Ward 10 Community Meeting

This meeting for Cleveland’s Ward 10 was also a meeting of the Collinwood Homeowners and Tenants Association. The meeting took place in a large hall in the rectory of St. Mary of the Assumption Church. There were seven folding tables set up for attendees (approximately eight chairs per table). One table at the front was set up for the association chair and two other association leaders. Three camera crews were set up on the periphery, including Channel 5 WEWS News and Spectrum News. They were there covering the recent news of two girls found dead in Collinwood. Pizza was served at the back table. Tickets were sold for a 50/50 raffle.

Residents filed in until 6:05 p.m., when the meeting started with the Pledge of Allegiance and a prayer.

Speakers included:

• The chair of the Collinwood Homeowners and Tenants Association. 
• Officer Davonte Congress (community engagement officer) and Commander Johnny Johnson from the Cleveland Division of Police (5th District):
  • Congress shared a sheet of important phone numbers within the Cleveland Division of Police. He also advertised a hiring event June 26-28 for recruiting police officers.
  • Congress advertised a 5th District Commanders Meeting on March 18 at 6 p.m. at Five Pointe Community Center.
  • Finally, Congress opened the floor up to questions about quality of life in the neighborhood.
    • A resident had a question about a Northeast Ohio Neighborhood Health Services, Inc., (NEON) building being hit by a vehicle recently. [Editor’s note: Read the latest reporting on NEON from Signal Cleveland.]
      • Johnson said it was a one-car accident, and the driver ran away from the scene.
  • Johnson spoke about the recent discovery of two girls found dead in Collinwood, but offered few details and said he does not know much at this time. He urged community members to “give us a call” if they see something suspicious.
  • A resident asked if he felt residents are in danger given the case of the two girls. Johnson said he was not involved in the investigation and does not want to speculate without more information. The Division of Police’s Homicide Unit is investigating now. [Editor’s note: Police have since arrested the mother of the girls. She is charged with aggravated murder.]

A firefighter with the city’s Division of Fire talked about the smoke detector safety program. The American Red Cross is a partner. He explained how residents can get a smoke alarm installed in the home for free and provided a resource flyer for attendees to take home. [Editor’s note: Submit your request here.]

Michael Polensek, Cleveland City Council member, Ward 10:

• Polensek thanked the Division of Fire and announced that today was the 118th anniversary of a historic school fire in Collinwood.
• Polensek spoke of his sadness and anger about the two girls found dead in a suitcase and the incident’s rippling impact on the community. He said that the two girls were half-sisters, and that he called local stakeholders to identify the victims and their families. “We want justice for those children.”
  • Polensek echoed Johnson’s comments that the homicide unit from Cleveland is present at the crime scene, and he urged community members to remain vigilant and share information about missing children.
  • Polensek remarked on how Collinwood parents are now concerned about keeping their kids safe.
• Polensek briefly opened up the floor for questions:
  • One resident asked about security cameras present in the area. Polensek reported that there are possibly some from the school (Ginn Academy).
  • Johnson said that around 6:30 p.m. that Cleveland Chief of Police Dorothy Todd called him to report that a person of interest had been identified. The audience applauded and reacted to this news.

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Polensek discussed three schools in the area being closed, news he said follows a long-term trend of schools closing on the East Side.

• Polensek said that Collinwood High School, what he called historic and “at one time the largest in the state of Ohio,” had previously been stripped of its enrichment programs, such as Junior ROTC and a robotics program.
• Hannah Gibbons-Nottingham Elementary School, a relatively new school, is another school set to close.
• Euclid-Park Elementary School is the third closing CMSD school in Ward 10. 

The CMSD schools are expected to be closed in June, according to Polensek, who circulated an open letter to Ward 10 residents and parents of CMSD parents. In the letter, Polensek encourages residents to contact Mayor Justin Bibb, CMSD CEO Warren Morgan and members of the CMSD Board of Education.

The chair of the homeowners association, who facilitated the meeting, then introduced former Cleveland City Council Member and former State Representative Eugene Miller, who is running for state representative. Miller shared his reflections on the recent tragedy in Collinwood and asked for support for the State House of Representatives for District 20. 

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Charlotte Perkins, another candidate for the State House of Representatives District 20,  addressed the group. Perkins is a former police officer of 25 years and owns a private security company in St. Clair-Superior. Perkins used to live off East 168th Street and attended St. Jerome Church. Perkins sits on the board of Bessie’s Angels, which helps care for girls and young women who have aged out of the foster system. She said one priority was to combat infant mortality, which remains a challenge in the area, particularly for the Black community.

Miguel Booker, 5th district representative from the Cleveland Community Relations Board, spoke about an upcoming community builders conference and urged community members to share any questions or concerns.

The chair announced a 50/50 raffle drawing at the end of the meeting. One young community member pulled the tickets.

The meeting adjourned at 6:53 p.m. 

These notes are by Documenter Tommy Oddo.

If you believe anything in these notes is inaccurate, please email us at documenters@signalcleveland.org  with “Correction Request” in the subject line.