April 07, 2025

good evening members of the council I am grateful for this opportunity to comment today My name is Janice Pole and I am the mother of four children who all attended Campus International School from kindergarten through the 8th grade Back in 2010 I was so excited about what this new school could offer that my neighbor and I were among the very first parents to register our students for the school At the time we considered moving out of Cleveland because we were not sure about the options available This city this school and the international balora program gave us a reason to stay What made this school so special for my children wasn't just the academics It was how they were taught to engage with the world around them The IB model encourages students to see themselves as part of something bigger That takes time Time to reflect and time to grow The extended school day makes that possible Seeing this impact firsthand I wanted to be a part of it I went back to school got my education degree and have been an educator in Cleveland since 2011 I continue today in my classroom to see how time gives students more chances and opportunities to understand and to succeed Please come visit our school anytime You are all welcome I know the IB model firsthand My sons were part of the very first classes at Campus International Today Charles is serving our country in the United States Coast Guard Academy majoring in naval architecture and marine engineering Eric is pursuing a double major in pharmacy and Mandarin Both are fluent in Mandarin as a direct result of the IB model Their paths are very different but they are shaped by the values that allowed them to become disciplined community-minded young men Their success is not the exception Their success is what is possible when students are given time and an environment that believes in their potential Parents from across this city are standing with me today From Glennville to Colinwood to Midtown to Slavic Village we represent every ward in this city We are the voters We are the taxpayers And we want you to please support what is working for families in your communities At Davis High School students are NASA interns drone pilots maritime technicians Douglas MacArthur and John Hay prepare students in law medicine education and sciences Eliminating the extended day punishes schools that show what success looks like in our city Forcing a single unified calendar would dismantle a program that is thriving and keeping families in this city It risk destroying CMSD's three-star rating We have something that is critical to families and communities Yet we are now considering taking this apart That is so shortsighted Please invest in our future Every child deserves this Pulling back now would cost far more than minutes What you choose today will determine our tomorrows Thank you

everybody How y'all doing today i'm I'm Antoine Tolbert I go by Chairman Fahim I'm the chairman of an organization by the name of New Era Cleveland And um I'll tell you a little story right group of strangers meet up set out on an adventure They're lacking specific resources And they hear about this figure right that's called the wizard has access an abundance of resources So they set out on an adventure to go meet this man to meet their needs Along this journey they're facing adversity different barriers and so on and so forth Go through all of these hoops and loops just to meet this get to this man and realize that behind the curtain is just a a man pushing buttons No real power no real authority no real purpose And that's how people are feeling right now Bamboozled hoodwinkedked And I titled this COINTEL Pro 2.0 know because what we're understanding better today than they did in the past was how police informants are used to criminalized community leaders black community leaders specifically how things are being manufactured to trump up charges on people that have influence in the neighborhood So I'm f facing a new set of charges right now for chasing a drug dealer out of my community who was selling weed to one of my 13-year-old students I'm being charged with robbery and kidnapping for chasing a drug dealer out of my community And I post this question you know because we do a lot in the neighborhood man What would they do if they found out what we did to the human traffickers in my neighborhood What would they do how would they criminalize the work that we do if they found out how we're addressing those in our neighborhoods that are killing babies what charges would I be facing then people that are setting up shop in a abandoned home in a neighborhood selling dope in our community What would they do to criminalize me if they found out how we treat those people and so in honor of my birthday which is today I did something special and I just had to come down here to announce it to y'all I pulled petitions and I'll be running for city council in war three And I'm so excited Yeah I'm so excited because we've done enough talking Now it's time for action And so I thank y'all and I'm looking forward to seeing everybody outside this campaign trail No amount of money It's going to be a a substantial amount of support for those that got to go out here in our communities and put in work So I'm looking forward to seeing everybody Thank you Thank you

