CLEVELAND — Generally, school officials can’t control safety or behavior outside of school, even if it’s on the walk to and from the city bus stop.
Three years ago, unruly after-school behavior at an RTA bus stop near Cleveland Metropolitan School District’s Rhodes High School caused some businesses to close their shops temporarily.
“Its been very disruptive, damaging the property, assaulting and harassing customers that come in, just pretty much being a nuisance to the business,” Samuel White, the owner of Old Brooklyn Small Engine Repair Shop, said. “Not just my business, but other businesses in the area.”
In lieu of a traditional school bus, Cleveland Metropolitan School District provides its high schoolers with RTA passes.
From White’s perspective, this has led to hundreds of students unsupervised in front of his storefront. After dealing with several vandalism incidents and a gun hidden behind his store, police cruisers stationed along the street became a familiar site.
But, White said the problems persisted until the ReNOUNce DeNOUNce Gang Intervention program sent its “Violence Interruptors” to supervise the area.
“We stay here and we make sure they get home, get on the bus, whichever the case may be,” Maurice Gray, a Violence Interruptor, said. “We want everything that happens, to happen safely and especially in this particular spot up here. It’s been known for fights and bang-outs.”
Every day, students awaiting the bus are greeted by the same Violence Interruptors. They ask the students about their classes, compliment them and provide the occasional free snack.
White said he believes their presence has made all the difference in the community. Not only has it alleviated strain on businesses, students seem to appreciate the Violence Interruptors too.
“They tell us about their day and then it’s also just a huge plus to my heart because, you know, when kids come up to you, that’s because they want to come up to you, you know, and they know that we are out here for them,” Gray said.
After ensuring all the students have a ride home, the Violence Interruptors head downtown, where many students congregate after school.
Colloquially, their work is called ‘Safe Passages.’ It’s partly made possible through City of Cleveland funding. However, the City of Cleveland doesn’t fund a Safe Passages program. Instead, it finances a Neighborhood Safety Fund which funds community programming dedicated to mitigating violence.
The ReNOUNce DeNOUNce Gang Intervention is a recipient of this funding, which allows the group to pay Violence Interruptors to diffuse issues in high-incident areas around the city.
