Void created by drug sweep in Cleveland appears to have sparked East Side slayings
The Plain Dealer: After authorities arrested more than 70 suspected drug dealers on Cleveland’s east side in June, their efforts appear to have created a vacuum in the cocaine trade, as opposing groups of dealers fight for control and turn city streets more violent. “When you take out a violent group of people, others may see it as an opportunity to move in,” said Daniel Flannery, director of the Begun Center for Violence Prevention Research and Education. “What often follows is more criminal activity and violence.”