Cleveland City Council passes Resolution No. 120-17 declaring "Welcoming City"

Cleveland City Council passed the following resolution this evening with this summary: "Strongly objecting to the recent Presidential Executive Order joining with all Americans who believe that the Executive Order is unlawful and un-American and further, declaring Cleveland, Ohio to be a “Welcoming City” and calling upon the people of Cleveland to join together to build a stronger, united community."

Below is the Council's Press Release and Resolution No. 120-17.  Please see a separate open letter that I have signed onto (here) to President Trump being organized and supported by Local Progress and local government officials across the U.S.

Additionally, many who support our Council's efforts to be a welcoming city for Refugees, Immigrants and un-documented people have asked about the potential for the City of Cleveland to become a Sanctuary City.

Resolution No. 120-17 has statements within it that supports the spirit of sanctuary cities.  But Cleveland City Council and the Jackson Administration could do more to codify and develop Police Orders and other tools to ensure that City resources are not deployed for the enforcement of Federal Immigration Laws.

For more information about Sanctuary Cities, see the following links:

• Minneapolis, Minnesota - Code of Ordinances, Chapter 19 - Employee Authority in Immigration Matters
• City and County of San Francisco, Sanctuary City Ordinance
• The Effects of Sanctuary Policies on Crime and the Economy, By Tom K. Wong Posted on January 26, 2017, Center for American Progress
• "Sanctuary Cities" to Find Sanctuary in the Rehnquist and Roberts Courts, JURIST Legal News and Research Services, Inc., 12/30/2016

CLE Press Release - City Council Welcoming City by Brian Cummins on Scribd

120-17-FINAL-For ADOPTION-ERes-immigration Ban and Cleveland Welcoming City by Brian Cummins on Scribd

On a related note, thanks to the organizers and all the Greater Clevelanders that came out for the Emergency Cleveland Rally for Immigrants, Muslims,
& Sanctuary Cities held on Sunday at Cleveland Hopkins International Airport.

Select photos from Erik Óliver Jørgensen

Ward 14 News, Winter 2016/17

Winter 2016/17 Newsletter featured articles:

• Clark -Fulton and Caribe Bake Shop
• Carla Diamon and Concentrated Inspection Areas (Housing Code Enforcement)
• New Fulton Library Reading Garden
• Ngemba Family Home Renovation
• CYCC/CMHA ConnectHome (computer training) Graduation
• Alleyway Responsibility
• Marilyn Weizcoreck's and Model Block Improvements
• Winter Snow Removal Policy
• Why Adult Literacy Matters - feature on Seeds of Literacy and May Dugan Center

Ward 14 Cummins Winter16 17 Web by Brian Cummins on Scribd



Cleveland Ward 14 Map, effective January 2014
[For an interactive map see the Cleveland City Council Ward 14 page.]

Ward14 Map 2014 by Brian Cummins on Scribd

CYC2.0 and CMHA ConnectHome - Computer Training Graduation

By Bill Callahan, Director, Connect Your Community 2.0

Twenty-two residents of CMHA's Scranton Castle, Crestview and Manhattan Tower Apartments celebrated their new computer and Internet skills -- and new home computer systems -- at a crowded graduation ceremony in the Scanton Castle Community Room on October 19th.

CYC2.0 Graduates from CMHA's Scranton Castle, Crestview
and Manhattan Tower Apartments, October 19th 2016.

Councilman Brian Cummins, Graduate Verna T. Bell
and CMHA Executive Director Jeffery Patterson. 

The graduates represented the first two classes of West Side CMHA participants in basic computer and Internet training, offered through a partnership between Ward 14's Connect Your Community Center and CMHA's "Connect Home" program. Each graduate received a diploma certifying his or her new skills along with a free, refurbished desktop computer system, donated to the CYC Center by CMHA's information technology department.



Several dozen neighbors packed into the Community Room for the ceremony, along with CMHA Executive Director Jeffery Patterson and members of his staff, Ward 14 Councilman Brian Cummins, and representatives of the CYC Center and its parent organization, the Asbury Senior Computer Community Center.

Bill Callahan of the CYC Center, lead trainer Richard Moseley and Center volunteer Tracy Bucher spoke briefly about the training the graduates had received and urged other neighbors to sign up for the next round of classes.

Director Patterson, Councilman Cummins and ASC3 Exective Director Wanda Davis each addressed to the gathering about the urgency of closing Cleveland's digital divide, before formally presenting their diplomas and congratulations.

Trainer Richard Moseley and Bill Callahan , Director of CYC2.0

The Connect Your Community Center, located in the Brooklyn Center Plaza at Pearl and Archwood, has offered free basic computer training and Internet connection assistance to Ward 14 residents and other West Siders since 2014.

Councilman Cummins has supported the Center with Ward 14 funding since its inception with an interest to increase computer literacy in the surrounding neighborhoods.  Neighbors interested in taking classes can call the Center's voicemail at 216-548-8651, or check the website for schedule information.

CYC2.0 Graduates, family and friends congratulating each other!

In addition to the work being done by CYC2.0 and ASC3 on training, they also assist our broader community in tracking and advocating for digital inclusion with national partners.  For more information on those efforts see the CYC 2.0 web site and read this article - What’s digital exclusion and why does it matter?

Here is a map showing the challenges faced in our work with digital inclusion in Cleveland.  It shows the fixed broadband connections as a percentage households in Cleveland's 175 census tracts.  Cleveland joins the City of Detroit in having fewer than 40% of households served by fast DSL or cable Internet connections at the end of 2014 according to data filed with the Federal Communication Commission by Internet providers and mapped by CYC 2.0.

Updated maps show no-broadband majorities in
most Cleveland and Detroit neighborhoods

RTA’s 2016 Highlights

Communications (RTA’s 2016 Highlights) from Joseph A. Calabrese, CEO, General Manager and Secretary-Treasurer, Greater Cleveland Regional Transit Authority.

From: Joseph Calabrese
Sent: Thursday, January 12, 2017
Subject: RTA Update

I’m pleased to share with you RTA’s 2016 Highlights.

Although RTA was often in the news in 2016, the “good news” stories seemed difficult to find!

Please review our accomplishments, feel free to share them with your colleagues, and be sure to call with any questions or suggestions.

RTA finished 2016 in a good financial position and has a stable budget for 2017.  Our biggest challenge ahead is to encourage the State of Ohio to take steps to mitigate the impact of a future loss in sales tax revenues as a result of a federal ruling which, if not addressed, will reduce annual resources to RTA and Cuyahoga County by approximately $40 million annually.

...I truly appreciate your strong support.

Joseph A. Calabrese
CEO, General Manager and Secretary-Treasurer
GCRTA
1240 West Sixth Street
Cleveland, Ohio  44113

RTA - 2016 Highlights by Brian Cummins on Scribd