floor Hey y'all How y'all doing I am President Osher I'm the president of New Era Cleveland and the Love Project Movement And sometimes people will talk about us and they may call us gang um street thugs or you know these people who patrol these communities with guns or you know other things that are not of what we focus on We focus on love right showing love modeling love showing up and being whatever our community needs at any given moment I worked a long time in corporate nonprofit at Burn Belcar and numerous other organizations where I got to hear communities cry out for hey I need services like this I need support like this I need to show up like this But I find very rarely that corporate nonprofits are willing to change their services to match the community So we focus on partnering with grassroot organizations that are willing to meet the needs of the community at where they're at their door right not being scared to go door to door but creating a a positive atmosphere having a music food trucks just a loving environment bringing the resources straight to their doors Right We have a community clubhouse where we support communities We encourage community grassroot organizations to have their programs inside our space to create this one-stop shop where community feels supported and they feel loved We also do our engagement walks in the hight traffic high crime areas where there is gang violence trafficking all numerous things And we show a presence of love We open up car doors We pump gas We ask people how we can support them We are not there as uh violence or gang members or anything like that We are there as residents to show residents that it's time to wake up and it's time to love each other We cannot only require you guys to do what is in our best interest It's our job to get up and pull in what we're supposed to do Each and every one of us was born to have a gift We have a special purpose and our job is to dream and figure out what that is and bring that to the table You guys are not enough It takes every single one of us every single person sitting on their bed to get up and figure out hey I can donate at least one hour or of um one hour a month and a dollar a month If everybody can do that what could we do and what could we see in our communities people need a viable option to see that I can love and that we're not gonna continue to repeat history We continue to be weaponized through the governance that is supposed to support us We are looking for partnership So I encourage everyone to come this Saturday to our hood to hood in our grand opening We will be there from 12 to 9:00 at 11713 Buckeye Road in Cleveland And we encourage all of y'all to let's see how we can work together How can we support community together because we do have the secret sauce And I really hope that everyone really hears my heart and know that this is love We cannot keep doing what we've always done We have to do something that we've never done before Thank you very much

floor My name is Mark Thomas and I'm here today to demand justice for me for my fiance Kelly Sabodian and for our community What's happening in West Park is a disgrace Mr Kazy and this council silence is clear complicity It's become painfully clear that some of you cannot or will not see past your chosen racial or cultural narrative to face the truth From 2019 to 2021 Kelly and I reported disturbing behavior from Steven Rogers and his family Behavior that was predatory racist and deeply invasive Despite two mediation meetings required by the city prosecutors Rogers canceled without consequence He grew tall weeds and bushes to spy on Kelly and installed five cameras pointed directly at our home This harassment and stalking has been going on for over a decade In 2021 despite having a past rape charge Rogers has allowed to obtain a gun permit That same year he branded the firearm in front of Cleveland police but faced no arrest He continued to threaten me with the gun on video and still no consequences and no charges In 2024 he actually shot me in the back And city prosecutor Akquila Jordan still didn't indict him Being the black elder does not excuse you from rape stalking or attempted murder Kelly and I have been harassed stalked and attacked And this council in the city refused to act Why because it doesn't fit your narrative because I'm a black man in an interracial relationship accusing another black family of a hate crime that shouldn't make us invisible that shouldn't cost us our home our safety and our lives On October 2nd 2022 six of the Rogers relatives attacked Kelly and I on our porch It was caught on video They were arrested but somehow Steven Rogers wasn't arrested and allow and was allowed to press charges against me and Aquila Jordan and county prosecutor and Judge Jennifer O'Donnell dropped our case based on those false allegations In 2023 with the help and work of the public defenders office my name was cleared and I was found not guilty by a jury of my peers What is happening in Cleveland is about power corruption and cowardness Steven Rogers and Marco Perryandry are using their family's influence to shield their abuse and create a racially toxic and unsafe environment They're filing false police reports while violating housing codes and stalking us in plain sight Come see the cameras the overgrowth the staring faces Watch Channel 19 and Kelly Kennedy reporting on what happened to us The city is supporting and shielding people who tried to kill us This council is 70% black and yet you all standing open as hate crimes are allowed to occur against Cleveland residents You're letting people suffer Me a black man brother and dismissing it because it's inconvenient to your place for continued power Time Thank you We demand action

