Cleveland Councilman Zack Reed gives pepper spray to women constituents in his east side ward, compliments of Walmart, as Black women found raped, murdered on city's east side, and Ariel Castro is arraigned on 329 counts including charges of kidnapping and rape of Berry, DeJesus and Knight at his home on Cleveland's west side

Cleveland Ward 2 Councilman Zack Reed, who has been speaking out about violence against women in recent months shortly before the rescue last month from capture of Gina DeJesus, Amanda Berry, and Michelle Knight, and following the unrelated rapes and murders of Black women in his east side ward in March of this year.  Earlier this week Reed announced pepper spray, compliments of Walmart, for his women constituents, an act applauded by women's groups such as the Imperial Women, who also call for more resources for city, state and federal authorities to help eradicate violence against women. 

From The Metro Desk Of Cleveland Urban News.Com and The Kathy Wray Coleman Online News Blog.Com, Ohio's No 1 and No 2 online Black newspapers (www.clevelandurbannews.com) Reach Cleveland Urban News.Com by email at editor@clevelandurbannews.com and by phone at 216-659-0473

CLEVELAND, Ohio- As Ariel Castro was arraigned this week in the Cuyahoga County Court of Common Pleas on a not guilty plea on 329 counts, including multiple counts of rape and kidnapping of Amanda Berry, Gina DeJesus and Michelle Knight at his home on Cleveland's west side, Ward 2 Councilman Zack Reed, one of nine Black east side Cleveland City Council persons, presented a $2500 check from Walmart to the city for pepper spray for his constituents. Among others, he was flanked by Ward 8 Councilman Jeff Johnson, also an east side councilman.

Cleveland is divided along racial lines with Blacks dominating the east side of the Cuyahoga River and Whites primarily residing on the west side. But abduction, kidnapping,  rape, and murder of women have become universal for a  largely Black major American city fighting high unemployment, increased foreclosures, rapidly increasing crime rates, and struggling public schools.

Reed, whose ward includes the poverty stricken Mt Pleasant and Kinsman neighborhoods and  is among 18 members of Cleveland City Council, which is half White and half Black, has been speaking out in recent months on violence against women. He held a community forum earlier this year in his ward on the city's east side after Jazmine Trotter, 20, and Christine Malone, 45, both Black and both victims of rape and murder, were found in separate vacant lots less than a mile from each other near East 93rd St. and Bessemer Ave. 

Just two weeks ago police found the murdered body of 21-year-old Ashley Leszynski in an open field near East 93rd St and Anderson Ave., and less than a mile from where Trotter and Malone were found. 

While a suspect is in custody on Trotter's rape and murder, assailants of Malone and Leszinzki are still on the loose with no major leads, police said.   

Local area community activists, including the Imperial Women, want a missing persons center and more resources from the city and county coffers to help deal with what they say is an epidemic of violence against women, including rape and murder, which disproportionately impact poor Black women, data show.    

Community activists say that they appreciate Reed's advocacy relative to the attention he brings to highlighting violence against women and the need for more resources to help eradicate it.

"We thank Councilman Zack Reed for bringing more awareness to the local, statewide and national problem of violence against women and the absence of necessary and available resources from city, state and federal authorities to help minimize it, " said  Imperial Women Leader Kathy Wray Coleman.