Delete WardMaking a Public Comment
Council welcomes public comment before regular council meetings. Fill out the online form below for your chance to make a public comment at the next regular Monday Council meeting. Please read the revised rules and procedures.
Registrations can also be submitted:
* In person at Cleveland City Hall, Room 220, 601 Lakeside Ave. NE. Paper forms are available to register.
* If you don't want to fill out the online form below, you can download this form and fill it out, and email it to publiccomment@clevelandcitycouncil.gov or drop it off at Council offices. (Parking at City Hall on the upper lot is free on Mondays after 5 pm when Council is meeting.) If you need assistance, language, or disability, go here to make a request (at least 3 days in advance.)
Make a Comment in Person
Registrations to speak up to 3 minutes at a regular council meeting can be submitted between noon Wednesday and 2 pm on the Monday before a regular 7 pm council meeting. (Early, incomplete and false registrations are not accepted.) Only the first 10 are accepted.
Make a Comment Online
If you don't want to speak at a Council meeting, please submit your written comments below.
Public Comments
Filter By
By Brian Bailys, CEO, Thrive Peer Recovery Services
Good afternoon, members of the Council. My name is Brian Bailys, and I am the CEO of Thrive Peer Recovery Services.
At Thrive, our mission is simple but powerful — people in recovery helping others find recovery. Every day, our peer supporters stand beside individuals who are scared, alone, and often at the lowest point in their lives. They meet people in emergency rooms, on the streets, and in the community — people who are asking for help, sometimes for the first time.
This year, we expect to serve about 1,600 people who come into local emergency rooms in crisis. Thanks to the dedication of our team and the support of the ADAMHS Board, 77% of those individuals will be connected to treatment — to real hope and a real chance to rebuild their lives.
But with the recent reduction in ADAMHS Board funding, that hope is at risk. These cuts would mean fewer hours, fewer peers in the field, and about 250 people who may not get the help they desperately need. That’s 250 people — mothers, fathers, sons, daughters — who may not get that critical hand reaching out at the right moment.
We’ve seen firsthand what happens when that connection is made — lives are saved, families are reunited, and people rediscover purpose. But when that help isn’t there, the consequences ripple through families, hospitals, and the community as a whole.
I respectfully urge you to restore the proposed reduction in funding to the ADAMHS Board. This funding isn’t just about numbers — it’s about lives, hope, and second chances.
Thank you for listening and for your continued commitment to the people of Cleveland.
Please have the following statement read to the city council, provide them a copy, and emailed this information to Mayor Bibb’s administration,Safety, Division of Police and Cemeteries.
On Saturday, October 18, 2025 I was driving eastbound on Wade Avenue along the Scranton Road Cemetery (established in the 1800’s) and observed a homeless encampment on top of multiple graves within the cemetery. I stopped and walked into the cemetery and was met by man who informed me that he was looking for a friend. I had a brief conversation with him, and he informed me that he was a former United States Marine and that he did not like the desecration of the cemetery, and that it was an “abomination”. I agreed with him. We both observed a doll that someone tied to a tombstone near the entrance gate, and he removed it. I called Police Radio and informed them that there was a homeless encampment that was desecrating the cemetery, and continued on my way into the Tremont neighborhood.
On Sunday, October 19, 2025 I was again driving eastbound on Wade Avenue along the Scranton Road Cemetery and observed the homeless encampment was still on top of multiple graves within the cemetery. I called 311 and informed them of the desecration and was told that this information would be passed on to the appropriate city officials. I later learned that basically nothing was done, or will be done about this situation, per some City of Cleveland administrative…
On Monday, October 20, 2025 I called various city officials including Safety, Division of Police, City Council, and the Cleveland Law Department and left messages with information about the above mentioned problem, as well as the criminal trespassing at the cemetery. I left my name and telephone number however; I did not receive any calls. As the City Council was meeting that night, I attended the last part of the meeting. After the adjournment I met with members of City Council and informed them of the desecration and criminal trespassing mentioned above. They were discomforted by what I reported to them. On a positive note, I met with Ward 3 Councilwoman Lauren Welch. Scranton Road Cemetery is within her Ward. She informed me that she would generate an email to City Hall officials concerning the homeless encampment. At the conclusion of our conversation I gave her my telephone number so that she could contact me if she needed more information.
On Tuesday, October 21, 2025 I sent by text several pictures and an audio of my conversation with the gentleman at the cemetery on Saturday, October 18th.
On Wednesday, October 22, 2025 I had business to conduct at Cleveland City Hall. While I was traveling to downtown I saw that the homeless encampment was still at the Scranton Road Cemetery. I spoke with a woman who was at the cemetery who told me that her grandfather was a veteran, and that she would not be happy if she found that someone was living on his grave.
