The Observation Deck

Today my son and I attended the Save Lakewood Hospital press conference regarding the lawsuit that has been filed in hopes of saving our hospital. We met on the southeast corner of Belle & Detroit, by the Lakewood Hospital sign. After the conference, a couple of Cleveland Clinic policemen came outside and politely instructed us to remain on the sidewalk and not on the grass. Oh, my! Please forgive us. As taxpayers of Lakewood, we own this grass! Since when do police have the authority to tell you to get off your own grass? My frustration is not with the police officers, as I know they following orders from the hospital administration.

One of the gentlemen in our group attempted to enter the hospital's main entrance across from the parking garage on Belle. The police officers would not let him in to use the restroom. Once again, access denied to a restroom on your own (taxpayer's) property. The police have to do their job and I understand that. Our group treated them very respectfully. However, I feel that CCF has started to use these tactics as a way of intimidating the citizens of Lakewood. I feel it is also worth noting that at the last LHA trustees meeting, two armed CCF police officers were guarding the doors.

Although I am angry with these tactics used by CCF, this whole bad deal lies on the back of our mayor and city council. I feel that the only salvation for our hospital and our city is for all of us to consider voting out the current mayor and council.

FWIW.

Lori,
Thanks for posting that we were met by armed guards at the Lakewood Hospital Association board meeting. I still can't figure out - were they that scared of us (20 well-behaved, unarmed, middle-class Lakewood citizens just trying to keep our hospital open), or were they trying to tell us we should be scared of them??
ARMED guards? Really?

And as far as the armed guards refusing a gentleman to enter the hospital (which belongs to all of us) to use the restroom (which belongs to all of us) - that is really awful.

And to your last point - voting out mayor and council. JOIN the Lakewood Democratic Club (meeting tonight 5/28 at 7 pm, Lakewood Park Women's Pavilion). ATTEND THREE MEETINGS AT LEAST, so you can vote on their ENDORSEMENTS in the Fall. YES - DO THIS!

I find this proliferation of armed security forces such as RTA and now, the CCF whom have, in my opinion, minimal to zero legitimacy as a government law enforcement agency extremely disturbing.
I think a question to Law Director Butler might be why shouldn't CCF "guards" disarm?
Stan Austin