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Popular Cleveland neighborhood festival canceled after string of deadly shootings

Posted at 3:19 PM, Jul 19, 2016
and last updated 2016-07-19 20:31:31-04

The Glenville Parade and Festival draws up to 15,000 people every year to Sam Miller Park at East 88th and St. Clair.

“In my neighborhood there are retaliation shootings, there seems to be this anger that is circulating through the neighborhood,” said Ward 10 Cleveland Councilman Jeffrey Johnson.

But this year Johnson is canceling the festival that was scheduled for August 13.

"The northeast area of Cleveland has seen an uptick in violence that is troubling,” Johnson said.

Johnson said there's been too much violence in Cleveland recently, five murders this past weekend, three of them took place in Johnson's ward.

"I can not simply guarantee the safety of 10 to 15,000 people, who would be coming to the Glenville festival,” Johnson said.

The festival also hires 22 police officers to work security.

Johnson said with attacks on police in Dallas and Baton Rouge, he doesn't want to put officers at risk until things calm down.

“With the bull's-eye on them, that's going around nationally that concerns me, so I have decided not to have it this year,” Johnson said.

Cleveland resident Gayle Philpot's relatives live by the park, she said Johnson is making the right decision.

"We always look forward to that festival, it's sad that it had to happen, but I think that this year, that it was a good call,” Philpot said.

The 39 year old festival has been canceled only one time before, and that was because of weather.