for the chance to speak In moments of great crisis when history is not only being made but lived it becomes even more essential to speak truthfully about what is happening around us Over the past year we've seen students across the country rise up in protests Last week those protests broadened as millions of Americans filled the streets including right here on West 25th in defiance of rising fascism As I watched I kept returning to a central question What are we really fighting for what are we defending the end of genocide in Gaza the survival of democratic institutions the First Amendment All of these are urgent and worthy causes But beneath them I hear something deeper A unified cry from the community not just to be heard but to be addressed That's what representative democracy is supposed to be A contract between the people and their government We grant you power to serve the common good So the rest of us can live our lives in peace and dignity When that contract is broken what's left the opposite of democracy fascism Many of you call yourselves Democrats You claim that you stand with working people But in practice you have ignored the public's will and worse violated their constitutional rights Nearly 60% of Clevelanders voted for issue 24 which became charter 155 Some east side precincts reach 90% Even on the west side where many police officers live 40% still supported issue 24 Yet buried in the charter is a loophole disguised as ambiguity With the exception of no more than three police associate representatives no member may have served within 5 years as a law enforcement officer At first I thought member meant police representative but it may refer to commission member meaning that all 13 commissioners could be ex police as long as three or fewer are tied to associations I'm sure law director Mark Griffin is eager to pursue just this argument if I take him to court How does a structural flaw that cuts out the community on a community police commission arise unless it is by design and what are the odds that I was the only commissioner out of 13 who defended community center police accountability unless it was rigged unless some of you in this room worked very hard to silence the will of the people This is why I said last week that it's starting to resemble to me a criminal conspiracy Time to come clean and listen to the people you took an oath to serve Thank you

Mr Chairman uh no offense meant but can I address the audience you got three minutes sir I said no offense meant but can I address please proceed sir Okay Holy Mary mother of God pray for us sinners now at the hour of our death Amen Okay The Lord's help came last night on channel 5 and showed a group in Chicago called Heal Palestine brought in a 14-year-old with one leg from Gaza to Chicago for medical treatment Three other children were brought as well There were two other cities as well This is the first opportunity I've gotten in 15 months in Chicago and other cities The state of Massachusetts was featured in an expose Private equity firms are taking over Catholic hospitals debt cutting staff then selling the hospital for a profit and leaving poor people without a hospital Come to me to help Gaza babies after the city council meeting We'll have a short meeting We can arrange a later meeting and I can contact you In my first speech I called this the Marie Antinet city Only after the speech again God came to my aid They began running a series on Marie Antinet France was in debt and the king had to uh go to the bank again and again and again This Sunday coming up they will be getting to the stage of violence and the debt causing a revolution the French revolution and the beheading of all the royalty by guillantine the king the nobles and Marie Aninette who when they told her the people have no bread She said let them eat cake This is the only film no liberal media will tell you what happens when a country gets into debt The country is 37 million trillion in debt Probably the only time in history a nation has gotten so much in debt If you will help me on Gaza save babies God Jesus will come to your help your needs These doctors and nurses that went there said they have never never seen such suffering and tragedy They they see burned victims without anesthesia Recently the only uh functioning hospital was bombed Our bombs are killing these Palestinians The Palestinians are divided Hamas wants land Others want to escape Gaza It's we Christians who should help them if they wish to leave I can't imagine a mother wanting her baby burned to death by an American bomb The American Revolution came over taxes Florida and other states are going to put it on the ballot to eliminate property taxes If you help me on Gaza then here's a group You could put it on the ballots and property taxes What a blessing A Catholic hospital heals people Doesn't bring death It doesn't do abortion sterilization sex change euthanasia or dispense contraceptives It does good for the poor You'll only get help when you organize Here's your only chance Instead of billions for a stadium condominiums and walkways for the rich instead of 60 million a year and a 34 million multi-year contract for a football player instead of Cleveland the second poorest city hiking house valuations 49 cents Cleveland the poorest of all East Cleveland having an evaluation hike to 67% sky-high taxes and foreclosures Instead of Columbus giving a 600 million loan to the Browns owner the in this Marie Anton city you are to bargain Thank you sir Okay Thank you

