Kyler Gilliam's online petition might not change anything, but he wanted to express his opinion about the crackdown on cruising on the Miracle Mile.
"The city is trying to punish everyone because of the few who have no regard for the laws that are placed to protect themselves and others," he said in an email. "They are the ones who should be punished. Mansfield is trying to take the easy way out and trying to get rid of it instead of doing their job and putting the real criminals away."
Last month, Mansfield City Council passed a measure to prohibit cruising on the Miracle Mile. Police planned to hold off enforcing the ordinance until July 1 to give "everyone time to adjust to the change."
Last weekend, the city placed temporary speed bumps on the Miracle Mile to discourage speeding and drag racing. The speed bumps will be on Park Avenue West from Friday evenings through Sunday mornings through Sept. 15.
"They had an impact," said Keith Porch, Mansfield safety service director. "A lot of the violations were equipment-related. It wasn't your typical nuisance-type violations like drag racing or speeding."
Gilliam, a 2021 Madison Comprehensive High School graduate, grew up in Mansfield and cruised the miracle mile as a teenager.
"I still do," he said. "It's a sense of community. It's been part of Mansfield's tradition since the 1950s. You can't stop tradition."
Gilliam referenced tradition, but things have changed on the Miracle Mile since those idyllic times in the 1950s. At least two people have died in crashes in recent years.
The designated area is bound by Home Road on the west, Trimble Road on the east, Park Avenue West on the south and West Fourth Street on the north.
Cruising crackdown on Miracle Mile went into effect July 1
Cruising will be prohibited 8 p.m.-3 a.m. Friday into Saturday and Saturday into Sunday. It is defined as driving a motor vehicle on a street past a traffic-control point more than two times in any two-hour period.
Violators can be charged with up to a third-degree misdemeanor.
"There's always going to be bad apples," Gilliam said. "If there were no bad apples, there wouldn't be a need for cops."
Gilliam started his petition about a month ago and has secured more than 300 signatures.
City Law Director Rollie Harper said Gilliam and everyone else had ample chances to express their views.
"As you know, the changes to the city of Mansfield’s codified ordinances concerning ‘cruising’ on the Miracle Mile were passed by Mansfield City Council vote on May 7, 2024. Prior to that date, the prospective changes were discussed over a six-week period in three separate City Council meetings that were open to the public for comments, concerns and questions. The matter was also widely discussed by our local media," Harper said by email.
"The residents of Mansfield have the right and opportunity to question and comment on any prospective changes to our local legislation," he said. "They are encouraged to attend our city council meetings and to contact their city council representative with their concerns about changes to the city of Mansfield ordinances."
Porch said many people who complain about the cruising crackdown "don't even live in the city."
"They want to come here and wreak havoc," the safety service director said.
There is a link to Gilliam's petition at https://www.change.org/p/repeal-the-cruising-ordinance-in-mansfield-oh.
Gilliam said people also can go to his Instagram page or Richland News Network on Facebook.
mcaudill@gannett.com
419-521-7219
X: @MarkCau32059251
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