While I was at City Hall, I met with a number of top city officials who informed that they were aware of the encampment, but they were unwilling to commit to any immediate action to remove the homeless from the cemetery.
On Sunday, October 26, 2025 I visited Lake View Cemetery for over three hours. As I walked through the grounds and visited the President Garfield Monument, I did not see any homeless encampments anywhere with the cemetery grounds.
As I was driving back through Cleveland, having not heard from anyone from the city, I drove past the Scranton Road Cemetery and saw that the homeless encampment had grown, and that there were more blue tarps over various grave sites.
Additionally, Scranton Elementary School is one block away from this encampment.
Over the course of last many days I have had conversations with a significant number of people, all of whom were aghast and appalled at the situation at the cemetery. I informed them that city officials have been contacted, and that the homeless remain encamped on people’s graves. Several suggested that I should contact the media to get immediate results. At this time I have not yet contacted the media because I believe the city should do the right thing without being shamed into taking immediate action. This situation has already been reported in the media, and the encampment has not been removed. In one of the reports, a woman who lives close to the cemetery is afraid to come out of her home due to the presence of this encampment.
Questions to consider:
How would your grandmother or your mother feel if they were at the Scranton Road Cemetery to pay their respects and found someone living on top of their loved one’s grave?
Would you drop off your grandmother or mother at the cemetery, leave them there for a couple of hours while you went shopping at the West Side Market with a homeless encampment surrounding them as they visited and paid their respects?
If Mayor Bibb were to receive a phone call from a family member telling him that homeless people were living on his family’s grave site, would there be immediate action taken, or would action be delayed with no commitment to address the problem?
If a family member of Mayor Bibb's was terrified to come out of their home due to a nearby homeless encampment, what immediate action do you believe would be taken to address the issue?
If Mayor Bibb were to receive a phone call from a prominent business person in the community, telling him that homeless people were living on their family’s grave site, would there be immediate action taken, or would action be delayed with no commitment to address the problem?
City of Cleveland, it is my belief, and the belief of others, that it is your responsibility and duty to compassionately remove the homeless trespassers, and restore the honor, dignity, and respect that the occupants of the Scranton Road Cemetery deserve. I have listed below some ordinances that may be helpful in clarifying your responsibilities in the cemeteries and in the parks.
“A picture is worth a thousand words.”
Lake View Cemetery 10-26-2025
Pictures can be provided upon request.
Scranton Rd Cemetery 10-18-19-22-2025
Pictures can be provided upon request.
In Ohio, Ohio Revised Code (ORC) Section 759.10 mandates the Director of Public Service in a city to remove trespassers from public burial grounds.
623.06 Destruction of Shrubs, Trees or Crops
(a) No person, without privilege to do so, shall recklessly cut down, destroy, girdle or otherwise injure a vine, bush, shrub, sapling, tree or crop standing or growing on the land of another or upon public land.
(b) Whoever violates this section is liable in treble damages for the injury caused.
(RC 901.51)
(c) Whoever violates this section is guilty of a misdemeanor of the fourth degree.
(RC 901.99(A); Ord. No. 90-96. Passed 3-18-96, eff. 3-26-96)
§ 623.07 Desecration (a) No person, without privilege to do so, shall purposely deface, damage, pollute or otherwise physically mistreat any of the following: (1) The flag of the United States or of this State; (2) Any public monument; (3) Any historical or commemorative marker, or any structure, Indian mound or earthwork, cemetery thing or site of great historical or archeological interest; (4) A work of art or museum piece; (5) Any other object of reverence or sacred devotion. (b) Whoever violates this section is guilty of desecration. A violation of this section is a misdemeanor of the second degree.(RC 2927.11; Ord. No. 834-03. Passed 6-10-03, eff. 6-12-03)
§ 623.02 Criminal Damaging or Endangering (a) No person shall cause, or create a substantial risk of physical harm to any property of another without his or her consent: (1) Knowingly, by any means; (2) Recklessly, by means of fire, explosion, flood, poison gas, poison, radioactive material, caustic or corrosive material, or other inherently dangerous agency or substance. (b) Whoever violates this section is guilty of criminal damaging or endangering, a misdemeanor if the property involved is not an aircraft, an aircraft engine, propeller, appliance, spare part or any other equipment or implement used or intended to be used in the operation of an aircraft and if the violation does not create a risk of physical harm to any person, and if the property involved is not an occupied aircraft.. A violation of this section is a misdemeanor of the second degree. If violation of this section creates a risk of physical harm to any person, criminal damaging or endangering is a misdemeanor of the first degree.(RC 2909.06; Ord. No. 1414-86. Passed 11-3-86, eff. 11-5-86)
(In Part)
(RC 901.99(A); Ord. No. 90-96. Passed 3-18-96, eff. 3-26-96)
