The Observation Deck

There was a brutal murder in Bay Village many decades ago that is still followed and researched on a NATIONAL level to this day. People still write books on the case. Has that stopped anyone from buying a house in Bay Village? No. In fact, they built a highway to the city to meet the demand of people who wanted to move there.

Events like the Waterbury incident or the McDonald's shooting are freak occurrences that 99% of the time aren't planned far in advance. There is absolutely no way to predict or screen for these types of crimes.

The amount of violent crime in Lakewood is very low, and numbers (whoever has them, I'd love to see them posted) will back that claim up.

As for letting this element move in to the city, it's been stated by reporters that this 17-year-old lived with his grandmother in the home, then she moved out a little while ago, and he was supposed to move out this weekend. Bad timing, maybe?

While I've seen apartment buildings on the corner of my street fall to Section 8, the police have had minimal complaints from us neighbors, and they always responded right away if there was anything to check out. Mind you, this isn't that far away from the murder scene. In the past 8 years of living in this house, the police has had to come out to our block more times because of the transformer blowing up than for a disturbance call from any of the Section 8 buildings on and around our block.

Crime hasn't always been here, (not violent crime at least) but neither has recession, uncertainty, and Section 8. BUT, renters have always been an integral part of Lakewood; it's why we moved to Lakewood originally, 13.5 years ago. Not every renter is a gun-toting criminal.. and unfortunately there won't be a filter to keep those that do have a criminal past from crossing into Lakewood until some sort of stricter legislation or code is passed.

We seem to have this conversation every time something like this happens. I don't even remember the last time a violent crime occurred in Lakewood. Can someone post that info?

There is absolutely no way to predict or screen for these types of crimes.

Yes there is. The drug activity- likely a lot of people making short stops at the house - was noted by the neighbors and they DID complain to the police. From one report I read it seemed the police acknowledged that the home was "known" as a place of drug activity. If they even bothered to knock at the door and ask some questions of the resident, wouldn't they have noticed a 17 year old living by himself or some other questionable living situation? Wouldn't it have put the occupant(s) on notice that they were being reported and now watched?

SOME crime activity is unpredictable. Domestic violence and that sort of crime DO occur and often without warning. Drug activity is a whole other ballgame. Drug activity is noticeable and dangerous to the community as it often occurs in tandem with physical violence that can threaten innocent bystanders. This happened in a double. What if the other occupants of the home were injured by flying bullets?

I have been asked to convey a message from my family:
"We live on Waterbury and are not afraid. The Sam Shepherd and Amy Mihaljevic incidents occurred in Bay and the LPD did a great job when our home was burglarized years ago."

I'm not AFRAID either. Never said I was although I could certainly understand someone in that neighborhood feeling apprehensive.

What I AM, is angry, indignant, appalled, enraged, frustrated, and you get the point.

Everyone should be.

Ivor Karabatkovic wrote:We seem to have this conversation every time something like this happens. I don't even remember the last time a violent crime occurred in Lakewood. Can someone post that info?

A few weeks ago the women across the street was robbed at gun point in her home while her daughter was upstairs. The robbers hit her house after robbing a house down the street on Lake.

I consider that a violent crime.

Jim, didn't your second post mention the two bank robbers and who their Facebook friends were? I think that is gone now. Was that edited out?

Ivor said: "We seem to have this conversation every time something like this happens. I don't even remember the last time a violent crime occurred in Lakewood. Can someone post that info?"

I believe it might have been between 2005 and 2006 when there was a hostage situation and shooting on Lakewood Avenue (between Detroit and Franklin) during the day. The SWAT team was involved -- I had never seen anything like that before in person and hope to never see it again.

