591:, Ohio, his Euclid Avenue business compound and buildings were cordoned off and surrounded by huge numbers of the Cleveland police department, and S.W.A.T. teams. During the entirety of the 10 days of his incarceration/isolation, members of the police department's Intelligence unit kept the entire complex surrounded on an around-the-clock basis. Unmarked police cars were stationed at each intersection leading to and from the area. As reported by numerous eyewitnesses at the scene, âthe wrecking ball swung quickly and unmercifullyâ, flattening tall, multi-story brick buildings into a barren empty dirt lot. Within a few days, not a trace of the Willis/UCPD, Inc. business empire remained.
68:
542:
580:, Ohio, correctional facility he was held in solitary confinement for ten days without access to his attorneys while the taking and immediate demolition of all of his Euclid Avenue properties was executed. The entirety of these lands, buildings and business holdings were taken without payment of just compensation. After being released from prison Willis filed a legal complaint and sought the assistance of Professor Spencer Neth of
27:
187:
417:. The night spot became popular with college students, and the clientele included interracial couples, which triggered resentment and threats from the racially polarized community. A bomb was planted in the club, and Willis closed the business a few weeks later. He launched another venture, the Hot Potato Restaurant, on Cleveland's lower East side. The small restaurant enabled him to finance his next business.
623:. His petition was accepted and docketed. A short time later however, he received word of the high Court's denial. But rather than surrender to defeat and become another sad statistic among fellow African-American land theft victims, he continues to fight for his constitutionally guaranteed property rights. As noted in the reporting of hundreds of other cases documented in the 2001 Associated Press series
289:
129:
475:
harassed by the city and that his properties were targeted for excessive inspections by the fire department. The fire inspections gained the notoriety of a sporting event; they were unscheduled, unannounced and routinely happened at the height of business hours when the restaurants and movie theaters and other businesses were teeming with customers. Newspaper publisher W.O. Walkerâs
460:(UCPD, Inc.), a commercial property development corporation, to manage the stores and shops. The businesses included restaurants, movie theaters, clothing stores, taverns, a food market, a check cashing store, a penny arcade, a state liquor store, and an adult book store. At one time there were 28 businesses in operation, employing over 400 people. A 1973
584:, who is an expert in the field of commercial transactions. Professor Neth concluded and stated in his written expert opinion that the check had been paid, âthe transaction was closedâ and there should not have been an indictment, trial or conviction. The judge hearing the case refused to allow him to present his findings.
280:, upwards of 23 businesses operated simultaneously. In the 1970s and 80s Willis ran afoul of tax and other laws and lost his properties to seizure in 1983. His ongoing legal battles with the city of Cleveland over ownership of his lands spans several decades, including his 2007 petition to the U.S. Supreme Court.
614:
After decades in
Cleveland courtrooms fighting to defend and protect his property rights, Willis has become somewhat of a legal scholar, living a quiet life in the shadow of his former empire, far removed from the life he once lived. Since the massive destruction of his large business empire in 1982,
516:
article reported: "Cleveland businessman, Winston E. Willis yesterday filed a $ 100 million dollar lawsuit charging that the
Cleveland Clinic Foundation, University Circle Inc.,(UCI) and others are monopolizing real estate and violating antitrust laws. Willis, who owns a strip of shops and offices on
973:
Jazz Temple, 13141 Mayfield Road near Euclid Avenue. Opened in 1962 by
Winston Willis who presented Art Blakey and his Jazz Messengers, Philly Joe Jones, Sonny Rollins, Horace Silver, John Coltrane, Herbie Hancock, Donald Byrd, Jimmy Heath, Miles Davis, Jimmy Smith, Stan Getz and Dinah Washington.
563:
publisher and well-respected force in the black community, W.O. Walker, gave Willis a dire warning: "Take those billboards down, son. These white people will crucify you." Walker also attempted to use his considerable influence to convince the city's redevelopment planners that black businessmen
474:
In 1975 Willis was convicted of failing to pay city income taxes. In 1979 a police raid found drugs and gambling equipment at
Winston's Place. By 1980 he was found guilty of more tax violations and accused of owing thousands of dollars on water and sewer bills. Willis alleged that he was being
353:
game, and won several thousand dollars. He decided to stay a few weeks, playing more games to finance the planned trip to the West coast. He reconsidered that plan and decided to postpone the trip. The 19-year-old Willis leased a building that was previously an automobile showroom and opened
533:
In his battle with the city, Willis erected a large billboard on the side of his building overlooking Euclid Avenue, the main thoroughfare for suburban commuters to
Cleveland's downtown financial center. He used the billboard to criticize what he believed was corruption and cronyism among
336:
door-to-door, a venture that resulted in his arrest for loitering in affluent white neighborhoods. His knowledge of the floor covering trade, which he learned at his father's side, led to his hiring by a
Detroit retail tile store, where he advanced to manager. His plan was to head for
258:
595:
989:
Barclay, Dolores; Lewan, Todd; DeSilva, Bruce âTorn From The Landâ Associated Press â 2001 Three-part series documenting largely untold chapter of
America's violent racial history and how black Americans lost family land over the last 150-plus
485:"It is unfortunate when city workers are forced to carry out their normal duties as a means of affecting the policy and prejudices of higher ranking officialsâŚ.That does not excuse higher-ups from blame for fomenting a plot against Willis...."
