On the day when important Tremont sculptor and active citizen Jeff Chiplis was shot in his neighborhood of Tremont he loves, and is in critical condition at Metro, it seems fitting to start a community sculpture garden in Tremont - perhaps our collective energy toward Jeff''s positive dreams and vision for Cleveland will bring miracles - much love, prayers and concern for the Chiplis family and Jeff.

I strongly support anything that brings free public art to Tremont and I strongly support all I know of this effort of the Gernaga family

Disrupt IT

My thoughts and prayers go to Jeff and his family and friends. When I lived in Tremont I knew him well and considered him a great innovative and wonderful person.

Wishing him a speedy and full recovery

Bohdan gernaga

I was so saddened to hear about this.  I've known Jeff for what seems like forever.  He has always been a very polite soft spoken man.  Always respectful and with nothing but kind words for everybody. 

He's been a hands on participant in this community for I know more than 30 years.

I wish him the best and my thoughts and prayers are with Jeff and his family. 

He is one of the ones that brought art to the area, and you are right, Jerleen, he is a gentle man.

Prayers and thoughts go out to Jeff, and his family. 

A rotation sculpture garden is a wonderful thing to have in this space. This is a Cleveland wide concern, as Cleveland abounds with artists. This will be a huge, positive, draw to the area.

I was a project coordinator for the sculpture installation at Market Square Park.  (Tempus Pons). It was hard for people to think outside the box, but once the workshops were offered and people painted the tiles to represent their backgrounds and countries, enthusiasm grew. The sculpture remains, and it an important part of the West Side Market District. The park itself, is poorly maintained, and out of date, but the sculpture lives up to its name.

These heartless crimes are occurring daily in Cleveland.

Jeff and Cindy are true Tremont.  He was one of the first people I met when I lived there in the nineties.  As Henry Senyak points out in today's article--this could have happened anywhere. 

(See comments : http://blog.cleveland.com/metro/2009/09/westlake_man_stabbed_by_12-yea.h...)

The Plain Dealer's initial coverage indicated that the situation was much worse--and they should have printed a retraction that he was not shot in the head as they first posted. 

Overall, I am just grateful that Jeff will recover from this awful situation.  We also need to demand follow-up on the assailants.  I can't believe the Plain Dealer did not report on police follow-up to the crime. Are the suspects in custody?  What about a police presence...period? 

I will fault Councilman Cimperman for this security lapse.  He should know that events like Artwalk will attract well-heeled folks/easy prey, as well as predators and he should provide visible police patrol presence on these days, especially. 

I fully agree, something like this could happen any time and anywhere, however, opening up a community where thousands of strangers crown into the neighborhood creating a playing field and drastically uping the odds, basically inviting criminals into our world.

What I have heard and repeatedly been told is that people need to be more vigilant, keep an eye out for suspicious characters and activities.   With so many unknown people parking, walking our streets and patronizing the business sector, how does one determine who is a suspicious character or who is acting in a suspicious manner.

The criminals  could and most likely do patronize establishments for the sole purpose of targeting a potential victim for robbery, assault and even the taking of someone's life.  Our sidewalks are usually busy well after the bars close.  After a night of drinking people's awareness is down and they're ripe for the picking while getting back to their cars. 

Unless a criminal is off his game, high on drugs or drunk himself, I don't think they're going to walk up and down the streets advertising they have a gun or that they have a plan of attack.  Those that go in search for their parked cars in the wee hours of the morning and are inebriated might as well put a bull's eye on their back.

That the reason many residents can no longer enjoy an evening walk around the neighborhood with their kids and pets, you don't know who is coming up behind you or walking towards you - you're out there and you're vulnerable.

We do need more invasive police patrol but at the same time, they cannot be everywhere and there is only so many to go around.  What would help is for the business owners to secure security/police patrol that both walk and ride the residential streets and alley ways. 

With the thousands of high priced vehicles being parked all through out the neighborhood while the visitors go off to dinner and/or bar hopping, it's an open invitation for car thieves.  Not only ones living in the vicinity but visiting thieves as well.

It used to be a little easier in picking out suspicious or questionable activities because we knew everybody - but now you walk out on your porch or look out your window and see a dark form hovering against a building, car or tree, you don't know if they're up to something or taking a leak?  You hear some girl's howling screams, you don't know if she's lost her keys, broke a nail, having sex or being attacked.

Any where there is such an influx of visiting patrons, parking flashy cars and spending money, it's unreasonable not to expect a considerable rise in crime.  This not only effect the visitors but creates a scary situation putting  homeowners, residents, their families and property at risk.

We can be so thankful that Jeff is going to make a full recovery - it could have very easily gone the other way. 

 

I can't fault Cimperman or the Cleveland Police on this. If the police are diverted to patrol special events in some areas, it leaves others extremely vulnerable. Think about when the Browns play and the police are pulled from neighborhood patrols to police that event. Businesses in the area can hire patrols to sweep around the neighborhood. It does not mean that crime will not happen when the opportunity is present: the victim and the criminal in the same space.

On West 25th, some businesses have hired off duty police officers to patrol during the weekend. This did not stop the recent attack of two people leaving Great Lakes Brewery. A man was walking the woman to her car, and they were mugged, and he was pistol whipped. The difference here is that the development corporation, OCNW, tried to keep it quite, and secrecy provides fertile ground for ignorance and crime. If you are not aware, then you are a setting duck. At least, in Tremont, people will have a sense of alertness.

I am glad that Jeff is out of the ICU, and am so sorry that this happened to him, and his family. I am also sad that this is happening all over the city, and with summer just beginning, we will be hearing more of these stories.

