A recent PD article stated that Family Unity in the Park, the annual festival held in Luke Easter Park since 2004, might be in jeopardy of being discontinued — which would be a real shame. Over the years it has grown to be one of the premier events in Cleveland, and last year attracted upwards of 20,000 folks for a day of cookouts and top-tier music.
However, the way the article reads, it appears as if the newly sworn-in Ward 2 Councilman, Kevin Bishop, is having second thoughts about continuing the event, which has worn the brand of his predecessor, Zack Reed, since its inception. Bishop is quoted as saying that “he’s not averse to continuing support for the event, but needs to evaluate whether use of public support is what’s best for his constituents.” He later said that he needs to “gather more information,” which is fair and prudent.
Perhaps what is needed is for Family Unity to be sponsored by more than just one city councilman, now that Reed’s name will no longer be on it. What currently happens is this: Each councilman gets (or is forced) to put on a festival in their ward each year, and some of them, such as “A New Day in Hough” in my ward, have degenerated into relatively sad little affairs. The Glenville Festival was cancelled a year or two ago by then-councilman Jeff Johnson over safety concerns. And the Buckeye Festival turned into something akin to the “Shootout at the OK Corral” not too long ago.
Given the safety concerns, and concerns over how ward resources are allocated, it might make more sense for three, four or even five east side members of City Council to come together and sponsor this one larger festival that has proven to be a winner over the years. By police concentrating on one festival, instead of three or four more each year, a higher level of security can be provided.
Will some residents in each ward get their panties all in a bunch if their council member announces they are going to come together in the spirit of unity with other members of council and do one big festival? Of course they will. They will say that Luke Easter Park in not in their ward, since, as everyone knows, it’s in Ward 4. But perhaps the naysayers then need to be reminded that no other east side ward has a park as large, or potentially as safe.
As a matter of full disclosure I formerly worked on producing Family Unity for about six or seven years, and the effort and protocols that were put in place made it an unusually safe and secure event. Which, in this day and age, means quite a bit.
And while some residents of some wards will refuse to allow themselves to be placated, the next election is not until 2021, and by then they will have had ample time to un-bunch their panties. This is an idea that just might be worth exploring.
From CoolCleveland correspondent Mansfield B. Frazier mansfieldfATgmail.com. Frazier’s From Behind The Wall: Commentary on Crime, Punishment, Race and the Underclass by a Prison Inmate is available in hardback. Snag your copy and have it signed by the author at http://NeighborhoodSolutionsInc.com