Hall of Fame Event Chaos

Hall of Fame Celebration Chaos

Google Map shot of Downtown Area in Canton, Ohio

Canton, Ohio- If you were driving through Canton today during this weekend Hall of Fame Celebration, you saw the chaos of police everywhere. The police are to protect the people and keep the peace so that the celebration can be enjoyed by everyone.  

Is this the message that we want to portray to people that visit and live here? Everywhere you looked; someone was pulled over one after another, we saw trunks and car doors open for search, Swat Team out in action and a helicopter hovering. 

Personal Thoughts:

Don't get me wrong, I support our local police to protect and serve. I just feel that today was over the top. It seemed to hinder the festivities. Their presence should be felt for the community to feel secure, but it seemed as though they were doing more than just that.  

As we drove by several police cars in just a short mile, we felt like mice that were about to be pounced on at any moment by Tom Cat.  It was an uneasy feeling. It looked to be chaos on the roads. Getting through traffic was difficult because of the local authorities blocking driveways, pulling people over partially and cluttering police cars in small areas. During an event, I thought, they are suppose to help traffic to move smoothly.

If you click the link above (Swat Team out in action), you will see a video that was shot by a local. This video shows the Swat Team showing up at a scene and approach the local that was video recording the situation. He asks the local right away for his ID and ask him to put his phone down. This is when the video ends. 

So I am left to ask myself, "Why were they there in the first place?". "Was this man's actions more dangerous than the situation at hand?" If you read the comments below the video, it says that all of those whom were arrested, were later released. "So, why all of this display of authority?" 

Canton's economy, like many cities elsewhere, has dwindled over the last decade. This is not a way to boost our economy. People need to feel safe, but they don't want to feel that their festivities are being dramatized. 

This is not verified, but noting to show public reactions to the mass commotion. On a local news Facebook page, someone commented that something went down last night and the police don't want to chase off tourism by announcing it; they want to keep it quiet (paraphrasing). If this is the case, then we want to see the issue addressed, please don't chase our economy boosters away; they help boost the payroll. 

This was put together by views heard from public talking on the street and discussions with a few locals. One person said, "Go get 'em, but leave me alone."