449:, which suffered rapidly dwindling patronage. After a long and contentious legal struggle with the former titleholder, The Cleveland Trust Company, Willis bought the property, which was flanked on either side by University Circle and the
615:
one singular obsession has occupied his mind to the exclusion of all else: âPayment for my lands and my federally guaranteed relocation benefits.â Most recently in his ongoing quest, he successfully prepared a
506:. Willis fought the city with lawsuits, as reported in the local press, "Willis, who has made a battleground of the courts in his fight⌠is on the legal rampage again." Other headlines followed, such as
576:
Accused of having written a $ 421 bad check to a local lumber company, he was indicted by a grand jury and arrested on the charge that was later proven to be false. During his imprisonment at a
555:. Willis used the billboard to express his moral outrage and changed the text every two weeks. The signage was considered "an embarrassment" to the establishment elite and the staid
425:
Willis hoped to revitalize a large parcel of land encompassing the old Doan's Corner at East 105th Street and Euclid Avenue, site of the Keith's East 105th
Theater where comedian
934:
Daniel R. Kerr, (January 20, 2011) Derelict
Paradise: Homelessness and Urban Development in Cleveland, Ohio. University of Massachusetts Press. pp. 191, 192, 193.
551:
The "community billboard," as it came to be known, was soon a featured neighborhood attraction for residents and patrons of the numerous Willis business outlets on
139:
341:, where he intended to become the first successful black movie producer. Before setting out on that odyssey with a neighborhood friend, he took a brief trip to
517:
Euclid Avenue between E. 105th and E. 107th
Streets, said he and his tenants are being forced out of business." Numerous lawsuits Willis filed in the local
276:(UCPD, Inc.), which owned real estate parcels in Cleveland and was the largest employer of black people in that part of the country. Under UCPD at East
308:. In the fall of 1954, when Winston was 14, the Willis family settled in Detroit. Winston's father's years of experience as a carpet installer for the
300:, the third of the five children of Clarence C. Willis and his wife, Alberta Frazier Willis, both natives of Montgomery. The Willis children attended
891:
India Pierre-Ingram PRESSURELife Magazine (February 15, 2019) The Miracle on East 105th: The rise and fall of Winston E. Willisâ Opportunity Corridor
150:
1031:
457:
273:
1036:
581:
564:
should not be shut out of their plan, but he was unsuccessful. Rumblings of "take back the block" reached City Hall and council meetings.
974:
Closed after a bomb explosion and a shooting incident in 1963. Singer Gloria Lynne was accidentally shot in the leg during an argument.
812:
Hughley, Emanuel, Jr., McLaughlin, Dick. (June 1, 1973). Pg. 3-A âThe Brave New World of Winston WillisâŚMiracle on E. 105th Streetâ
312:
department store enabled him to find suitable employment and settle his family into a quiet neighborhood on the West side near
345:
in 1958 for a short visit with relatives at his mother's insistence. After arriving, Willis went on a four-day spree playing
979:
Spencer Neth, Professor Case Western University School of Law B.A. 1961 (Miami University), J.D. 1964, LL.M. 1966 (Harvard)
538:
officials, the local judiciary, and philanthropic institutions, and what he believed was rampant racism in the community.
968:
Jazzed In Cleveland: âArt Blakey and the Jazz Messengers refused to be intimidated by bomb threat at the Jazz Temple...â
40:
244:
226:
168:
110:
54:
997:
In Re: Winston E. Willis, Petitioner, Petition for a Writ of Mandamus and/or Prohibition. Docketed: August 28, 2007
984:
O Theophilus: Mischief By The State is able to frame mischief (evil) into the very foundation and fabric of the law.
1021:
466:
newspaper article heralded the strip in a cover story entitled: âWinston Willisâ Miracle on East 105th Street...â.
552:
495:
446:
77:
939:
670:
301:
833:
Rice, Joseph D. (August 21, 1979). âTherapy Center Might Wipe Out Willisâ Business Strip On Euclid Avenueâ.
494:
The property Willis owned occupied an area the city wanted for a large medical-educational complex connecting
638:
Willis maintains that the historic pattern of land takings from blacks in this country is a continuation of
627:, "⌠these property thefts are just the tip of one of the biggest crimes of this country's history." â Dr.
