Meeting is site
where Tamir Rice shot and killed almost a year ago
The Cleveland Community
Police Commission, appointed by Mayor Frank Jackson in September pursuant to
the consent decree he negotiated with the US Department of Justice following
the latter’s two-year investigation of the city’s police practices and
procedures, will hold its third community meeting today at Cudell Recreation
Center. The meeting is scheduled from 5:30pm-8:30pm.
Twelve-year old Tamir Rice
was shot dead on the playground just outside the center last November 22 when
two Cleveland police officers confronted him in response to a citizen call that
an armed man was brandishing a gun outside the center. The dispatcher who took
the call neglected to pass on the caller’s caution that the gun was quite
possibly a toy. Video of the encounter show that Tamir was shot and killed by
Officer Timothy Loehmann within two seconds of the police cruiser driving right
up on the pre-teen, in clear violation of what many experts suggest is proper
police procedure.
The Commission, tasked with
making recommendations on improving policies related to bias-free policing,
greater transparency, and other issues, has been crisscrossing town for its
meetings. A substantial portion of its Oct. 28 meeting, held at Elizabeth
Baptist Church on Francis Ave. in Ward 12, was devoted to considering how to
adjust the agenda for the possibility that Tamir’s relatives might attend the
meeting and wish to speak, and whether they should perhaps receive an official
invitation. At the end of the discussion, the consensus was that unofficial
invitations by individual Commission members would be appropriate, and that
similar invitations might be extended to the families of other victims who died
as a result of street lawlessness, including police officers.
While the first Commission
meeting, on Oct. 14, was attended by about 150 people, less than half that
number came to the Oct. 28 meeting. Tonight’s meeting is likely to be among the
best attended and perhaps the most fraught with emotion, of the five public
meetings announced to date.
The next meeting is
scheduled for Dec. 3 at Trinity Cathedral, 2230 Euclid Ave.
Nearly
100 attend launch of Black Business Chamber last night
Knowing chuckles spread
through the audience when Ron Busby, president and CEO of the US Black Chamber
of Commerce, recalled his father’s expressed view of the family business: “I’m’
a keep it small, and keep it all.”
 |
| Ron Busby, Sr., President/CEO of U.S. Black Chambers Inc. |
Perhaps it was the
recognition by the professionals and owners of mostly small businesses, in
attendance to celebrate the launch of The Presidents Council Business Chamber,
the city’s newest trade association, that the typical black-owned business has
only one employee and has gross annual receipts of about $72,000.
PCBC was established in
Cleveland this summer to provide leadership, ideas, and resources to advance
black-owned and operated businesses in Greater Cleveland, according to the
group’s mission statement. It starts off with more than sixty charter members.
Watch for the December issue of The
Real Deal Press for a full report on last night’s event and PCBC’s
plans.
Visit www.thepresidentscouncil.com or call 216.771.8702 for Business Chamber membership information.
GOP
Debate observations
I arrived home too late to
watch most of last night’s debate of 2016 GOP presidential hopefuls. I checked
out perhaps 15 minutes towards the end, which yielded these quick observations.
1. Someone should tell Texas
Sen. Ted Cruz that not all Americans arrived here full of hope for freedom and
a brighter life ahead. Among those he excludes from his happy historic
reconstruction — happy historic reconstruction is an exercise many Texas
officials work to enshrine in the state’s educational curriculum — are the
ancestors of most African Americans, Chinese laborers, and of course, Native
Americans. It’s likely not so much that he forgets about these groups as that
they simply don’t register in his view of traditional Americans. Cruz is a
second-generation American — his father emigrated from Cuba —and obviously was
quick to pick up the glorified Gone With The Wind version of a “colorblind”
America whose only problem was the refusal of damn Yankees to let good old’
boys perpetuate their Confederacy.
2. Carly Fiorina has a
thoroughly prepared answer for most every question and is especially
sharp-tongued when it comes to skewering the only other female presidential
contender, Democrat Hillary Clinton. She does it with such self-assurance that
most people, wrapped up in her delivery, probably are unaware of how fast and
loose she plays with the truth. One senses how the Hewlett-Packard board of
directors was likely smitten with her right up until the moment they realized
she was tanking the company.
3. In attempting to catch up
with the spinmeisters this morning, I found sixth-tier also-ran Sen. Lindsay
Graham of South Carolina talking about the religious war being raged against
the United States. South Carolina is one of the most militarized states in the
US with its abundance of military installations and retired armed forces
personnel, and their senior senator was quite the true believer as he condemned
ISIS/ISIL Muslims for their savagery and singling out of Christian targets. I
guess he must wonder why they don’t use drones like we do.
Cleveland Heights City Council to have new vacancy
Jeff
Coryell resigning effective Dec. 31, moving out-of-state
Cleveland Heights Council
Member Jeff Coryell announced his resignation from council, effective Dec. 31,
on Monday. He is moving to Detroit where his wife, Phyllis L. Crocker, has been
Dean of the School of Law at University of Detroit Mercy since early 2014.
Coryell will leave two years
into a four-year council term that began January 2014.
According to the city's
charter, Cleveland Heights City Council must appoint someone to fill Coryell’s
unexpired term. Typically, the Council solicits and reviews applications before
making the appointment. Its timetable for doing so has not yet been
established.
Whoever is appointed would
have to run in November 2016 to finish the last year of Coryell’s term and
again in 2017 for a new four-year term in 2017.
