Peace, Love, Respect, Rebellion And Protests Come To Lakewood - Thank You Protesters

[Jim O'Bryan]

After 3 days of total nonsense chatter.

Protesters from Black Lives Matter, and others marching for George Floyd. How he died and how it must stop came peacefully to Lakewood.

It was peaceful, and respectful on all sides.

Thank you protesters, and thank you Lakewood Police.

We all took a knee for George Floyd, and it felt good.

By 10:30pm the protesters headed south on West 140 back to West 130.

Hopefully my fellow Lakewoodites learned a lesson tonight.

peace/love

[Jim O'Bryan]

From earlier in the day up at West 130 St. at the 1St District Police Station


Love and respect was in the air all day. Moments before the Chief walked into the crowd trading hugs and taking a knee.

Today was a good day, videos and more photos in the morning.


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[Michael Deneen]

A great job by all involved.

It's great to see so much pushback against Trump's attempted slide into authoritarianism.

[Michael Deneen]

Question for the "historians" on the Deck (I'm looking at you, Stan).....

Has there ever been a Civil Rights march inside Lakewood before?

[mjkuhns]

Question for the "historians" on the Deck (I'm looking at you, Stan).....

Has there ever been a Civil Rights march inside Lakewood before?

I wondered this too.

[Jim O'Bryan]

Question for the "historians" on the Deck (I'm looking at you, Stan).....

Has there ever been a Civil Rights march inside Lakewood before?

I wondered this too.

As I look back I cannot find anything like last night.

[Stan Austin]

Matt and Mike---from my personal time in Lakewood since 1960-there haven't been any. From my history gleaned from Lakewood political figures going back to circa 1940-no.
There was an extremely intense Board of Zoning Appeals meeting in 1974 that in the audience had a large majority who could be portrayed as "anti black".
The reason for the meeting was this. The organization A Better Chance (ABC) established a chapter here in Lakewood. The purpose of this program was to bring several minority high school students from out of state into a higher quality educational system. These were to be maybe B or B-students who could really benefit from a better school. And it wouldn't be an automatic slam dunk success had they been A students.
We needed a group home (recognize that flash term?) to house the students. We found one on Detroit right next door to the Coral Bar. It was a beauty parlor and was zoned commercial. We had to have that status changed to residential.Hence the Bd of Zoning appeals meeting. We got the variance but due to tight scheduling and some serious and delaying lawsuits we couldn't be ready in time for the academic year.
I use the word "we because I was a proud member of the Board of Trustees.
Subsequent political fallout included the attempted recall of Ward 1 Councilman Tom McBride who was a verybvocal supporter of our program. And, the word Group Home became a perjoratve.

[Meg Ostrowski]

After 3 days of total nonsense chatter.

Jim, I’m not sure if you are referring to specific communications but I don’t think people’s concerns or fears about safety and well-being should be judged and dismissed as “total nonsense chatter.”

Last Saturday’s protest in downtown Cleveland was peaceful and productive…until it wasn’t. It was reasonable to consider the possibilities given that outcome, the pandemic and civil unrest around the country.

In the end, I am glad that the city prepared (with hope) for a successful, righteous protest in our streets, and delivered.

The only suggestion I would offer is to hand out face masks to reduce the spread of COVID-19.

[Michael Deneen]

Jim, I’m not sure if you are referring to specific communications but I don’t think people’s concerns or fears about safety and well-being should be judged and dismissed as “total nonsense chatter.”

Meg is correct that concerns for safety are valid.
However, I saw some social media posts that definitely fit into the "OH MY GOD, BLACK PEOPLE ARE COMING!!" category.
Lest we forget, one of the reasons that Mike Summers wanted to destroy Lakewood Hospital is because he didn't want "those people from across W. 117th" coming into Lakewood for health care.
The people who adore Mike Summers (and his views) may have lost the mayoral race, but still have a lot of power in this city.

[Kate McCarthy]

After 3 days of total nonsense chatter.

Jim, I’m not sure if you are referring to specific communications but I don’t think people’s concerns or fears about safety and well-being should be judged and dismissed as “total nonsense chatter.”

Last Saturday’s protest in downtown Cleveland was peaceful and productive…until it wasn’t. It was reasonable to consider the possibilities given that outcome, the pandemic and civil unrest around the country.

In the end, I am glad that the city prepared (with hope) for a successful, righteous protest in our streets, and delivered.

The only suggestion I would offer is to hand out face masks to reduce the spread of COVID-19.

Everyone I know that attended the protest in Cleveland said Cleveland Police instigated much of the rioting by randomly firing into a peaceful crowd. Lakewood Police approached this is a thoughtful way.

And yes. Hand out face masks, though I noticed more were worn at the beginning and I wonder if they were shed due to the heat.

[Jim O'Bryan]

After 3 days of total nonsense chatter.

Jim, I’m not sure if you are referring to specific communications but I don’t think people’s concerns or fears about safety and well-being should be judged and dismissed as “total nonsense chatter.”

Last Saturday’s protest in downtown Cleveland was peaceful and productive…until it wasn’t. It was reasonable to consider the possibilities given that outcome, the pandemic and civil unrest around the country.