602:
Willis maintains that the historic pattern of land takings from blacks in this country is a continuation of
620:
663:
Build Me A City: The Life of Father Harold Purcell, Founder of the City of St. Jude, Montgomery, Alabama
204:
522:
208:
197:
957:
819:
Andrzejewski, Thomas S., Abbot, David T. (July 13, 1977). âClinic and UCI Accused of Land Squeezeâ.
268:(born October 21, 1939) is an American former real estate developer who established his business in
645:"To deny a person their right to own property is a form of slavery. I am a slave without bondage."
568:), the city's first African-American mayor, resisted takeover attempts that came to his attention.
978:
316:. There, Winston created, published and delivered his own neighborhood advertising newspaper, the
143:
that states a Knowledge editor's personal feelings or presents an original argument about a topic.
988:
632:
1016:
518:
338:
81:
46:
868:âWinston Willis Arrested â Charged With Obstruction of Official Businessâ. (March 20, 1982).
897:
Griffith, Gary (April, 1973). âThe Porno King Who Never Was â Winston WillisâŚTakes A Walkâ.
382:
1026:
1003:âWhen we think of heavyweights in Cleveland history one name comes to mindâŚWinston Willis.â
952:
847:âPolice Army Leads Fire Inspection at Willisâ Big Daddy's Warehouseâ (January 12, 1982).
840:
Price Elizabeth, Kermisch, Amos A. (November 8, 1980). âClinic Plans Massive Expansionâ.
789:
Stokes, Carl B., (1973). Promises of Power: A Political Autobiography, Simon & Schuster
499:
146:
693:
Call and Post âBelieve Racial Bigots Behind Jazz Temple Bombingâ (August 17, 1963) Pg. 1-A
456:
Willis opened and operated numerous businesses on the Euclid Avenue strip. He established
92:
8:
378:
321:
297:
983:
963:
Coltrane First Hand: John Coltrane Quartet. âJazz Templeâ Cleveland OH September 1963
438:
398:
313:
935:
904:
Tidyman, John H. (January, 1980). âWinston Willis â The King of Cleveland Streetsâ.
892:
666:
588:
577:
556:
927:
Kisner, Ronald E. (February, 1981). âW.O. Walker: Clevelandâs Black Power Brokerâ.
753:
512:
503:
450:
386:
277:
731:
703:
972:
967:
743:
Call and Post Editorial, "Fire Inspections as Weapons", January 23, 1982, Pg. A-1
676:
628:
535:
462:
370:
355:
565:
374:
780:
OHIO Magazine, W.O. Walker-Cleveland's Black Power Broker, February 1981, p.57
1010:
962:
587:
With Willis isolated in solitary confinement 190 miles (310 km) away in
477:
410:
366:
718:
88:
680:
445:
from historically polarized Cleveland communities, affecting businesses on
442:
414:
393:
to appear at his club. The trendy establishment also attracted visits from
911:
Majied, Verle and Blunt, Madelyne (Fall â 1982). âThe Five Comes Downâ.
854:
Publisher's Editorial: âFire Inspections As Weaponsâ. (January 23, 1982).
434:
362:
716:
481:
ran an editorial sympathetic to Willis, "Fire Inspections as Weapons":
430:
406:
346:
1000:
541:
402:
394:
390:
350:
342:
269:
805:
Depke, John E. (August 26, 1971). âPorno Kingâs Empire Grows Fastâ
631:, scholar/activist, director of the Institute for Urban Research at
875:âRestaurant Gives Free Lunches on Saturdays.â (January 12, 1984).
426:
358:, a liquor-free coffeehouse and night club, to immediate success.
639:
603:
994:
768:"Willis Alleges Land Squeeze In Area Around E. 105th and Euclid"
767:
288:
861:âWillis Sues City for $ 100,000,000.00âŚâ (January 27, 1982).
508:"Willis Alleges Land Squeeze In Area Around E. 105 and Euclid"
798:
Spencer Neth, Professor Case Western University School of Law
257:
594:
140:
personal reflection, personal essay, or argumentative essay
826:â105th & Euclid Landlord SuesâŚâ (February 8, 1978).
717:
Emanuel Hughley, Jr. and Dick McLaughlin (June 1, 1973).
660:
401:
and performances from other notables, such as comedians
995:
United States Supreme Court Docket (USSC No. 07-6132)
665:. St. Jude Educational Institute for Colored People.
207:. Please help to ensure that disputed statements are
754:"Clinic and U. Circle Inc. Accused of Land Squeeze"
893:http://pressurelife.com/the-miracle-on-east-105th/
361:Willis approached such legendary jazz artists as
1008:
770:. Cleveland Press. March 14, 1979. p. 19âB.
