'The incident that occurred has nothing to do with what somebody looks like, where they are from or how they got there,' Patton said. Once that is determined, then ideas can be taken to the Safety Committee for review. In response, Council President Robert Patton stated that the parish will have to decide how it wants to proceed. He would like to see the church and the safety forces work together to come up with solutions. Dan Shelby of Willowick feels the festival is great for the city and would like to see it continue, however changes will need to be made.

Marissa Beller of Wickliffe isn't sure how feasible it would be to make anyone under the age of 18 be accompanied by an adult, but said it should be something to consider. When the incident occurred, all on-duty officers from Willowick, Wickliffe, Willoughby, Willoughby Hills, Eastlake and Kirtland were dispatched to the scene to aid in dispersing the crowds. On June 2, there were seven officers June 3 there were nine June 4 there were 10 and June 5 there were eight. Willowick officers did deploy a PepperBall gun to assist in crowd dispersal.Īt the Council meeting, Turner addressed concerns about the number of officers working at the festival and stated that in addition to his officers working the festival, he also had officers from Willoughby and Wickliffe there. The decision was made to close the festival early, however problems continued with individuals fighting and acting out of control, spilling out into both the business area along Vine Street and residential areas, according to Police Chief Brian C. The News-Herald reached out to the church for comment but did not receive a response immediately.Īt the festival, which ran from June 2-5, Willowick Police Department responded to multiple reports of fights breaking out on the evening of June 5. Mary Magdalene Church to assess and discuss the incident that occurred at its annual festival to determine what changes will need to be made if the church decides to move forward with the festival next year. 21-At a recent Willowick City Council meeting, Mayor Richard Regovich said the city will need to meet with St.

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