Grace O'Malley is absolutely right about this being unacceptable. It is ALL of our responsibility to make sure that these things don't happen as best as we can. Open your eyes and ears -- look around your street, your neighborhood -- make a mental note of who is coming and going. Although we don't have a formal block watch on our street, a couple years ago our neighbors banned together against some tenants who were causing continuous trouble on the street. This was the first time that the neighbors came together for this purpose -- it was that troublesome. The police advised the neighbors to call them for every infraction and not to be embarrassed by the many calls. That is exactly what the neighbors did. The result was that the landlord didn't renew the tenants' lease and they were subsequently evicted.

We have many renters on our street, and 99 percent of the time there is no problem.

At the same time, what Ivor noted is well put -- that violent crime can and DOES happen everywhere, even in affluent suburbs.

This is a great city, and what will make it even better is all of us working together to not allow these kinds of things to happen. Instead of closing our eyes, we need to be aware of our surroundings and take action if we have to.

Joe Ott

Totally agree - that IS violent crime and that is the type of crime that just did not happen in Lakewood. It is recent AND increasing.

And Ivor, as you noted, the Bay murder happened DECADES ago; the Sheppard case happened over half a century ago in 1954. Murder is so rare there that it IS national news.

But in Lakewood, we now have multiple murders a year instead of once a decade, people are getting robbed AT GUNPOINT, there are apparently gangs operating within the city, and break-ins so brazen that people are in the home!

Meanwhile, I have yet to see a live cop in the neighborhood stations Fitzgerald touted. All I see are an empty storefront and an idle patrol car parked out front. Why isn't the car being used? The car should be roaming the city. Cops should be walking a beat. Thats how you learn the neighborhood: who belongs there, who causes trouble.

Joe Ott wrote:Jim, didn't your second post mention the two bank robbers and who their Facebook friends were? I think that is gone now. Was that edited out?

Joe

My point, and it was very clumsily made as I often do. A crime like this, with teens, and at
a party will affect many families in this town. The social network faux friend umbrella is large
and will be gone through on something like this.

Natalie/Grace

Go to http://lakewoodobserver.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=7&t=9872 it is a thread
titled "Crime In Lakewood Are We Bringing It On Ourselves.

The ABLE Program - educating many, some felons, most from outside of Lakewood. We give
them (criminals) a reason to come here. The Youth Re-Entry Program at Hidden Village,
that has caused a virtual crime wave, we brought in. Even down to simple things like
council people bragging to the Free Times and on Facebook about their favorite graffiti,
all of these things erode the safety of Lakewood, and they were all done on our dime!
It is insanity.

This is a time for zero tolerance. We know it, we all realize it.

.

Jim O'Bryan wrote:

Joe Ott wrote:Jim, didn't your second post mention the two bank robbers and who their Facebook friends were? I think that is gone now. Was that edited out?

Joe

My point, and it was very clumsily made as I often do. A crime like this, with teens, and at
a party will affect many families in this town. The social network faux friend umbrella is large
and will be gone through on something like this.

.

As a parent with the intention of keeping my kids in Lakewood Public Schools I have to say that I'm glad that neither person mentioned in Chief Malley's report about the Waterbury incident went to Lakewood High School. I found it disturbing that the two bank robbers went there-- it did cause me to wonder what/who your kids might be exposed to in high school.

One of the great things about living here among so many families, is that parents with younger kids like mine can seek the advice of parents with kids who have already been through Lakewood schools, and so far, all reports have been reassuring.

I guess I would like to know where the other kids at that party went to school, particularly the shooter. And I admit I looked up the dead 17-year-old drug dealer and the other kid who was shot in the leg, on Facebook and was happy not to be able to find them, not to mention finding a list of Lakewood school "friends."

Betsy Voinovich

it is Very sad.

When this kind of violent crime happens, it is important to discover if the participants came from Cleveland. and then emphasize this.

Even more, to discover if they had earlier come from the East Side of Cleveland, at some point. And emphasize that they were from the East Side of Cleveland.. These are demographics you can keep track of.

And I admit I looked up the dead 17-year-old drug dealer and the other kid who was shot in the leg, on Facebook and was happy not to be able to find them, not to mention finding a list of Lakewood school "friends."

