The Observation Deck

Bill Call wrote:http://www.cleveland.com/datacentral/index.ssf/2010/02/east_cleveland_and_lakewood_ra.html

Bill

Correct, this is another attack on Lakewood by the regional paper, using one of its many
arms.

In the 6 years the the Lakewood Observer has been around many forget how we were the
forgotten suburb by the Plain Dealer and Sun Papers. Even when the Sun was called the
Lakewood Sun Post they had fewer stories than they do now. Frankly it was the Observer
that showed there was a viability and interest in Lakewood to Lakewood news.

But the PD has reverted back to its slamming of the city when it can, as the war on Lakewood,
and our property values grow, as the regionalist lick their chops and descend on Lakewood,
hoping to snatch up school property that we have deemed not as valuable as Quaker Steak and Lube.

Yes it was not by accident.

Lakewood is too nice for some.

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What makes this an attack on Lakewood?

Jill Jusko wrote:What makes this an attack on Lakewood?

Jill

Maybe I am overly sensitive having history with this.

The headline that screams East Cleveland/Lakewood is an overt act of calling Lakewood a
ghetto. The entire region understands that East Cleveland is a pretty troubled spot, with
massive police cuts, crime, drugs, and on and on.

I am out in East Cleveland all the time as I am working with people in the community on
various projects like getting them computers, a paper, etc. There are many, many good
hard working people there trying to save their community. While Lakewood needs tweaking
not the massive overhaul some would lead us to believe, it is not East Cleveland. Unless
someone/something can cause some sort of panic and what would often be referred to as
white flight by the sociologists, er leaving because of high taxes.

As I pointed out in the past it was the PD that took a great announcement about the
Robert AM Stern library, and change it into Pornography at Lakewood Library. When we
started the Observer one of the major reasons was to just explain to citizens what was
really going and stopping the negative spin. Of course some could say we went to hard
the other way. As they reported the 3 standoffs in Lakewood, we pointed out that all were
caused by people coming into Lakewood, to act out their aggressions. Go back and read
the Steven Litt piece on Lakewood Library. Mr. Litt handles the architectural reviews for the
PD, but for some reason four paragraphs into the review of the new library, he became the
police reporter, and went off about pornography.

Now I subscribe to the Plain Dealer, and really hope it makes it through these tough times,
but I also have had many opportunities working with papers and editors writing headlines.
They are their for cause and effect, they are a tool, and many savvy editors and publishers
realize that large percentage of readers just glimpse at the headlines.

But that is merely my take, I speak for no other,

I imagine that Bill was speaking of the need of many "regional" projects to drive down
the perception of Lakewood and our property values. You may not think we are at war,
but we are from various/many sides.

FWIW


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Jill Jusko wrote:What makes this an attack on Lakewood?

Jim had the perfect answer:

Jim O'Bryan wrote:The headline that screams East Cleveland/Lakewood is an overt act of calling Lakewood a
ghetto. The entire region understands that East Cleveland is a pretty troubled spot, with
massive police cuts, crime, drugs, and on and on.

The Plain Dealer never misses a chance to denigrate Lakewood.
The classic is the story the Plain Dealer did on an article in this old house magazine. The magazine highlighted the quality of Lakewood homes and neighborhoods:

http://blog.cleveland.com/lifestyles/20 ... ees_a.html

The Plain Dealer featured the article on the front page along with the attached picture.



The house wasn’t even in Lakewood. Why would they use that picture? Why not a picture of some of the houses featured in the magazine? Was it just an accident?


The Plain Dealer understands that development in Northeast Ohio is a zero sum game. Somene has to lose if someone else is to win.

Jill

The Plain Dealer knew damn well everyone would think this...












Not this...




It is not an accident.


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We all are entitled to our opinions.

Jill Jusko wrote:We all are entitled to our opinions.

Not just entitled, but should be encouraged to have opinions.

The problem is, I have spent the past ten years watching this whole thing develop.
I have watched the coming and complete failure of the CLE+ concept, and the war
on our city that is being waged. From outside and inside.

My opinion, and that of many others like Bill, is they are coming and they want
to destroy our property values, buy us for pennies on the dollar, and complete
the regional dream.

As such it is nice to know where these dreams and concepts come from.

The Slaughter of Cities:Urban Renewal as Ethnic Cleansing

as presented by The Archbishop Michael J. Curley Assembly
and the Saint John DeMatha Council



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