What is “In the Neighborhood”
“In the Neighborhood” is a Community Outreach program of Cleveland Clerk of Courts Earle B. Turner, in response to what he has heard for years on the streets: It’s really hard for many people in Cleveland to get downtown to take care of their legal matters. Either the logistical problems of taking off time from work, the cost of parking downtown, or the fear of getting arrested keeps many people from settling old traffic, parking tickets or photo enforcement tickets. Also, many people can feel overwhelmed by back fines, and decide to just lay low and try to stay out sight from police. Old fines can block them from jobs, and keep them from participating fully in our Community.
“In the Neighborhood” brings the Clerk’s staff right where people live, and offers them a chance to address their issues.
We do not arrest anyone.
The staff can put people into a payment plan or assign them a new Court date. Most “In the Neighborhood” visits have been in churches or recreation centers, but we have also set up in parking lots, vacant lots, and sidewalks around the city.
With current technology, we can set up laptop computers anywhere, and connect our staff to our court system.
We also can tell people about programs at the Clerk’s office that can improve their quality of life, like Trusteeship, which prevents garnishment; or Rent Deposit, which allows tenants to legally withhold rent from negligent landlords.
What we need from the facilities that host us are:
-A room that can seat approximately 100 people, with chairs for them.
-3 six-foot rectangle tables for our staff.
- At least 2 A/C electrical outlets.
-Wi-Fi password, if Wi-Fi is available. If not, we have our own Wi-Fi units.
For questions or more information, contact:
Obie Shelton
Public Information Officer
Cleveland Municipal Clerk of Courts office
(216) 664-6106
sheltono@clevelandmunicipalcourt.org