Mayor Bibb addresses violent crime, homelessness concerns at town hall
CLEVELAND (WJW) – Mayor Justin Bibb hosted a town hall at Westropp Elementary on Wednesday, with residents airing their concerns about violence, homelessness and more.
The mayor and city leaders promised to address these growing issues as the historically more violent summer months approach.
'We have to do a better job of being better neighbors to one another,' Bibb said.
Bibb opened the town hall by addressing violent crime seemingly caused by mental health episodes, following a murder-suicide on Munn Road and a stabbing in the locker room at Gunning Park Rec Center on Tuesday. The person accused of the stabbing is in custody, according to Cleveland police.
'We have far too many incidents in our community where people are using guns to solve disputes,' Bibb said. 'That is not the way to solve disputes.'
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Bibb and other city representatives said mental health episodes are behind many violent crimes, like the murder-suicide on Munn Road. It's an issue the city said it is committed to eradicating.
Bibb said he is encouraged by crime statistics so far this year, citing a drop in violent crime across the city, including a 35% decrease in the murder rate. He said use-of-force incidents are also down.
Residents at the town hall, however, are taking the statistics with a grain of salt, with five concerned citizens raising questions about crime, homelessness and corruption.
'You come off the highway at West 150th, it's an absolute disaster,' said Tom Baldwin, a 40-year Cleveland resident. 'There's at least 15 people. They got shopping carts, they got furniture. They're sleeping in the road during the day.'
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The bottom line: Residents want a safer city and a crackdown on crime in Cleveland.
'I want police in my neighborhood,' Baldwin said. 'I pay taxes for that. I don't see police cars anymore.'
'I think everybody in our city wants to be safe,' Bibb said. 'They want their neighborhood to feel safe. They want their quality of life to be in good standing.'
The Cleveland Division of Police said Operation Summer Breeze will be announced soon—an action plan aimed at keeping city streets safer this summer.
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