Betsy - They may not be on Facebook using their real names, but rather (like tens of thousands of other Facebook users) using an alias.

ryan costa wrote: it is important to discover if the participants came from Cleveland

wow ... that's jumping certainly jumping to quite a conclusion! Perhaps they came from Bay Village or Shaker Heights or Strongsville (or Lakewood itself)!

ryan costa wrote:it is Very sad.

When this kind of violent crime happens, it is important to discover if the participants came from Cleveland. and then emphasize this.

Even more, to discover if they had earlier come from the East Side of Cleveland, at some point. And emphasize that they were from the East Side of Cleveland.. These are demographics you can keep track of.

Hi Ryan,

If I had kids in Lakewood High School, who were juniors or seniors-- (and I say this because of the age of the kids at the "party", 17), or who just graduated last spring, it would concern me if the kids involved in this murder were going to school with my kids.

I'm from Collinwood, on the east side of Cleveland, and it's a nice neighborhood with schools that are struggling, and schools that are excelling, along with experiments, like a gifted magnet public elementary school, and Collinwood High School re-opening with three different charter-school-like schools within the original high school. Some areas are safer than others, and there are worries about gang activities in certain areas. Collinwood is a tight-knit neighborhood whose residents work hard to look after each other and their community-- there are people of different races, ethnic backgrounds, economic classes, and education, all living together, the way we do here in Lakewood. I'm not trying to "get demographic" on anybody. My boyfriend, turned husband lived in Lakewood, which is where my mother grew up, and where I ended up starting my family. My little brother is starting his new family on the street we grew up on at home in Collinwood.

I was shocked when I found out how young the people were at that party. So it is comforting in its small way, that the kids mentioned in the press release from Chief Malley didn't live in Lakewood and so couldn't be attending Lakewood schools, not to say that we don't have issues with families that do live in Lakewood who could be involved in dangerous activities. And of course, one's high school doesn't necessarily determine who one parties with.

Betsy Voinovich

Betsy Voinovich wrote:I was shocked when I found out how young the people were at that party. So it is comforting in its small way, that the kids mentioned in the press release from Chief Malley didn't live in Lakewood and so couldn't be attending Lakewood schools, not to say that we don't have issues with families that do live in Lakewood who could be involved in dangerous activities. And of course, one's high school doesn't necessarily determine who one parties with.

Betsy, first, They might fit interestingly into Peter's "real Lakewoodite" thread. There are many
stories flying around the streets, but it is now seems, they did "live" there. Mother's house,
moved in awhile ago, mom no longer there, sister moved...

As for other parts of this topic. Bad people are everywhere. Economic level often changes
the crimes from violent to white collar. But it comes in all colors, in every neighborhood
(though it seems Ryan Costa might be on to something. Might need to add some color
coding. NO NOT LIKE THAT! Jesus! Like the threat indicator.You know, like a real light
flame for the west side then it would get darker, errrr more red, as it goes east. (YES
THIS IS A JOKE, like Ryan's)

A block watch could help. It would seem everyone on the street knows about "that kid!"
Ryan Patrick Demro pushed through a nuisance law which is still on the books, and I am
sure that could have been brought in.

An interesting article from the Lakewood Observer a couple years ago,
Lakewood Says No To Bad Neighbors
http://www.lakewoodobserver.com/read/06/04/08/beach-avenue-investments-lakewood-says-no


Peter, it also has a good article about Sinagra Park.

What I would also say, it is very important to parents, not just the schools, to make their
children understand, "If you are in the stolen car, you go to jail." "If you run with people
who carry guns, and shoot people, expect to be shot." Critical thought.

FWIW


.

Hi Jim--I have been trying unsuccessfully to find the article you wrote implying that the city of Lakewood brings crime upon itself. Could you point me in the right direction? It sounds interesting, especially the role that programs such as ABLE and Youth Re-entry play it contributing to crime in Lakewood. Thanks!

Also, any update on whether or not the shooter connected to the murder on Waterbury has been brought into police custody?