The question is: does Cleveland truly have safe, walkable neighborhoods anymore? The safe, walkable neighborhoods of yesterday are gone. The areas that attracts nightlife center around the bar business, and walking to and from is risky, as the residential areas have changed from large families looking out for one another to smaller families trying to shut out the noise of the clientele of the bars, with closed windows and the a/c units running.

 

Robber, rapist attacks Tremont woman in her bed Monday morning

Published: Tuesday, May 25, 2010, 8:23 AM     Updated: Tuesday, May 25, 2010, 10:26 AM

 

 

 

CLEVELAND, Ohio -- A 24-year-old West Side woman was raped in her bed Monday morning by an armed robber who broke in through a window. 

The robber and rapist also broke into another home in the neighborhood of Fairfield Avenue and West 10th Street and took a cell phone.

More

 

this wasn't an "artwalk" spot - it was just outside Pat's in the Flats. So even if the security around "Tremont" was beefed up for artwalk, they probably wouldn't have been patrolling down there. Pat's has been around forever and attracts underground muscians and artists. Jeff has been going there as long as I can remember and he probably didn't hesitate to walk up the hill to home because although the hill is always desolate, its always desolate. anyone looking to mug a "well-heeled" Tremont tourist would NOT go looking around Pat's - trust me. In fact the bastards are lucky they didn't get themselves killed.

Also, I was wrong, Jeff is not out of ICU, he is preparing for surgery. But, his "vitals" have stabilized. You can keep up to date and leave him a message here:

 I believe that this happened because there was a bad guy out there with a gun and evil in his heart. Paths intersected, and now Jeff is recovering from what could have been much worse.

 

This website, CrimeReports.com, gives a map with the type of crime. You can do it by address and zip code, and you have a choice of time period, a week to 30 days. You can also use the calendar to get an idea of year to date reports. The reports are based on police reports, and give general locations, and types of crimes. It only takes a couple of moments to master the key codes and map data.

 

Spotcrime does much the same thing.  You can sign up and receive a daily report of all crimes within a 2 mile radius of your address.  It also pinpoints the locations on a map - you can navigate and it will show the actual area as well as provide details.

but then that is what he does. The focus of the meeting will be on getting those guys that sleep under the bridges out, send Katie to houses based on a list from those who want certain people out, and fanning of flames of those who have vs those have not. Maybe a Tremont border check? Maybe men will arm themselves and put the women and children in a circle to protect them.

Wonder how Jeff will feel about that? Instead of fanning the flames of hate, fan the flames of being neighborly and looking out for each other.

This scenario, of someone getting shot, or murdered, is an endless cycle in Cleveland. Will this be another summer of bloodletting?  How does it get turned around in a way that is constructive?

I have real issues with the current discussions by the TWDC Safety Committee on running the homeless out of the neighborhood. 

Myself and others have know some of these people who are considered "homeless" because they pitch a tent back off the beaten paths and call it "home" for many years. 

A couple of weeks ago, my sister literally nailed a "ladY"  (that had exited Dante's) all decked out in white for telling her to get "the homeless nigger off the sidewalk."  She royally knocked her on her ass.  The woman was referring to one of the homeless guys that sits or stands in front of Post 1.  A lot of the true neighborhood residents know him and often stop to chat.  He wasn't begging or bothering anyone.

These "citizens" who legally have a right to vote, deserve more than being run from our midst because the uppity crowds think that it brings shame to them - and it does....by the way they treat them.

As far as the incident with Jeff, I don't think it has anything to do with the homeless.

 

 

I've been wanting to post my book "gone"...

I heard that there was an assault at Lincoln Park this evening and that the assailant was armed. This is  bad publicity for the monthly art walk. 

Not good,..,,,

I too was told that something went down in Lincoln Park.  I don't have the details yet, but my sister said she passed by and there was some kind of wrangle going on between some TWDC members and Guy Templeton.  I was told that the police were on the scene and there was quite a bit of yelling and name calling going on.  There was also a large crowd gathered. 

She said that she heard something about a gun.  I certainly hope that no one got shot.

Guy also called me but he did not give me all the facts yet, said he would call back later. 

what the hell?

maybe he videotaped it which will help the police. 

I wonder  who Guy and TWDC were fighting with?   I hope they are o.k. 

The newest information I just received a bit ago from Guy was that no one was hurt but that Sammy did take a couple of swings at him.  He did say that he had it on video. 

I'm not real sure on what the altercation was about.  Guy did say that Sammy came up on him and that one of the police officers spoke up on Guy's behalf. 

More details as I get them.

It seems that there is a lot of tempers flaring lately.  Last night at the Lincoln Heights Block Club, a block club member ask Kristen Trolio (TWDC Staff Community Organizer) a question related to the parking along West 14th during the Tremont Farmers Market - in the discussion I spoke up and said I did have two photos depicting that some hazardous condition did exist when some of the trucks double parked on this busy street. 

Kristen had a royal hissy fit when I attempted to show her the pics -   Told me it was stupid - she had a lot to say - told me it was not my program and if somebody complained to tell them to call her.  The she went out in the parking lot and blew a fuse.

Must be something in the water up at Tremont West.

 

I mistakenly thought that you meant Guy and members of TWDC were fighting with someone, but Guy and Sammy fighting each other ?  The video should be interesting.

No, I guess there was no connect.  Guy just said that Sammy took a couple of swings and was calling him crazy, etc.

Now these are Guy details of the events - so until he sends the video, we'll have to wait i guess.

 This is bad.  To get physical is just inexcusable, regardless of the situation.