Social Justice Celebrated

Shares Awards/Annual Meeting today

I used this somewhat outdated photo because it is a great image of City Hall. If I had this captured this photo, I would use it in all my materials. But anyway...Community Shares held their annual meeting today at the definitively non-Social Justice type venue of Windows in the Flats, but still it was a nice event. I have to say that I love Community Shares, and believe that it is one of the 100 coolest things about Cleveland that does not get enough attention. In an ever expanding number of awards in the area of social justice, Community Shares recognized the following individuals and groups:

1. The Eleanor Gerson leadership award went to Cleveland Councilman Anthony Brancatelli of Ward 12 for his efforts to save his neighborhood in the face of the hurricane of foreclosures.
2. Mike Brickner of the ACLU was volunteer of the year--one of NEOCH's volunteers as well.
3. Reverend George Hrbek of LMM was the named Distinguished Activist one of the activist who helped nurture NEOCH through our infancy in the 1980s.
4. Policy Matters of Ohio was selected as Member Organization of the Year. They do fantastic reports for elected officials to use in support of social justice.
5. Dan Harkins of Cleveland Scene Magazine was given an award for social justice reporting. A good reporter who does not get enough credit in Cleveland.
6. Finally, a new award for 2009 called the "Power of Participation: Making History" to the LGBT Community Center and the NAACP for their work to create the Domestic Partner Registry.

The most interesting part of the lunch was the speech by George Forbes, the long time chair of the NAACP Board. As everyone knows there were many African American preachers in Cleveland who were opposed to the Domestic Registry for same sex couples. It was interesting hearing Forbes talk about his movement on this social justice issue. He said that he had never had any opinion about the rights of lesbians and gay members of our society until Councilman Cimperman approached the NAACP about this issue. Forbes said that he was confused why Cleveland even needed this law, and the LGBT community said that they just had no standing within the law so they could not even sue to protect their right to marry in Ohio. Forbes said that this struck him as fundamentally unfair, and he recognized this as a civil rights issue. It was a good speech for a strange champion of the rights of gays and lesbians in George Forbes.

Brian
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Curfew on Public Square?

Battle for Public Square

Things have been exceedingly busy and time consuming here at the coalition, but I wanted to take a moment to address a statement since I haven't posted to this blog in so long:

As some of you may or may not be aware of, the City has proposed a curfew on Public Square. This curfew would make it illegal to be on Public Square between 10 PM and 6 AM (except for ordinary foot traffic). According to the Cleveland Plain Dealer: "Councilman Joe Cimperman, who represents downtown, said the law is intended to improve safety by banning homeless people from sleeping on the square."

As much as I want to discuss the inherent safety hazard an unconscious person (homeless or otherwise) poses to the public, first I would much rather discuss a direct quote from the Leader of Downtown as reported by Channel 5: "'What we realized was that when people were hanging out all night, harassing people, panhandling people, scaring young men and women, you know making people feel uncomfortable that they were actually allowed to stay there all night because we didn't have anything on the books,' said City Councilman Joe Cimperman."

I did a little bit of research and found that you do have codes on the books to address specifically what you are referencing:

• "hanging out all night" - 605.09 Unlawful Congregation
• "harassing people" - 605.03 Disorderly Conduct and 605.09 Unlawful Congregation or - 605.10 Unnecessary Noise or - 621.06 Aggravated Menacing 621.07 Menacing
• "panhandling people"- 605.031 Aggressive Solicitation
• "scaring young men and women" - 605.03 Disorderly Conduct or - 605.06 Inducing Panic or - 621.06 Aggravated Menacing or - 621.07 Menacing
• "you know making people feel uncomfortable" - 605.03 Disorderly Conduct

If violations like those above are occurring and nothing is being done, your problem is with the enforcement of the law and not with the lack of a proper law. I understand why this curfew law was proposed, but frankly, everything it is attempting to combat is already made illegal in the Cleveland City Code.

Joshua
Posts by Northeast Ohio Coalition for the Homeless staff and Board.