Things will come to a head one day with East Cleveland's future. The city, perpetually in the red, has been repeatedly chastised and warned by state officials. A merger with Cleveland looks like the best solution. If and when that ever gets closer to reality is anybody's guess given EC's leadership, but for now East Cleveland mostly glides by under the radar of local media unless the story involves somebody dying.
One of the few paying attention (besides Jeremy Pelzer from NEOMG) is 44112 News, which is just Gerald Strothers Jr. and his camera. (Strothers has been a part of a few different Scene stories over the years, but that's neither here nor there for the moment.) Stothers tapes city council meetings and posts them to 44112's YouTube page. It's a glorious snapshot of democracy, or East Cleveland's approximation of it, in action. Part of that action the other night? Strothers noticing a bed bug while he was talking to council. Full video below. Our favorite part? A woman in the background immediately saying, "I ain't got time for no bed bugs" and getting up and leaving along with others.
Enjoy.
