Cleveland Heights Passes Coventry/Cedar-Lee Curfew

[caption id="attachment_1948" align="alignleft" width="387" caption="Riots in Coventry Village"][/caption]

Who would have thought Cleveland Heights would be prone to riots? Maybe that's why a new law was put in place after riots broke out when the Coventry Street fair was nearing the end. Pat Galbincea of the Plain Dealer explains more:

Starting today, police will arrest anyone under 18 found in the Coventry Village and Cedar-Lee Commercial area between 6 p.m. and 6 a.m. who are not with a parent or guardian.

Parents and guardians who pick up the youths after their arrest will be fined $50.

City Council adopted the tougher curfew Wednesday as a way to cope with rising problems of flash gangs that are drawing hundreds of youths to Cleveland Heights.

The latest incident occurred Sunday at the Coventry Street Fair, where city officials acknowledged that unsupervised youths congregated in large groups and intimidated patrons of businesses within the two commercial districts.

The Coventry Street Fair, held between 12:30 p.m. and 6 p.m., was relatively peaceful until "thousands of youths overwhelmed the fair" around 5 p.m. Cleveland Heights Mayor Edward J. Kelley said.

When the fair ended, police told the youths to move on, Kelley said. But many had come by bus and had no where to go, he said.

"They did not want to leave even though the fair and most of the stores had closed," he said.

Read more at Cleveland