Ohio City Writers

Tuesday, June 11, 7:30 p.m.
@ Happy Dog, West 58th and Detroit
Free

Michigan native and Chicago resident Ted McClelland visits to talk about his new book, Nothin’ But Blue Skies: The Heyday, Hard Times and Hopes of America’s Industrial Heartland. Here’s a portion of an excerpt published by Salon, from a chapter on Cleveland and the devastation wrought by the foreclosure crisis:

As the loans went bad, and the houses emptied, the scrappers arrived, tearing out furnaces, aluminum siding and water pipes right in broad daylight. To discourage scavengers, signs reading THIS HOUSE DOES NOT HAVE COPPER PLUMBING were posted in windows. But Classen Avenue became such a magnet for thieves they even broke into occupied houses. A kid from down the street tried to burgle [Slavic Village resident Ted] Michols, but Michols chased him off. Only a neighbor who mowed the vacant lots prevented Classen Avenue from reverting to pre-settlement prairie.

Clevelanders have a saying: “Cleveland’s pain, the nation’s gain.” It means, “A lot of shitty stuff happens here, but we hope the rest of America can learn from our misfortune and avoid the same crap.” The foreclosure crisis that would drag the American economy into its deepest slough since the Great Depression arrived first in Cleveland, and nowhere was it more severe than Slavic Village. The 44105 zip code, which covers southeast Cleveland, was the scene of more housing speculation than any place in the country. Unfortunately, the rest of America wasn’t paying attention.

Read more here.