The Observation Deck

Saturday was the annual Spooky Pooch Parade, an event that is near and dear to my heart. This is the year LakewoodAlive really got into stride and did it all up like the vent it should be. Ftanding ovation to LakewoodAlive, their volunteers, CVS Pharmacy and all of the sponsors. Here are the 240+ photos I ended up with.

See them all here: http://lakewoodobserver.com/photoblogs/jim-obryan/spooky-pooch-parade-2018

































If you want to see more, and you know you do...

See them all here: http://lakewoodobserver.com/photoblogs/jim-obryan/spooky-pooch-parade-2018

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I am watching Social Media go after and try to destroy of great organization, and some really hard working people at LakewoodAlive for being racists. After a person in blackface was found in a public park "dressed up to be Tiger Woods" possibly the most distasteful idea I have ever seen at Spooky Pooch parade.

Ian, Allison, Matt, Mark and crew, and Board are not racists, far from it. I know 3 personally, and know their history from before they arrived at LakewoodAlive. Not only are they color blind, they have in previous employment worked not just for people of color, but also to reduce or destroy all barriers between people, no matter race, color, age, social economic place, religion any and all.

The kangaroo court of hate, has got to come to its senses. Go find the guy in the distasteful costume, but not the hard working volunteers of LakewoodAlive. At the end of the day it is an event that takes place in a public park, and on public streets. Don;t let one asshole ruin it for all.

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The stupidity is overwhelming on this topic. It's a made-for-Facebook donnybrook, start to finish.

Lakewood Alive was not at fault, that is, until they issued an apology and it turned into a regional uproar.
Many of the registrations are done online in advance, so how were they to know? Then there's a rush of signups right before the parade start.
And this was by a relatively small staff and volunteer group. But now they will know what to look out for.
People who saw the guy and were offended should have spoken up to staff instead of complaining online.

Dan Alaimo wrote:The stupidity is overwhelming on this topic. It's a made-for-Facebook donnybrook, start to finish.

Lakewood Alive was not at fault, that is, until they issued an apology and it turned into a regional uproar.
Many of the registrations are done online in advance, so how were they to know? Then there's a rush of signups right before the parade start.
And this was by a relatively small staff and volunteer group. But now they will know what to look out for.
People who saw the guy and were offended should have spoken up to staff instead of complaining online.

Dan


To call members of LakewoodAlive racist is absolutely bullshit. You have one member that has for nearly a decade tried to build fair housing in Cleveland for all. You have another member that walked the streets of Hough and Glenville going door to door for years on behalf of the Sickle Cell Anemia Foundation of Cleveland. You have another member walks into house in full hazmat suit to help people with bed bug problems, together they just finished raising money for people to have access to tools who cannot afford them. Unlike most CDCs they are working to save homes and keep people in them that have issues. None of them have ever limited their services to anyone, none have ever spoke of race, they work endlessly for diversity, and people working together.

Yet one person, that has no registration number on him. Makes an idiotic choice on a Halloween Costume, and they take it out on LA.

So not Lakewood is arguing about how racists they each are.



Meanwhile the Mayor that hires known racists, xenophobes, misogynists goes on without answering to anyone.

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