Code,999034
Subject,Gloria Aron
Date,6/9/2007
Interviewer,Adam Cottos
Abstract,"In this 2007 interview, Gloria Aron, a lifelong resident of the Detroit-Shoreway area of Cleveland, talks about her experiences living on West 81st Street, and her involvement in a number of projects as a community activist.  She talks about the problems of the poor, the homeless, and the working class in her neighborhood.  She also discusses government programs that have worked to alleviate neighborhood problems; and others that have not.  She comments on the Cleveland School system, and contends that Cleveland schools are better as a result of court-ordered integration and busing.  She also discusses problems with the gentrification of Cleveland neighborhoods such as Ohio City and Detroit-Shoreway"
Special Notes,
minutes:,54
0,Introduction: a community activitist since 1979; part of the group to bring about quality schools and peaceful desegr
1,Cleveland was allowed to get out from underneath the court before desegregation was fulfilled; not completing the court order has ruined the Cleveland schools;
2,There has been improvement with the city schools; we would not have the Cleveland School of the Arts; we are falling back;
3,Cleveland did have a peaceful desegregation; community organizers doing community block groups; different philosophy for each group and area; Detroit Shoreway
4,Her street club did organize and got new sidewalks without joining Detroit Shoreway; Snitch on your neighbor program
5,This program helped homeowners to help fix up their homes;
6,Housing problems in Cleveland; during the 1980s there were many housing groups formed
7,"To rehab a home, why are we as a community stop understanding that we do have the power to improve our community"
8,"Remember going to Washington and having hearing that we need money like section 8; better housing, etc."
9,People from the community use to get together to make things happen back in the day;
10,SOHIO to help with covering the cost of utilities; in the 80s Cleveland was one of the strongest grass-roots organizations in the country; from all throughout the city
11,Did not like to support the idea of Ohio City because of the idea of pushing poor people out of the area;
12,"The major issues she worked on have been education, healthcare, housing and issues of homeless;"
13,Various community groups have gotten together to get the first full intact family center and the issue of providing affordable housing;
14,"Finding out why all the jobs are leaving Cleveland; need to work at the youth, drugs;"
15,"Have not been able to address the drug problem; the same drugs that sold in that neighborhood 20 years ago, still sell drugs today and we need to address this"
16,Being on the wrong side of the advocacy can hurt a community organization
17,Near Westside Housing grew out of neighborhood people coming together and identifying an issue and taking action
18,The Detroit Shoreway has gotten better;
19,On Madison and Lorain avenues use to have movie theaters that no longer exit; major grocery stores; now a drug store on every corner
20,"Deal with the problems at hand, not just take away such as the basketball hoops, etc.; neighbors are moving for fear and want safety; racism"
21,"When are we going to address these issues; communities need to work together and make things happen, it can be done;"
22,"People know what is needed in their neighborhood, but feel that nobody is listening; a great discouragement; we have a great resource at Edgewater;"
23,"The city use to have the greatest 4th of July celebration at Edgewater; the city had bands,"
24,All across the city use to come down to celebrate; it brought people from all diversities together;
25,"Awareness, diversity"
26,Community meals where everyone got together and had a pot luck;
27,How can a young family survive today with the issue of healthcare;
28,Metro is still a public hospital; we have to make sure that they continue to do that even thought Metro is being overwhelmed by the uninsured
29,The morality of people have left; we need to organize and respect ourselves and our community;
30,People's mentality is forgetting about the poor;
31,Bakeries in the neighborhood; now they are gone; lack of shopping spaces; we don't have a lot that use to be a lot before; how can we change?
32,"Ohio City was pushing low income people out; more people moving in her neighborhood; always a fight between too many social services, etc."
33,There was always a fight about having too many social services; where are we now going to push the poor?
34,"It does not solve the problem with pushing the poor out, or pushing the rental people out; this is not right; we need to hold people more accountable"
35,A good thing that has happeded to her neighborhood that it has changed with regards to diversity;
36,Glad that her kids attended schools that were integrated;
37,We need to hold our public officials accountable; holding our non-profit organizations accountable;
38,We need to have more grass roots organizations; we can change and we have the power to change; we need to work together and we can fix it
39,Looking forward to seeing the Capital being brought back; everyday people made what community plays what it is today
40,On the near west side we have a rich history of starting things and forgetting about them; The Cleveland Mediation Program started on the westside;
41,How and when are we going to address the homeless; keeping the jobs in the city;
42,"Mt. Carmel, St. Coleman's are like an anchor in the neighborhood;"
43,"We should not allow a system to say, ""you must have a birth certificate"" in order to use their resources; too many road blocks; expensive"
44,"There is no better place to live is in Cleveland, especially on the near westside; so many homes have been torn down and now they do not even use those areas"
45,Must have a commitment to stay in your neighborhood
46,We are too quick to throw away our history; tearing down schools to build new ones; Gallagher's legacy
47,We do not appreciate the art side of Cleveland
48,Why build an artsy park when we need housing?
49,What are we offering our kids who hang on the corner; we need to give them something to do;
50,How much do we invest in our children; it use to be at every playground that someone was there to do stuff with the kids;
51,Why do we have to close some schools;
52,The charter schools and understanding the charter schools; there is no proof that these schools are any better
53,Urban community has proven to be a good school;
54,END of CLIP
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