1968 – Start of Cleveland Decline

The year 1968 – 40 years ago – provides rich, if disturbing, historical background to the reason Cleveland is in the shape it is today. For me, 1968 was the year that changed my life and direction. I invite you to read a long piece on that year’s events to see what you think. You may do so by going to www.readroldo.com. I hope readers will take the time to read this piece published today

For a look at Cleveland’s racial division, or as Barack Obama says “racial wounds,” I’ll cite a couple of passages from the 1968 piece, involving among other events, the Glenville shootout:

“The political nature of the trial extended beyond being merely an attack upon black nationalists. Charles R. Laurie, the assistant prosecutor, made broad insinuations about Mayor Stokes’ involvement. ‘Why did City Hall let the police go in there unprepared? Why? What were they going to fight back with? Spitballs?’ At another point, Laurie said: ‘Under the façade of making dolls and dashikis (the program funded by the city with Evans as its head) in the shop… they prepared for war against the men in blue. City Hall gave him the money and what did he do in gratitude? He gave them hot bullets in return.

“The prosecution lawyers, both white, several times during the summation, called the two Negro defense lawyers ‘boys.’ Laurie badgered one young Negro girl, finally screaming, ‘You hate white people, don’t you?’ He then asked her, ‘Wasn’t my color the people that put up the money for these (poverty) programs?’”

And another from the testimony of an NBC cameraman:

“Boros was trying to take film during this period. A number of police started to attack him.
“’I was lying down, and they pulled my back, my shoulders and I was scared to death here that they will pound my head and I will die. That’s when I started screaming. I said, ‘God help me, please. Please help me.’ That was the worse. This position because there was so many on my and that’s when I did look up, you know and I see Charlie Ray (also an NBC cameraman) next to the wall, you know, and very clearly I see two cops behind him with sticks – I shouldn’t say two. I should say not one, more than – maybe three or four… I don’t know. But more than one policeman behind him pounding his back, you know, hitting, and his hands were up and his head was looking down, watching me and he said, ‘Jules,” and I said, ‘Charlie.’ You know that was the one worked I could say but that was when I was sure I will die because I have the feeling if one will grab me and hit my head down, that is it.”
The events of 1968 still reverberate in the consciousness of Cleveland. They color our feeling, whether we admit or recognize it or not.