Resident says lack of lighting in McGowan Park encourages criminal activity

CLEVELAND — It’s been five years since a 58-year-old woman was fatally shot while walking her dog in McGowan Park, and one resident said the area has seen little improvement.

Sheila Wallace was shot twice in January 2019. Neither a motive nor a relationship between Wallace and her killer has been identified. Her killer was sentenced to 15 years in prison this week.

‘This can allow her to be at peace’: Cleveland man convicted of killing woman walking her dog

RELATED: Cleveland man convicted of killing woman walking her dog

“Even if it was an accident or whatever, I just want to know what makes you fire so many shots at someone you don’t even know for no reason. Like, what triggered you, dude?” Wallace’s daughter, Katie, said.

I spoke with a resident who lives near McGowan Park on Thursday. He requested anonymity out of fear for his physical safety.

He said he has lived in his home for four decades but decided to pack his bags as criminal activity in the area was getting worse.

“It’s better to be safe than sorry,” he said.

He described the McGowan Park neighborhood as “extremely bad, but it’s slowly getting better.”

Surveillance video of him provided to News 5 shows a man brandishing a gun near the park, while another shows another man checking vehicles to see if they are unlocked.

“There is a lot of drug trafficking in this area. Lots of people milling around all night long. It’s kind of depressing,” he added.

He said a crime deterrent would be more lighting in and around McGowan Park.

There are several lighting fixtures throughout the park, but when we were there Thursday evening, not a single light was working.

Two lights flickered on for about 10 to 15 seconds before turning off again.

“The lights haven’t worked for over five years. I called the Parks and Recreation Department and they said they weren’t responsible, it was the Illuminating Company. I contacted them several times but could not get any results to get it repaired,” the resident told me.

I reached out to City of Cleveland Communications Specialist Tyler Sinclair for answers.

“This is the first time we have heard of lights not working in the park. We have completed a service request report in this area going back over three years and have not identified any complaints regarding lighting issues. It is important that these issues are reported to us directly so we can address them, as we cannot fix a problem we do not know about,” Sinclair explained.

Sinclair added that the city does not own, operate or maintain any lights at McGowan Park. He said that would be within FirstEnergy’s purview.

“However, we will be sure to reach out to them so they can become aware of these issues and address them,” Sinclair noted.

I also reached out to FirstEnergy for more information.

“At Illuminating Company, the safety and well-being of our customers is our top priority. “We understand that streetlights are essential to our communities, from supporting safety to projecting an image of a thriving place that welcomes residents and visitors,” said Hannah Catlett, representative of First Energy Advanced Communications.

Although Catlett was unable to provide any information about the lights at McGowan Park on Thursday, she said she is looking into the matter and hopes to provide more details on Friday.

Catlett said FirstEnergy is relying on power outage reports from customers in the meantime. Customers can call 1-888-LIGHTSS (1-888-544-4877) or fill out a form online. Customers need:

• Your name and phone number (in case we need further information).
• Address where the street light is located (nearest house or business address and nearest cross street).
• Number on the electricity pole.
• What is wrong with the street light (damaged pole, broken light, light is off at night, on during the day or flickering).

“Street light outages are most commonly reported in the fall months when the days get shorter and customers may see a light go out on their way home from work,” Catlett explained.
When a customer report is received, FirstEnergy’s line crews and troubleshooting teams make repairs to the streetlights “as quickly as possible.”

If the problem can be resolved at the time of inspection, the light fixture will be repaired immediately. However, sometimes additional issues like these can cause the repair to take longer:

• Additional service related issues
• Requires technical involvement.
• Requires item not in stock/available.

Pursuant to the tariff related to FirstEnergy’s tariff structure and regulation, FirstEnergy is not responsible for monitoring streetlight outages.
The resident I spoke with said he hopes the lights are fixed before he moves, but is also calling on Cleveland police to provide more resources.

“They need to hire more officers and let them drive through. I called a week ago and they were here in less than five minutes about illegal activity. Sometimes you’re lucky. They do the best they can with what they have to work with,” he said. “Commander Fahey has taken over the First District. He has brought about a drastic improvement in the neighborhood and the First Ward in general. The men and women of the police are excellent. They are simply understaffed. You need more resources. They could make a difference.”

We will continue.