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Resident accuses neighbors and city prosecutors of failing to address long-running harassment and alleged threats
Summary
A West Park resident told council he and his fiancé have faced years of alleged stalking, harassment and threats from neighbors and criticized the prosecutor's office and the city's response; he said related criminal charges were dropped and he was later acquitted.
A West Park resident used his public-comment time to tell Cleveland City Council he and his fiance9e have endured a decade of harassment and stalking by neighbors and to criticize law-enforcement and prosecutorial responses.
"What's happening in West Park is a disgrace," Mark Thomas told the council. He described a series of incidents beginning in 2019 and continuing through 2024, alleging property overgrowth, cameras pointed at his home, and multiple confrontations. He said a neighbor, identified in his remarks as Steven Rogers, detained or threatened him with a firearm on video and that prosecutors declined to indict. Thomas said he was shot in the back in 2024 and that county prosecutor Akila Jordan "still didn't indict him." He said charges brought against Thomas were later dropped and that in 2023 a jury found him not guilty.
Thomas called on the council to act, saying the prosecutorial and municipal responses left him and his family unprotected. He also alleged a large group of relatives attacked him and his fiance9e on their porch; he said those relatives were arrested but that the principal accused individual was not. "This council is 70% Black, and yet you all standing open as hate crimes are allowed to occur against Cleveland residents," Thomas said.
The transcript records Thomas's allegations and his demand for action during public comment. The council did not take immediate formal action on his statements during the meeting; no city staff response or investigatory directive is recorded in the transcript. The substance of Thomas's claims involves individuals and criminal allegations; the meeting record contains assertions by the commenter but no police reports, charging documents, or prosecutor statements were presented for verification in this session.
Because the remarks allege criminal conduct and prosecutorial decisions, they are matters for law enforcement and the county prosecutor's office; the council may choose to request briefing or updates outside the public-comment period. The transcript itself shows only the resident's account.
