from the Mayor or his staff.

Closing the courts does not solve the problem but rather punishes the kids and residents who responsibly used the courts for both tennis and basketball.

[Peter Grossetti]

I usually go to the courts on Wednesday evenings as an informal LOBC volunteer ... just to provide adult presence and let the kids know that someone cares about them.

Kind of funny I never see Heller on Wednesdays ... when The Chickenshit might have to confront a grown up.

[Peter Grossetti]

And not one peep out of the Ward II councilman?? (or have "they" already got their hooks in him?)

[Jim O'Bryan]

We don't engage the community in a conversation? We don't discuss moving the hoops to better locations, something LOBC has advocated for from the very start?

A good mayor, a good council would communicate with the residents, something that doesn't happen here.

The very reason the Lakewood Observer and the "evil Observation Deck" was built. To give everyone
willing to register with a real name a voice for the community conversation.

The politicians, and "power brokers" ran for the hills. "An open discussion with residents" too tricky.

"Some of the people are negative, and have bad opinions."

Grow up, and start the discussion. The "open and honest discussion" has been vilified and shut
down by the very people that close parks, put big box stores into quiet neighborhoods, vote for
drunk buses instead of open safe, clean parks.

Lakewood, you have been played, and trained to shut up.

FWIW


.

[Jeff Dreger]

As promised - at 10:24AM today I received a response from my councilperson that consisted of much more than "I'm not informed, but I'll ask.":

"Good Morning,

Thanks for your email. I hope you had a pleasant Memorial Day.

I received an email from Mayor Summers on 5/21 stating that he was invoking his power as public safety director to close Kauffman Park basketball courts temporarily until further notice because of concerns related to personal injury. I believe, although I'm awaiting confirmation from the Mayor, that this closure is related to this incident: http://lovelakewood.com/2013/06/02/resi ... ll-courts/

My understanding is that the Mayor provided notice to the LOBC group, through Art Gold on 5/21 or 5/20. Presumably (based on your statement), that message was not re-conveyed to all LOBC members. I do not know why the Kauffman Park Friends group was not notified. I suppose that when I got the email from the Mayor, I could have forwarded it to Dan Alaimo. I probably didn't think to do so because the Mayor said in the email that he had already notified Art, and because I planned to talk to Dan Alaimo more generally about the courts at the Kauffman Park planning meeting slated for 6/10. I could have done a better job helping to spread the word to folks that the Mayor had closed the courts.

I don't really know why more in the way of an explanation wasn't provided.

As to your last question, you should probably ask the Mayor or the office of community relations. I'm not sure who monitors/runs the administration's Facebook page. Through my points of contact (phone, email, etc.) and social media I've been responding, as best I can, when people get in touch with me. I think other Council members have been doing the same, but I can't speak for others or the administration.

I want the courts to be open. It's bad enough that citizens had to raise their own funds to get the courts up in the first place. Lakewood kids (and adults) need places to play. Of course, I don't want to see anyone injured either. To me, that means our police should be chasing threatening individuals away from our city's children, not chasing our city's children away from threatening individuals.

If you have any more questions, please feel free to get in touch again.

Best,

Sam"

[Jeff Dreger]

Also, if anyone is interested, Fox 8 is looking into this... please contact:

Melissa.Reid@fox8.com

(Or share with someone who might)