The effort to recall Gavin Newsom took up a lot of editorial space on pages across the country for months and the current gubernatorial race in Virginia is sucking up the rest of America’s election focus at the moment.
However, there is an extremely important race happening in the heartland right now that could serve as a bellwether for 2022, and hardly anyone is talking about it on a national scale…and the heat in that race has just been turned up by a thousand degrees.
Cleveland
Cleveland is known for its juxtapositions. This city sits right at the shores Lake Superior, and is poised to grow into a popular tourist attraction. You can still see the remnants of an illustrious upper class along the city’s shores. They also sprawl over some stunning open spaces within its boundaries. These large, brick-built mansions from the 1900s are surrounded by iron gates. They remind me of a time in America when the American dream was possible. Cleveland also has the country’s second-largest theater district, after Broadway in New York City. It has a budding “hipster” scene and it’s not hard to find cleverly designed craft beer breweries and coffee spots and bars where you can drink custom cocktails while playing board games or cornhole. Cleveland has a vibrance. It hasn’t yet taken in its second wind, but you can feel it in the air when you visit.
This leads us to our juxtaposition. Cleveland has all of its beauty, but also the problems many cities are facing these days. Although violent crime and property crimes have declined over the years, Cleveland’s statistics show that it is still one of America’s most violent cities. According to the City-Data crime index, Cleveland’s crime rate is 2.6% higher than the national average and in 2019 violent crimes were reported at about 857 per 100,000 residents. The national average for crime is 205/100,000. The crime rate in their city is much higher than the 98% average. This statistic is easily seen when you take a drive around some of the poorest areas in the city.
Cleveland, like many other cities, has experienced tensions regarding police brutality. Blacks are furious at how Cleveland has treated their community. But they don’t want any platitudes.
Cleveland is an example of the changes that are taking place in other cities throughout the country. Just as it’s about to come to a head, a new controversy has enveloped the changing city. The “Defund the Police” wing of the Democrat party has descended and some people are not happy about that.
Cleveland’s outgoing mayor is a Black man named Frank Jackson. The mayoral race to replace him has become a battle between a “defund police” candidate and a pro law and order candidate. Are you feeling familiar? Remember, think “bellwether.”
The race’s focal point is Issue 24, a proposed ballot measure, and all the controversy surrounding it. The measure would trigger a number of familiar “reforms”:
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the creation of the Community Police Commission to—together with the Civilian Police Review Board—oversee police conduct investigations and discipline, report and advise about police-community relations, and oversee police training and recruitment;
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requirements that the commission be demographically representative of the city; and
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changes to membership qualifications and requirements for the Civilian Police Review Board to include attorneys with experience defending victims of police brutality, give the mayor instead of the police chief the authority to remove board members, and require the board’s budget to equal at least 1% of the police department’s budget.
The law enforcement community is harmed by it. It is a point not everyone is thrilled about…in Cleveland and elsewhere. This is important because progressive activists turned the election into an issue about race with Issue 24 at its heart.
Many were shocked when Frank Jackson, the Mayor of Jackson refused publicly to follow Black Lives Matter’s law and order line. On a local radio show, The Outlaws,Mayor Jackson slammed the outsiders of the progressive Democrat wing (full disclosure, my radio show is a component of the radio station that produces my podcast). In a not-so-subtle rebuke, he described them as “tragedy pimps.”
It’s this kind of mentality and it goes back to that naivety that’s grounded in academic exercises and political philosophy. People with a particular political philosophy use the legitimate issue for the oppressed, in this case black people, to further their politics, and not assist those who are oppressed. They use the oppressed only for their benefit. That’s all that’s about. And that’s Issue 24. You should vote “no.”
host: I’ve referred to exactly what you’re talking about as people manipulating Black trauma.
That’s all it is. Tragic pimps. That’s what they are. As if they were caring, they take the tragedy of others and make it theirs. You must get out of my way
Cleveland Mayor Frank Jackson calls out “tragedy pimps”. Click the link to listen to the full episode: https://t.co/JvscPYfc7y pic.twitter.com/PDfZU53Ax2
— The Outlaws Radio Show (@TheOutlawsRadio) October 9, 2021
The tragedy pimps weren’t at all happy to have a Black man speak up and give an honest opinion.
The issue’s backers organized a press conference Friday outside the Cuyahoga County Board of Elections where early voting is currently taking place, to respond to the mayor’s attack.
“So now we’re ‘tragedy pimps?’” said Alicia Kirkman, whose son Angelo Miller was killed by Cleveland police in 2007. “It’s unacceptable. “We are here to make Cleveland a better place.” We are here to save lives.”
The proposed charter amendment, which appears on the November ballot, would give the Community Police Commission ultimate authority over officer discipline and policies, a dramatic expansion of its current role.
Jackson is correct in stating that the measure is supported by many residents. However, Jackson is also referring to the fact that money from outside has been flowing into the area to affect the outcome of Jackson’s local issue. This support is not people driven but agenda-driven. Washington D.C.-based activist outlet. Fairness ProjectThe entrepreneur, has already poured more than $60,000 in Issue 24. That’s not chump change for a city of under 400,000 people.
Geraldo Rivera, rightly pointing out this in an appearance at Five recently, the current mayor’s race in Cleveland and the battle over police reform and law and order is something we should all be paying attention to. It isn’t just Virginia that is going to tell a story for 2022. Cleveland sits in an area we believe is a sacred ground for victories. Their disapproval at the Democrats’ plans for cities or law enforcement will cause ripple effects in 2022 and 2024.
@GeraldoRiveraRefers to national TV #issue24, the controversial “police reform” bill. #Cleveland Mayor Frank Jackson is against issue 24 & has referred to some backers as “tragedy pimps”. Mayoral candidate Justin Bibb is for it, his opponent Kevin Kelly is against it https://t.co/Xbg6QLVRSF pic.twitter.com/ty6qSUDYOq
— The Outlaws Radio Show (@TheOutlawsRadio) October 26, 2021
It’s worth noting that so far eleven other American cities have similar measure on their local ballots and some will be voted on as early as next week.
Are tragedy pimps better than a sensible approach to law enforcement? Next week, Cleveland will make its decision. America will follow soon.
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