Safety Committee

Documenter name: Lena Anglin

Agency: Cleveland City Council

Date: May 3, 2023

See more about this meeting at Documenters.org

Summary

The meeting was split into two parts as the committee discussed two different emergency ordinances. The first part resulted in the approval of the LLC organizing a Designated Outdoor Refreshment Area (DORA) on East 4th street in Cleveland.
The second part resulted in the committee tabling Emergency Ordinance 486-2023 for further review. This will give the committee an opportunity to hear from violence interruption programs, the Community Relations Board, and the Department of Public Safety.
Some council members expressed concern that the plan -- a fund ran by the Cleveland Foundation for addressing root causes of violence -- will not provide immediate relief to residents [Editor’s note: The Cleveland Foundation is one of Signal Cleveland’s funders].
The DORA will serve as a pilot program for future private/public partnerships in public accommodations.

Follow-Up Questions

If the Neighborhood Safety Fund is approved as planned, how can organizations apply for grants?
Considering the governance of the fund will rest in City Hall, how is the Cleveland Foundation monitoring the fund?

Notes

The Scene

The meeting began at City Hall at 1:05 p.m. Council members and presenters sat around a long table across from each other. Council members present were: Council Member Michael Polensek, chair; Council Members Joe Jones, Deborah Gray, Richard Starr, Stephanie Howse, Kevin Bishop, Charles Slife and Danny Kelly.

First ordinance on the agenda

Polensek introduced Emergency Ordinance 404-2023 to approve the application of ADAPP JR, LLC to establish a Designated Outdoor Refreshment Area (DORA) on East 4th Street and to establish requirements to ensure public safety within such an area. A DORA is an area where people can purchase alcoholic beverages in a designated cup and wander the permitted area with the beverage.

Cleveland City Planning Director Joyce Pan Huang provided an update on the DORA application, saying the planned DORA is in compliance with Ohio state codes such as cleaning and public safety plans, signage, and limitations. Developer Ari Maron, who owns many of the establishments on East 4th, said the DORA should “create a downtown more conducive to residential” and that the area is intended to “re-energize” the spaces between Public Square and Playhouse Square.

Maron noted that part of the revenue funding will come from the sale of DORA cups. That money will be put back into safety and security. Along with the Downtown Cleveland Alliance (DCA), the partnership is in conversation with the Regional Transit Authority (RTA) and stakeholders downtown on a traffic study. Their findings include the lack of traffic downtown when there is not an event at the Gateway and massive amounts of traffic when there is an event. Ed Eckart Jr. of the DCA noted the DORA’s safety and sanitation plan. In accordance with their other projects, DCA employs individuals with prior experience as Ohio sworn security guards with backgrounds in other hospitality venues. This approach is layered with off-duty Cleveland Police officers for specific times during the week.

Polensek expressed concerns about the organization of the DORA. Maron explained that a standalone LLC is responsible for the DORA. They have entered an agreement with DCA to handle these responsibilities. He said 75% of establishments with a liquor license within the perimeter of the DORA have to sign off on it, a threshold that was met. Maron stressed that the partnership is “committed to making an inclusive and family environment.”

Polensek also asked about the DORA cups. Maron said the cups will be recyclable and will have logos associated with East 4th. Once a patron leaves a licensed liquor establishment with a DORA cup, they will not be able to enter a different establishment with the same cup.

Slife suggested on-site recycle bins.

Jones, Gray and Howse asked about safety and the pilot timeframe.

The committee moved to approve the ordinance.

Second ordinance on the agenda

Representatives from Mayor Justin Bibb’s office and the Cleveland Foundation presented a report on a new City of Cleveland Neighborhood Safety Fund to provide grants for programs, interventions and initiatives serving Cleveland residents by addressing the root causes of and effects of violence. Ordinance 486-2023 was first read on April 17.

Polensek expressed concern about transparency regarding violence interruption organizations and the Cleveland Foundation. He said, “We need to know who’s doing what…and how it’s going to integrate with us in City Council.” He said he wants to know where current programs are getting their funding from.

Dale Anglin and Ginger Mlakar of the Cleveland Foundation said the ordinance will address the root causes of violence, such as poverty, unemployment, and food and housing insecurity [Editor’s note: Dale Anglin is the mother of Documenter Lena Anglin, who took these notes]. Sonya Pryor-Jones, who serves as the Chief of Youth and Family Success for the City of Cleveland, said the fund is a public health approach to community violence, designed to build protective factors for residents to improve quality of life.

Anglin said, “The only way to reduce violence long term is to look at the many things that cause violence,” which include suicide, violence against the LGBTQ+ community, and domestic violence. The city will maintain oversight of the funds as well as the advisory committee that approves grants from the fund, but the foundation would have final say on the programs to fund.

Polensek had concerns about the potential success of the fund, saying, “We’re funding programs, and we’re not seeing the end result in the street.” He said he had fundamental disagreements with the idea of root causes.

Jones expressed annoyance at receiving plan documents the day of the meeting.

Starr said he was concerned about the authority of the Cleveland Foundation to determine violence strategies, and he asked if council could make an amendment that the oversight of the program is in City Hall.'

Starr said he worries the city will be wasting money on an experiment.

Public Comment

Charles See was the sole public commenter. He vouched for the Cleveland Foundation’s commitment to the city.

End of the meeting

At the end of the meeting, Polensek said he had further questions for the Community Relations Board and the Department of Public Safety. The committee requested the presence of violence interruption groups at its next meeting to discuss the ordinance.

The meeting ended at 4:35 p.m.

If you believe anything in these notes is inaccurate, please email us at cledocumenters@gmail.com with "Correction Request" in the subject line.