Still Calling Cleveland 'The Mistake By The Lake'? You Haven't Been Here In A While

Fresh off celebrating the Cavaliers winning an epic seventh game to snag an NBA Championship, Clevelanders are feeling a bit not-so-bad — pretty good, in fact — about another less exciting but vitally important victory for the city: Its handling of the Republican National Convention.

With no real violence inside or outside the convention hall and street protests more peaceful than anybody dared hope for, Cleveland's security during the RNC was praised as restrained, even-handed and effective.

Television shots viewed by millions showed a clean and vibrant city with once-foolishly derided Lake Erie glistening in the background. News anchors raved about the city's appearance and the friendliness and helpfulness of its residents.

Not bad for a place ridiculed for decades for everything from its burning river to its burnt-out sports teams.

Cleveland gussied itself up for the week, transforming an admittedly gray and dreary Public Square into a lush, green public park in the middle of a downtown whose upswing is evident from a surge of residential and business development and a revitalized nightlife that has been luring suburbanites and tourists alike by numbers not seen in decades.

Maybe "on a roll" is too much and maybe Clevelanders shouldn't expect anything better than what the past several weeks delivered. But maybe not: Heading into Saturday's matchup against Baltimore, the Cleveland Indians were looking like World Series contenders, in first place in their division by 6 games.

Police Chief Calvin Williams and Mayor Frank Jackson want to say thanks. Here's a statement from them expressing their gratitude to the community and everyone that helped make the RNC a success:

This week, the City of Cleveland took center stage in front of the entire world as we hosted the 2016 Republican National Convention (RNC). During this time, the City of Cleveland showed the nation, once again, what we are made of. This week, the City of Cleveland proved that we are "All In" as one community.

We want to take the time to thank the community making the 2016 RNC a great success for our city. This was a partnered effort and one that required the help and coordination of many entities and agencies. The planning process for this collaboration was thorough and extensive.

Our law enforcement officers were instrumental in keeping our city safe, ensuring that people could travel throughout our streets. The men and women of the Cleveland Division of Police and partnering law enforcement agencies from as far west as California and as far south as Florida worked alongside one another flawlessly as one platoon. The different police uniforms from all across our counter moving about downtown Cleveland was truly a sight to see, and one that we will never forget.

We want to thank the men and women of law enforcement who participated in security efforts for the convention for their professionalism and dedication to ensuring that this was not only a safe event, but an enjoyable one. We cannot tell you how many compliments the administration has received on behalf of your boots on the ground. We are truly proud of you all.

We want to thank those who visited Cleveland during the 2016 RNC. The support for law enforcement was expressed whole heartedly and often. You cannot know how much this means to us all. By working together to bridge gaps and come together as one, we are rewriting the narrative of law enforcement and community relations in this great nation.

We want this memory to stay in our minds and in our hearts. As a community, we have shown the world over and over how great this city on the lake is. Today, as always, we are proud to be Clevelanders.

Thank you,

Mayor Frank G. Jackson
Police Chief Calvin D. Williams