Recently, Police Corporal Latasha Moore was indicted on 15 misdemeanor and felony charges, facing counts including, but not limited to, tampering with records, interfering with civil rights, negligence of duty and assault. This makes Moore the 21st former and current East Cleveland police officer indicted since Aug. 2022, some of which were sentenced to prison for violent incidents.
East Cleveland bears a significant and persisting stigma shaped by its history of elevated crime rates, fiscal decline and administrative instability. During a drive through East Cleveland, one undeniably encounters rows of abandoned houses, worsened by the crumbling lead paint and overgrown lots reflecting generations of neglect.
A trip down memory lane, though, recalls its former identity as “Millionaire’s Row,” which references the stretch of Euclid Avenue that was once recognized for being one of the most prosperous residential streets in the U.S. during the late 19th and 20th centuries. The avenue was lined with mansions home to some of the U.S.’s most powerful industrialists, including John D. Rockefeller. However, the dramatic increase in taxes and land expenses became the precursors to the decline of the affluent suburb. A number of the extravagant estates were destroyed to make room for the construction of commercial buildings, parking lots and the Innerbelt Freeway as part of Cleveland’s mid 20th century urban renewal projects. Fragmentations of the city’s luxuries remain, serving as a reminder of East Cleveland’s past prosperity and dominance. Yet abandoned housing—likely exacerbated by deteriorating infrastructure from the usage of lead-based materials—and prevalence of a dysfunctional administration prevented the area from returning to its former glory.
Cleveland’s urban renewal program of Hough neighborhood, in particular, serves as a primary example of the complex byproduct of racist policies enabled by the municipal government. The six urban renewal projects were directed at Black neighborhoods, which acted to forcibly displace its residents to specific areas of the city as their homes and businesses were destroyed for industrialization. The underlying motive stemmed from systematic racism, especially through practices such as redlining. With families fleeing the city, industry declined and so did Hough. Black Cleveland residents became trapped in the vicious cycle of systematic racism marked by failing businesses, unemployment, poverty and overcrowding—unlike their privileged, wealthier counterparts. Today, Hough continues to struggle to reverse the downfall it suffered many decades ago.
Corruption within the East Cleveland Police Department is yet another anchor weighing East Cleveland down, contributing to the persistingly high crime rates that reinforce the stigma of it being dangerous.
Mayor Sandra Morgan, who was elected for office this past January, has vowed to revitalize the municipality on the day of Moore’s resignation from the police department. The acting Chief of Police Reginald Holcomb has expressed similar sentiments in hopes of putting the past behind and bringing up a fresh future to East Cleveland. The Observer reached out to Holcomb for insight regarding how the department plans to move forward in response to the indictment, but was unable to receive comment by the publication deadline.
Last month, the city of Cleveland became formally in receivership with the State of Ohio after decades of economic strain. Morgan is oriented on public safety and infrastructure renewal through outsourcing grants and generating new revenue streams to fund such endeavors.
East Cleveland faces a lengthy road ahead. With the support and optimism of Morgan and Holcomb, meaningful progress is not only possible, but long overdue.
Before passing judgment, it is valuable to take the time to understand the deep-rooted history that has shaped East Cleveland, which now exists in the shadow of its former affluence.