CLEVELAND — Amid concerns about "escalating" and "lawless" behavior, the city of Cleveland is shutting down the popular West 6th Street Browns tailgates for the remainder of the year.
In an email to 3News, city spokesperson Tyler Sinclair stated that the city would not grant permits for the tailgate going forward this season as part of its "obligation to prioritize public safety above everything else."
"The City has monitored the tailgate throughout the season and has become aware of escalating behavior the event draws," Sinclair wrote. "We had previous conversations with the organizers to express concerns about both the size of the crowd that attends their tailgate as well as the City resources and personnel needed to manage a crowd condensed in a space that is in direct proximity to multiple bars. Unfortunately, the lawless behavior continued and the decision was made to not issue permits for the tailgate going forward this year."
The decision by the city was first posted on social media by West 6th tailgate organizer Gus Angelone, better known as "Pumpkinhead," who called the news "terrible."
"There have been issues AFTER our events and city officials have been unable to handle all of the safety issues being brought up by the neighborhood property owners," Angelone wrote. "We were assured these events are NOT happening at our event, but rather, are happening near, or in the vicinity of, our event. So, a couple of bad apples have ruined the bunch for everyone."
Angelone added that organizers have been "fervently working" on trying to find an alternate location, but said the city "has not been forthcoming regarding permit approval."
Sinclair says city officials are looking ahead to next season to come up with a solution.
"We have discussed alternative options with the organizers on what the event could look like next year – including hiring private security – and will continue to collaborate to ensure we are doing everything we can to balance public safety concerns with fan experience interests," he wrote.
The city says other tailgates, including at the Muni Lot and The Pit, are "unaffected" by the West 6th decision and will continue as they have in the past.
"We have seen extraordinary decreases in homicides and overall violent crime and want to ensure that we're taking deliberate actions to make certain those positive trends continue," Sinclair added.
