Stories of East Cleveland

Social Justice Institute Visiting Fellow Risham Waseem created this documentary short using the digital archives of the Voicing and Action Project. Drawing on her experience as a filmmaker and change agent in Lahore, Pakistan, Risham explored themes of racism, sexism and community in oral history interviews with women of East Cleveland, Ohio. For more information, visit case.edu/socialjustice.

[@cle-chi]

wow! Kenny O" Shaw High 1990

[@LindaLesher]

Wow, happy to find this. Sorta, I lived in the Collinwood area from 64' (Iwas 5) until 75'. What a way to grow up, so many stressors. Unfortunately, CLEVELAND was very dark to me. Much more than the weather. Well done. How about another DOC 6 Yrs later?

[@artjimeneziii8499]

Interesting . Especially since I associated east Cleveland with serial killer Anthony Sowell and imperial ave

[@IK_4]

Imperial Ave is on the east side of Cleveland, not East Cleveland. He was born in East Cleveland. Two different cities.

[@wadduphotthing]

That’s what happened to Detroit!

[@IK_4]

It's 2022...East Cleveland has gotten even worse. I hope those women aren't still living there.

[@juliewdavis8459]

One day it couldl be rebuilded. By the grace of God flowing from the blood of Jesus maybe his plan.

[@jacksutherland846]

Oh Lord have mercy!

[@citizeness3864]

I live in Cleveland Heights, adjacent to East Cleveland, and for years we have had home invasions, car thefts, armed carjackings, and more recently a spate of murders, including the deaths of two C.H. policemen. A Black drug dealer moved in across the street from my house. Another Black neighbor threatened to rape his white neighbor's wife and six year old daughter if he informed the police that he and his friends were openly smoking crack in view of his child. This same neighbor is known to the police as a rapist, but for some reason we "prejudiced" Whites tolerate his presence on our street. The theme of this "oral history" is that the deck is stacked against Black people and they just can't figure out why. It has nothing to do with skin color and everything to do with criminality and Blacks' racism against the White communities that they enter. In 2009, the Blacks staged a massive flash mob with hundreds of people on Coventry Road to announce that they were staking out their new territory. The following weekend they caused a riot at our annual street fair, and they rioted again the next year and so our fair was cancelled for years until the Blacks wanted to hold a Juneteenth fair on Coventry in 2022. The Black community needs to stop feeling sorry for itself and realize that they bear responsibility for their own actions and that the color of their skin is not a free pass to do whatever they want. East Cleveland was once a posh address. The Blacks did, indeed, turn it into a war zone.

[@IK_4]

When blacks started moving there they allowed corrupt city officials to do what they wanted and ultimately destroy the city. This happens all over the country. It's not just about the people who move into the cities, it's the intentional corruption.

[@citizeness3864]

@@IK_4 That is why it is so important for every citizen to vote for candidates who have integrity. Our elected officials are a reflection of ourselves.

[@nickcage633]

I went to the same convenient store for 40 years and one day I stood in a line with 8 people, I was the only white guy and I was getting dirty looks, thats when I moved out

[@losgryfog]

What did you do to get the looks?

[@juliewdavis8459]

Excellency.

[@l.b.a.miltons9942]

EC will be nice again better buy it up

[@dennishaessly9800]

What to expect when 70% aren't employed. Welfare is allot easyer than working. It's a choice.

[@x-1584]

Especially during the 80's to late 90's era, when the big 3 auto mfr'g, machine tool & dye mfr'g & related warehousing & shipping facilities, had finally packed up there business bags & either sized down operations to skeleton work crews or moved to lower paying wage earning nations, & some even closed up their shop ops completely for good, that as a result had left legions of those black blue collar workers in e cleve to greater cleve i,g. on the unemployment to welfare lines after nothing else was economically available to survive on. so when those workers tax base revenue is gone, & that workers pay for his/her home maintenance up keepis gone too, then soon afterwards youl notice the local neighborhoods schools, st's, roads & bridges gradually deteriorating into dangerous conditions & neglect, including the city garbage collection, the city water maintenance, including fire & police protection being cut to dangerous levels, thatll also manifest with a poor tax base revenue, that can negatively occur on any race of folks local communities, so you'd think RIGHT!.

[@wadduphotthing]

It’s unfortunate blacks can’t get these same opportunities!