UPFRONT CSU WOLSTEIN CENTER TO SERVE AS FEMA MASS VACCINATION SITE THE WHITE HOUSE, ALONG WITH state and local officials, announced Friday that the Cleveland State University Wolstein Center will be among the large venues nationwide serving as mass vaccination sites operated by the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA). When it opens on St. Patrick’s Day, it is expected to administer as many as 6,000 vaccine shots per day, the Biden administration said. The site was recommended by Ohio officials and selected by FEMA, in part, for its proximity to underserved populations and senior citizens. The new vaccine doses will be in addition to those at other Ohio vaccine distribution centers. In a press release Friday morning, Gov. Mike DeWine thanked FEMA and said that, with the supply of vaccines increasing, now is the perfect time to launch a mass vaccination site of this kind. He referred to the Wolstein site as a “long-term clinic” and said it would vaccinate more Ohioans than any other site to date, “particularly those in Ohio’s most vulnerable populations.” The site will operate seven days per week and will be distributing the Pfizer vaccine to all eligible Ohioans for three weeks. Those who receive shots will then be able to get their second shot in the ensuing weeks. Those with transportation challenges can get free RTA passes or subsidized ride share services to the Wolstein Center by calling 2-1-1. Mayor Frank Jackson, County Executive Armond Budish and CSU President Harlan Sands all thanked Gov. Mike DeWine and FEMA in prepared statements. Sands called the Wolstein site “mission-central” to CSU. The Feds have deployed 25 personnel to assist Ohio with vaccination efforts statewide. With the Wolstein Center and other additions, there will be at least 18 FEMA-backed mass vaccination sites around the country. Gov. Mike DeWine said that the Wolstein site would be one of 15 mass vaccination sites in the state of Ohio. Ohio has now entered phase 1C and phase 2 in its vaccination plan, opening availability for Ohioans over the age of 60, those with qualifying
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health issues, and those who work in certain professions such as law enforcement or in funeral homes. About 940,000 residents are now newly eligible to receive the vaccine. -Vince Grzegorek
CMHA Cop Shot Black Teen in the Back, Autopsy Kept Secret for Months An autopsy released last week revealed that Cuyahoga Metropolitan Housing Authority (CMHA) officer James Griffiths fatally shot 19-yearold Arthur Keith in the back on Nov. 13, 2020 outside the King Kennedy public housing complex in Central. The autopsy was completed on Dec. 8 but wasn’t released to attorneys representing Keith’s family until last week. For months, requests by attorneys and the media for the autopsy and additional materials were denied. CMHA and the City of Cleveland passed the buck back and forth, refusing to release information beyond the initial police narrative. They have yet to release bodycam footage.
But the autopsy, completed by the Cuyahoga County Medical Examiner, corroborates witness statements in the immediate aftermath of the shooting. Residents said that Keith, who had been sleeping in a van, was running from the CMHA cop. The official narrative said that CMHA officers were responding to someone waving a gun and that Keith himself pointed a gun at them before they shot him. They neglected to mention that they shot him in the back. Keith is former Boys & Girls Club member. An impassioned joint statement from the Boys & Girls Club and the Cleveland Peacemakers Alliance Friday called for additional transparency, accountability and actual solutions to police violence in the wake of Keith’s slaying. “We need the video from that tragic day,” the statement read. “We need real leadership. We need to have a real assessment, analysis and subsequent plan of action that brings about the change that has been sought for decades. How long do our communities have to wait? We cannot do this solely through
grass-roots community efforts and we cannot leave a problem at the feet of our communities that is not their responsibility to solve.” -Sam Allard
DeWine Implores Ohioans to Keep Wearing Masks, Sets Target for Re-Opening On the one-year anniversary of Ohio’s war with the novel coronaviurs, Gov. Mike DeWine appeared for a statewide press conference and begged Ohioans to continue wearing masks and to get the vaccine as soon as they are able to do so. Alternating between wartime and distance running analogies, DeWine said that victory was just around the corner. He mourned those who have died this year, and the jobs and businesses that have been lost, but tried to highlight Ohio’s grit and compassion in its handling of the pandemic. Under advisement from state health officials, DeWine even announced a goal. He said that once the state could sustain 50 cases per | clevescene.com | March 10-23, 2021
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