Shaker Heights , Ludlow gang beating not much news on wcpn

This mornings nine to ten a.m. slot on wcpn was dedicated to discussion concerning the tragic beating incurred by a Shaker Heights attorney who was out walking in his neighborhood on New Year's eve , and severely beaten by a gang of seven youths , with an iron pipe no less , traumatizing and hospitalizing him with severe injuries , resulting in the surgical placement of pins and plates in his legs. A rather sad and sinister state of affairs for a pretty stable suburban neighborhood . Though this man's recovery in a psychological vein will cause this poor victim shock and pain for sometime to come as well as those in his Shaker Heights Ludlow community that feel his pains and admire his courage. Present for the hour were Shaker Heights mayor Earl Leiken , Shaker Heights Council member Al Foster , and a member from the Ludlow Community Association named Chudzinski. The wcpn moderator initially confused the Shaker Heights councilman foster with being the Cleveland councilman , a rather embarrassing moment to be certain , and indicative of the less than stellar preparation that occurs in regards to this time slot. The Shaker Heights mayor elected to introduce himself , and proceeded to carry on concerning the recent Federal crime figures that show a marked decrease in crime in Shaker Heights. Unfortunately for the victim of the Ludlow beating , the gang that assaulted him were not included in this statistical abstract. Councilman Foster stated the obvious need for parental involvement , and claimed that race was not an issue. The victim is Caucasian , the juveniles Afro American. Both of these elected officials seemed sincere and to genuinely care about the fate of the City they represent, though neither had much to offer in the form of suggestions to prevent such occurrences from happening again. The Ludlow community representative Chudzinski expressed optimism , hoping that this was a wake up call for more vigilant neighborhood involvement. A matter of pulling together , not ripping apart his message. What is truly sad here is that no acknowledgement of the obvious sad social condition that acted as a precursor for this criminal condition , " baby childs" , there I said it , received any mention. Yes , " baby childs " , these youth who ganged up on our unfortunate victim were in the age range of fourteen to seventeen years of age , and it is more likely than not that perhaps some of these young men were conceived by young mother's perhaps not prepared to accept the responsibility to raise them . According to 2005 statistics for the City of Cleveland birth records , twenty percent of Mother's giving birth residing in the City of Cleveland were between eleven and nineteen years of age. Not a race issue , as much as a youth pregnancy issue. The usual two thousand ton elephant in the room , youth pregnancy ,was kept cowering in the corner by the participants and callers alike. What can one say in defense of children conceiving children save that it is time to break the cycle. Now! An Akron caller mentioned being robbed and pistol whipped on December 27 , 2007 near Shaker Square. Though this same Akron caller was cut off quickly by the wcpn host when she critically pointed out that the " big football stadium downtown was all good and well , though not of much use when it came down to urban brass tacks such as public safety". A Shaker Heights resident named Steve called in to report purchasing a taser. I think that Steve is a bit light in his expectations of self defense in this choice of weapons. Some small amount of time was spent in mentioning the education of parents concerning their off springs , though the obvious in this matter of parenting is to begin with breaking the cycle of teen childbirth. No more or less. Juvenile gangs again were not mentioned , though much has been written on this subject , and it is human nature that draws together children in a world , and a rereading of William Golding's LORD OF THE FLIES is all it takes to begin to understand the sad and sometimes cruel rites of passage that comprise adolescence. Oddly enough the one time that da p.d. should have been present at a wcpn , in the form of editorial columnist Dick Feagler , whose Sunday January 6 , 2008 dealt with this crime and the cultural reality of such events as urban flight and offered this advice via his conversation with a Shaker Heights police officer on walking in Shaker Heights " Go in two's , or get a big dog and walk it. Or take a cell phone with you pre-dialed to 911". Sounds like stern ,stellar and apt advice. Especially the cell phone particular. Police response in Shaker Heights is quick , and had the victim had a cell phone it may have made a difference.It would have served the listeners well to have been able to comment on Feagler's Sunday article , which walked the line between racism and modern urban real time life. Bordering a City such as Cleveland , presents Shaker Heights residents with some odd quality of life issues that can lead to becoming quandaries such as the unfortunate victim of this heinous and violent Juvenile gang crime. Shaker Heights is also around the corner from North Randall , Ohio , and it is only this past Friday evening January 4 , 2008 , that a multiple shooting occurred in a motel in a Northfield Road Motel located in North Randall , Ohio resulting in five men being shot ranging in age from eighteen to twenty years of age. In 2007 Cleveland , Ohio had a rash of violent crimes committed by a South east side , Slavic Village , gang who called themselves " The Goonies" , and beat and robbed many elderly victims. Our Ohio jails are filled to over capacity with these sad young cases of Juvenile / adult crimes. Our maternity words are swollen with children conceiving children. As for solutions , it seems that few quick fixes exist. Keeping the plight of such crimes front and center in our minds and having open dialogue concerning such modern dilemmas as teen pregnancies , and Juvenile crime is a great start.I only wish that I was kidding concerning being pinned down on New Years eve by random gunfire in our East side neighborhood. Staying well put instead of milling about the rather uncertain mean streets of Cleveland , Ohio that evening seems the norm not the exception these days. Perhaps if our political officials worked harder at the social ills of our Cities , and less at the corporate welfare issues that occupy their time , we would fare better collectively. I received a distress call the other day from a visitor to Detroit , Michigan a few days after the New Years. She was worried about taking public buses in Detroit after a middle aged woman was shot in the face for the crime of not having any money to give the assailant that committed a robbery upon her as she disembarked from a Detroit , Michigan Department of Transportation bus. My Friend purchased a second hand purse , and placed ten dollar bills in it to give up quickly if accosted in a similar fashion. What a way to have to consider to live in modern America ! Join a community group or block watch organization. Volunteer some of your hard earned time to participate in inner city youth programs. Sacrifice your nfl football sunday's and become a big brother or big sister. Hell , I do not even begin to know were to offer advice in this terrible matter of Juvenille crime. Start close to home , keep those that you Love and respect in good form , and look out for one another. We are only as good as our collective efforts. Book Selling Time! You guessed it 1 William Golding LORD OF THE FLIES. Most all of us have read this volume at sometime in our life , and the message of the cruel and sometimes violent and difficult adolescent passage has never been better addressed to my knowledge. Best wishes to all victims of terrible crimes such as the one suffered by the Shaker Heights Ludlow resident.Believe in Love and take a moment to care for those that you do. Pass it on.

---