World's largest outdoor chandelier is lighted at Cleveland cultural arts Playhouse Square extravaganza, some 20,000 people attend, community activists, led by Art McKoy, protest at event over the 137 shots fatal shooting by Cleveland police of unarmed Blacks Malissa Williams and Tim Russell, activists want police indicted on criminal charges
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| The chandelier at the Playhouse Square performing arts center in Cleveland, Ohio, the world's largest outdoor chandelier that was lit-up on Friday, May 2, 2014 in downtown Cleveland to highlight a $16 million cultural arts restoration project in the majority Black major American city. The chandelier boast 4,200 crystals and stands 48 ft tall, designers said. |
Cleveland Urban News. Com and The Cleveland Urban News.Com Blog,
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Kathy Wray Coleman is a community activist and 20 year investigative journalist who trained for 17 years at the Call and Post(www.clevelandurbannews.com) / (www.kathywraycolemanonlinenewsblog.com)
It featured song, dance, a fireworks display, and the lighting of the world's largest outdoor chandelier, a celebration to highlight a $16 million renovation project funded by some private donors and with $4 million in Cuyahoga County grants from casino revenues.
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| Malissa Williams and Timothy Russell |
Also on hand was a group of protesters led by Black on Black Crime founder Art McKoy, who picketed to bring focus to the tragedy in 2012 where 13 all non Black Cleveland police officers gunned down unarmed Blacks Malissa Williams, 30, and Tim Russell, 43, following a high speed car chase that began in downtown Cleveland and ended at Heritage Middle School in neighboring East Cleveland.
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| Art McKoy |
The protesters want a Cuyahoga County Grand Jury currently reviewing the case to issue an indictment on criminal charges of the police officers at issue, all of whom are still on the job.
"We will be there to protest," McKoy, a longtime Cleveland area community activist, told Cleveland Urban News.Com during an interview Friday afternoon.
That chandelier though, is beautiful, said some people that came out Friday to Playhouse Square.
It stands 48 ft. tall, and has some 4, 200 crystals, designers said yesterday.
The majority Black major metropolitan city of Cleveland,
led by Mayor Frank Jackson, a Black mayor elected last year to a third four-year term, may have high crime rates, poverty and struggling public schools, but it can brag about Playhouse Square and its Broadway shows, opera, comedy, concerts and children's programming, replete with the Palace, State, Allen and Ohio theater houses. It is one of the country's largest performing arts centers, second only to the Lincoln Center in New York city.
Jackson spoke briefly and area marching bands , including Shaw High School in East Cleveland, were among the performers, which also include the popular American rock band Hot Chelle Rae.
Many Clevelanders were excited about the gathering, while activists and some other residents said that the monies could have been put to better use, including to fill street pot holes, to address citywide poverty that disproportionately impacts the Black community, and for resources to deal with the epidemic of rape and murder of greater Cleveland women across racial lines.
(www.clevelandurbannews.com) / (www.kathywraycolemanonlinenewsblog.com)
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