§ 623.04 Criminal Trespass (a) No person, without privilege to do so, shall do any of the following: (1) Knowingly enter or remain on the land or premises of another; (2) Knowingly enter or remain on the land or premises of another, the use of which is lawfully restricted to certain persons, purposes, modes or hours, when the offender knows he or she is in violation of any such restriction or is reckless in that regard. (3) Recklessly enter or remain on the land or premises of another, as to which notice against unauthorized access or presence is given by actual communication to the offender, or in a manner prescribed by law, or by posting in a manner reasonably calculated to come to the attention of potential intruders, or by fencing or other enclosure manifestly designed to restrict access; (4) Being on the land or premises of another, negligently fail or refuse to leave upon being notified to do so by the owner or occupant, or the agent or servant of either; (5) Knowingly enter or remain in any vacant and vandalized building or structure, including, but not limited to, a formerly occupied residential dwelling or dwelling unit, without having on his or her person the written permission of the owner of such structure granting permission to be in any such building or structure. This paragraph does not apply to governmental officers or employees when carrying out a lawful governmental function. (6) After first being warned to desist, knowingly enter or remain on vacant land of another, or outdoors on the land or premises of another on which any vacant and vandalized building or structure is situated, including, but not limited to, a formerly occupied residential dwelling or dwelling unit, without having on his or her person a writing such as, by way of example only, a contract or work order for work at the land or premises, or a writing signed by the owner, lessee or other person entitled to possession of the land or premises, that shows that the person has a lawful reason to enter or remain there. (b) It is no defense to a charge under this section that the land or premises involved was owned, controlled or in custody of a public agency. (c) It is no defense to a charge under this section that the offender was authorized to enter or remain on the land or premises involved when such authorization was secured by deception. (d) Whoever violates divisions (a)(1), (2), (3) and (4) of this section is guilty of criminal trespass, a misdemeanor of the fourth degree. (e) Whoever violates division (a)(5) of this section is guilty of trespassing on a vacant and vandalized building, a misdemeanor of the first degree. (f) Whoever violates division (a)(6) of this section is guilty of a minor misdemeanor on the first offense and a misdemeanor of the fourth degree on the second and any subsequent offense. (g) As used in this section, “land or premises” includes any land, building, structure of place belonging to, controlled by or in custody of another, and any separate enclosure or room, or portion thereof.(RC 2911.21; Ord. No. 1076-09. Passed 5-10-10, eff. 5-20-10)§ 623.041 Aggravated Trespass (a) No person shall enter or remain on the land or premises of another with purpose to commit on that land or those premises a misdemeanor, the elements of which involve causing physical harm to another person or causing another person to believe that the offender will cause physical harm to him or her. (b) Whoever violates this section is guilty of aggravated trespass, a misdemeanor of the first degree.(RC 2911.211; Ord. No. 1298-93. Passed 6-14-93, eff. 6-23-93)§ 623.05 Trespass on RTA Property (a) No person shall enter upon any portion of the right-of-way, owned or leased by the Regional Transit Authority or any other transit system, upon which are located rail tracks of any rapid transit system, without proper authority. (b) Whoever violates this section is guilty of trespass on RTA property, a misdemeanor of the fourth degree.(Ord. No. 1020-76. Passed 6-14-76, eff. 6-18-76)§ 623.06 Destruction of Shrubs, Trees or Crops (a) No person, without privilege to do so, shall recklessly cut down, destroy, girdle or otherwise injure a vine, bush, shrub, sapling, tree or crop standing or growing on the land of another or upon public land. (b) Whoever violates this section is liable in treble damages for the injury caused.(RC 901.51) (c) Whoever violates this section is guilty of a misdemeanor of the fourth degree.(RC 901.99(A); Ord. No. 90-96. Passed 3-18-96, eff. 3-26-96)§ 623.07 Desecration (a) No person, without privilege to do so, shall purposely deface, damage, pollute or otherwise physically mistreat any of the following: (1) The flag of the United States or of this State; (2) Any public monument; (3) Any historical or commemorative marker, or any structure, Indian mound or earthwork, cemetery thing or site of great historical or archeological interest; (4) A work of art or museum piece; (5) Any other object of reverence or sacred devotion. (b) Whoever violates this section is guilty of desecration. A violation of this section is a misdemeanor of the second degree.(RC 2927.11; Ord. No. 834-03. Passed 6-10-03, eff. 6-12-03)
Thank you for your prompt attention to this matter. Please feel free to contact me if you have any questions.
Respectfully,
Jim Mangan
(216) 272-6605
With the browns to move the dome to where the burke airport is
And taking down the old stadium is and developing that appropriately as needed. The city could then take the land in brooklyn and expand cleveland hopkins airport. Parties could split the cost on redesigning the dome.