In the end, I am glad that the city prepared (with hope) for a successful, righteous protest in our streets, and delivered.

The only suggestion I would offer is to hand out face masks to reduce the spread of COVID-19.

Meg

Then why on earth would 80% of the conversations have something to do with, "Do you think THEY are coming for us?" While even except in a few rare cases when business owners engaged the marchers there was love and respect.

Now what I found even more troubling with a few rare exceptions in Minneapolis, most of the rioters had skateboards and were white. To me this made the entire blow up just ridiculous. THEY are here eating hot pockets across the table from them.

I remember vividly back to the Glenville/Hough Riots my step father taught at Glenville High School at the time. Everyone wondered if THEY were coming for us back then.

I am still trying to figure out what "getting ready" entailed.

I can understand why Geiger's, David Stein and Drug stores, Rozis, might have been worried. But I am mystified why residents were worried. I have completely missed the attack on residential neighborhoods. This was unfounded.

Now some of it was put out by the faux ANTIFA group later proven to be White Supremacists. They put out bullshit on Twitter and retweeted and reposted that basically said "Get Whitey go into the white neighborhoods? I am still trying to figure out where the "White Neighborhoods" are anymore? On the bottom were logos that went against everything Anti Fascist fighters stand for.

This is what fueled the outrage, I was sent copies from 5 different sources. At the time it had not been proven fake, but it was so over the top it came from sick minds.

Lakewood is better than that. Lakewoodites are better than that.

In Washington DC 50 protesters/rioters were forced into a dead end and they were getting gassed. Two home owners opened their doors and took in about 20 people each. They smiled, took care of each other drank water washed their faces sang songs until morning. But then I didn't see any skateboards in the videos so they were probably safe.

I always smile when people think "THEY" want their stuff.

But hey what do I know.

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[Jim O'Bryan]

Jim, I’m not sure if you are referring to specific communications but I don’t think people’s concerns or fears about safety and well-being should be judged and dismissed as “total nonsense chatter.”

Meg is correct that concerns for safety are valid.
However, I saw some social media posts that definitely fit into the "OH MY GOD, BLACK PEOPLE ARE COMING!!" category.
Lest we forget, one of the reasons that Mike Summers wanted to destroy Lakewood Hospital is because he didn't want "those people from across W. 117th" coming into Lakewood for health care.
The people who adore Mike Summers (and his views) may have lost the mayoral race, but still have a lot of power in this city.

Mike

""OH MY GOD, BLACK PEOPLE ARE COMING!!" category. " this is really what started it. These predate panic by 24 hours or so.

The fifth time I got sent screen dumps and text messages from others, I posted this place holder.

Lakewood is better than that. At least it used to be.

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[Michael Deneen]

The fifth time I got sent screen dumps and text messages from others, I posted this place holder.

Lakewood is better than that. At least it used to be.

I'm not sure about that.
Lakewood, like any other suburban community, has a long history of racism.
Stan has told the story of a racially heated 1974 Council meeting http://www.lakewoodobserver.com/forum/v ... =7&t=25926

More recently, we've seen instances like this.
https://www.clevescene.com/scene-and-he ... ple-around

I've posted many times about not-so-subtle racism in Lakewood during the 2000s and 2010s....everything from pit bull bans to basketball hoop removals.
Even last year, we saw the city's political leadership close ranks in a vigorous effort to maintain an all-white City Council.

We've seen progress in some areas, and this week's march was a good sign.
Hopefully better days are ahead.

[mjkuhns]

Lakewood is better than that. At least it used to be..

I am genuinely curious and open to learning about when Lakewood was better than this.

I have only lived here 12 years—like a surprising amount of the present Council I'm 100% wash-ashore—but I have spoken with enough insiders enough times to hear things. e.g.

That Lakewood was, for much of its history, basically a "sundown town."
That driving while Black was grounds for being stopped by police well into my lifetime.
That Lakewood police once routinely reported "N.I.L." over the radio
(If any of this is malicious slander, Lakewood, FYI it's what some of your residents tell people.)

Modern Lakewood takes pride in the site of a penultimate stop on the Underground Railroad, but based on what longer term residents have told me (always in private conversations), I have to wonder how many more African Americans were sped out of the city to the east or south, than were sped out of the city to the north.

I genuinely believe that Lakewood today is different, and better, than the past about which I've heard. The schools are a vision of a multicultural tomorrow. The city has limited but real minority representation in an important administrative role. Two members of city council joined the Black Lives Matter march (and remarkably, a majority of council has attended some kind of progressive protest or political demonstration with me.) Our community has not crossed inclusion and equity off the to-do list, yet, but I think the readiness is there, along with community leaders who have it in them to take strides, if courage doesn't fail.

If Lakewood was even better at some point in the past, though, I'm always pleased to continue my education.

[Dan Alaimo]

The only suggestion I would offer is to hand out face masks to reduce the spread of COVID-19.

Meg, I don't believe the need for face masks - that is the threat of Covid-19 - is going away anytime soon. Something to consider in these situations and otherwise is to use the masks for messaging, kind of like T-shirts but less expensive and more purposeful. The recent protests had plenty of short messages that would fit. Maybe Jim has some connections.