Mary Boyle had been acting on her inspiration for public service years before she moved in near Shaker Square. She served in the Ohio House of Representatives from 1978 – 1984 where she was elected Majority Whip. Boyle was also the first woman elected to the Cuyahoga County Board of Commissioners where she served three terms as president. She has also contributed her energy and skills in the realms of science and nursing. When she moved here, she was inspired by the many people already active in the community and by the idea that people with various needs and desires could work together to make life better for everyone in the neighborhood.

About four years ago, Boyle was visiting the farmers market on Shaker Square when she spoke with another market-goer who would spark her engagement with vacant buildings on E. 130th St. The woman who Boyle met at the market that day (and who she hasn’t run into since) told Boyle how she was concerned for her safety walking to the square. Her walk included a stretch along E. 130th St. where she passed by vacant buildings where people were hanging about and sometimes shooting off guns.

When Boyle heard this, she wanted to respond to what she saw as a violation of the basic right of all people to feel safe as they go about their daily lives. She started by calling the police, but found that they were not particularly responsive. Boyle, undeterred, continued searching for ways to take action on the safety issue presented by the vacant buildings. She began discussing the issue with some of her neighbors who met monthly to drink coffee and talk about local issues. Soon, they got connected with other concerned citizens working on housing and vacant buildings through the Shaker Square Alliance. Now Boyle was part of a team, but there was still a lot of work to do. Along with other activists, Boyle learned about the “underbelly” of city government while gathering information on the vacant building issue.

In 2014 and 2015 Boyle and more than a dozen neighborhood activists attended six hearings at Cleveland Municipal Housing Court, which were scheduled to hold one of E. 130th’s building owners accountable. Ultimately, a heavy fine was levied against the building owner and the area was put under court-ordered “Community Control.” The E. 130th Street Working Group was formed in late 2015 to follow up on the vacant buildings, and to aid in the emergence of a high quality of life on this lower-income, long neglected street which connects Shaker Square and Buckeye Road. Boyle became co-chair of the Working Group’s Outreach Committee.

Boyle recalls how the lengthy court process deepened her understanding of how the Square and its surrounding neighborhoods were undervalued by city officials and other decision makers. As a resident and activist, Boyle saw huge positives of the area – including its proximity to public transit, accessibility to the institutions of University Circle and the Cleveland Clinic, and its history of integration. However, Boyle has seen how a lack of leadership from decision makers has largely kept the neighborhood from thriving.

Over more than two years, Working Group activists were successful in having three vacant buildings demolished. But Boyle still wonders, “Did we win?” She says she has seen mixed results from the project. On the positive, she is glad that a remaining building owner, and new owners who have purchased buildings on the street, seem to be more discerning of potential tenants and have agreed to work cooperatively to strengthen security. Holy Grove Church is thriving more as a community gathering place, and has taken a lead role in the Working Group’s annual block party festivals. While Boyle is happy to see the atmosphere in the area improve, she is disappointed with what remains undone.

Boyle believes in the value of her neighborhood and wants it to get the assistance it deserves. Moving forward, Boyle underscored the importance of further investment in the Square and its surrounding neighborhoods. Specifically, she believes that improving existing housing and building new housing options will strengthen the commercial areas and the neighborhood as a whole. This is why one of Boyle’s biggest regrets about the vacant buildings project she worked on is that those lots have remained empty since the dangerous buildings were torn down. There have been proposals of development projects to site on the lots, but as of yet, none have been able secure the funding to make it happen. She also emphasized the need for residents and stakeholders of the different subsections to work together as a unified force. She regrets that her group of residents didn’t act quickly or strongly enough to block city approval of the Dollar Store at the corner of E. 130th St. and Buckeye. With the great potential that Buckeye-Shaker holds as a community, she knows that better uses could have been found for that land which would contribute more to residents’ quality of life and the long-term success of the area.

While activists worked tirelessly to get the safety threat of the vacant buildings removed, there is still work to be done in making the now available lots a constructive part of the community. We can learn from the persistence and dedication of the activists who worked to get the vacant buildings on E. 130th demolished as we seek to move forward towards the vision of a secure, thriving greater Buckeye-Shaker community.