council members I'm here this evening to speak to you again about ordinance 7912024 the spot zoning legislation that would remove the former CVS site at the corner of Madison and West Boulevard from its protective pedestrian overlay district zoning This legislation would allow a gas station and other currently prohibited uses at this site which is immediately next to Cadell Park Cadell Recreation Center and Marian Seltzer Elementary School which the community strongly opposed I've also heard that this resoning may be an attempt to raise the market value of this property something that is not just unethical but is flatout illegal Not long after this legislation was temporarily pulled last fall an Axios article reported that the city was hoping to build a new fire station at this site which was considered by myself and others a huge win for the community However a quote in the article by Councilman Danny Kelly saying that the developers would need to be made whole instantly bothered me These developers purchased the property fully aware of its restrictive zoning which was admitted by the owner's representative at the board of zoning appeals last summer In addition the property owners were able to successfully petition the county and have the valuation reduced from the original $750,000 to the $594,000 it's valued at today I can't say for certain what exact dollar amounts have been discussed in negotiations with the city over this property so far but I have submitted a public records request regarding this information And if the city pays a large premium over the assessed value we should all be very alarmed As a reminder these developers are the same people who stack the deck at public comment with their employees and tenants posing as community members acting as concerned members of the community And we've since learned that they've made a practice of paying people $1 to $200 each to testify at BZA hearings something they did for a gas station on Miles Avenue that was approved by the BCA on December 2nd 2024 This is blatant corruption Many of you may have been following the unfortunate downfall of council of former Councilman Basher Jones It was stated that Jones was the seventh Cleveland City Council member in 20 years to be convicted of corruption related charges That's one every 2.85 years I guess we're due I urge all of you to reject this legislation whatever its motivation may be Thank you

Good evening Uh my wife and I have three children two of whom are CMSD students and we are residents of W 8 CMSD's plan to put all the schools on the same calendar as advanced by the mayor's education chief in her email dated February 14 2024 will increase in educational equity in our city To that end I strongly urge Mayor Bib and members of city council to encourage the school board to vote no on the CEO's proposed calendars for next school year Leave the calendar as it is for one more year and assess which extended calendar schools are effective for the 2627 school year maintain those program models that are effective and restructure for schools that are struggling in a way that supports student success and is fiscally responsible My kids go to CIS and we hear lots of comments about how our school gets everything and handpicks students and neither of those things are true Um CM CIS Campus International School admits students through the same lottery as every other school in the district And the student body reflects the demographics of the city perhaps better than any other school with the same 100% free and reduced lunch rate as every other school in the district There's talk that the extended calendar schools seem to perform better because they are criteria schools but not all of our high-erforming schools have admissions requirements Campus has none It's simply not true that a disproportionate number of white students attend extended calendar schools In fact 63.6% of students served by CMSD are black and 66% of the students served in the extended calendar programs are black Here's an applesto apples comparison that I think shows the inequity that's created by this proposal If you compare two criter criteria schools Bard Early College on the west side which does not have an extended calendar and Science and Medicine on the east side which does science and medicine has a higher percentage of students scoring proficient or better higher graduation rate but lower cost than Bard on the east side This proposal will enable nothing to change for the westside school that enrolls proportionately more white students but the east side school that serves predominantly black students will lose out And if that is an inequity I don't know what is Uh in everyone's mailbox you will find a copy of a handout that looks like this It explains some of the statistics as well as one copy of a 46-page report that I produced last school year that I'm sorry but everybody has to share because it's 46 pages Um so please urge the school board to make a decision that preserves what makes CMSD special advances educational equity and balances the district's finances Thank