Chess - Scares Away Drug Dealers

From WYKC.com
Cleveland, Ohio
July 16, 2008
Buckeye statue designed to inspire neighborhood renaissance

CLEVELAND -- There's a new statue that's starting to get attention in Cleveland, not just because of its size, but because of where it is.

On East 118th Street and Buckeye Road, what people talk about the most is the size of the new statue/sculpture. It towers over anyone walking or driving by.

It's an 18-foot, one-and-a-half ton green figure of a man celebrating with one hand while playing a trumpet with the other. A little dog listens on the side.

"My daughter keeps running up to the dog, because she thinks it a real dog," said neighbor Denise Thomas.

The statue celebrates the yearly jazz and blues festival on Buckeye. One was held just last weekend.

There's a broader and deeper purpose though, for the sculpture and the plaza that surrounds it.

The $400,000 plaza is the result of a collaboration of several private, public and foundation organizations -- The Buckeye Area Development Corporation, The City of Cleveland, Neighborhood Progress Inc., Cleveland Public Art, RTA, Parkworks, and Charter One Bank. "The plan is to turn Buckeye into an arts and cultural district," said Buckeye Development Director John Hopkins.

Through the year, the corner has has been known for fights, drug and gang activity. Now it has been reconstructed with the hope of building up the neighborhood rather than tearing it down. There's a tile bench surrounding the statue with pictures and information about musical instruments. There are also tile chess boards.

City Councilman Ken Johnson says he's already seen some older men playing chess there at 8 p.m. recently. "You know the drug dealers are not going to hang around when you've got guys playing chess," he said.

The sculpture artist is James Simon of Pittsburgh. The tile seating was done by artist Angelica Poza, who did the well-known "peanut painting" that could be seen for years on the Peterson Nut building across the street from what is now Progressive Field.

As with any work of art, there are some who are not impressed. "Frankly, I think it's ugly," said neighbor Brenda Davenport.

However, most of the response has been like business owner Christina Christian. "It shows so much culture", she said. "It makes you feel like we're keeping Buckeye alive."

Channel 3's Obie Shelton stood next to the new trumpet sculpture as well as the Free Stamp downtown. See the comparison. © 2008 WKYC-TV