732:"Jazzed in Cleveland Part 137 - The Jazz Temple"
458:University Circle Properties Development, Inc.
274:University Circle Properties Development, Inc.
582:Case Western Reserve University School of Law
719:"Winston Willis' Miracle on E.105th Street"
525:in defense of his holdings were dismissed.
433:. The area had deteriorated following the
55:Learn how and when to remove these messages
327:
272:, Ohio during the early 1960s. He created
91:. Please do not remove this message until
245:Learn how and when to remove this message
227:Learn how and when to remove this message
169:Learn how and when to remove this message
111:Learn how and when to remove this message
593:
540:
287:
256:
203:Relevant discussion may be found on the
87:Relevant discussion may be found on the
1009:
661:Sister Mary Ruth Coffman (June 1984).
489:
1032:African-American history in Cleveland
420:
1037:20th-century African-American people
721:. Cleveland Press Showtime Pgs. 3â4.
180:
122:
61:
20:
13:
953:City of St. Jude Historic District
756:. The Plain Dealer. July 13, 1977.
441:of 1968. Those events accelerated
14:
1048:
946:
706:. ech.cwru.edu. November 7, 2021.
528:
469:
36:This article has multiple issues.
1001:ClevelandSGS Blog (January 2011)
704:"Keith's East 105th St. Theater"
571:
304:at the 36-acre (150,000 m)
185:
127:
66:
25:
792:
783:
609:
496:Case Western Reserve University
44:or discuss these issues on the
774:
760:
746:
737:
725:
710:
696:
687:
654:
389:and convinced them to come to
302:St. Jude Educational Institute
16:American real estate developer
1:
648:
617:Petition for Writ of Mandamus
510:. A July 13, 1977 front page
324:was uneventful â and brief.
318:Western Detroit Shopping News
283:
320:. His high school career at
7:
958:Father Harold Purcell, C.P.
621:United States Supreme Court
504:Cleveland Clinic Foundation
93:conditions to do so are met
10:
1053:
734:. Retrieved March 27, 2017
523:Ohio Court of Common Pleas
261:Winston E. Willis in 1981
1022:American businesspeople
633:Morgan State University
334:Collier's Encyclopedias
328:First business ventures
599:
548:
519:Federal District Court
487:
293:
262:
149:by rewriting it in an
597:
544:
483:
383:The Ramsey Lewis Trio
291:
260:
809:Front Page Headline.
546:Community Billboards
500:University Hospitals
196:factual accuracy is
490:Fight with the city
379:Cannonball Adderley
322:Chadsey High School
298:Montgomery, Alabama
296:Willis was born in
266:Winston Earl Willis
80:of this article is
929:Cleveland Magazine
913:Club Date Magazine
899:Cleveland Magazine
625:Torn From The Land
600:
549:
439:Glenville Shootout
421:Building an empire
399:Stokely Carmichael
294:
263:
151:encyclopedic style
138:is written like a
884:Magazine Articles
598:Winston E. Willis
557:University Circle
429:got his start in
255:
254:
247:
237:
236:
229:
179:
178:
171:
121:
120:
113:
59:
1044:
920:Related Articles
842:The Plain Dealer
835:The Plain Dealer
821:The Plain Dealer
807:The Plain Dealer
799:
796:
790:
787:
781:
778:
772:
771:
764:
758:
757:
750:
744:
741:
735:
729:
723:
722:
714:
708:
707:
700:
694:
691:
685:
684:
658:
451:Cleveland Clinic
437:of 1966 and the
387:Dinah Washington
306:City of St. Jude
278:105th and Euclid
250:
243:
232:
225:
221:
218:
212:
209:reliably sourced
189:
188:
181:
174:
167:
163:
160:
154:
131:
130:
123:
116:
109:
105:
102:
96:
70:
69:
62:
51:
29:
28:
21:
1052:
1051:
1047:
1046:
1045:
1043:
1042:
1041:
1007:
1006:
949:
863:Cleveland Press
830:, p. 19-A.
828:Cleveland Press
814:Cleveland Press
802:
797:
793:
788:
784:
779:
775:
766:
765:
761:
752:
751:
747:
742:
738:
730:
726:
715:
711:
702:
701:
697:
692:
688:
673:
659:
655:
651:
629:Raymond Winbush
612:
574:
561:Call & Post
536:Cuyahoga County
531:
492:
478:Call & Post
472:
463:Cleveland Press
423:
371:Dizzy Gillespie
356:The Jazz Temple
330:
310:Montgomery Fair
286:
251:
240:
239:
238:
233:
222:
216:
213:
202:
194:This article's
190:
186:
175:
164:
158:
155:
147:help improve it
144:
132:
128:
117:
106:
100:
97:
86:
71:
67:
30:
26:
17:
12:
11:
5:
1050:
1040:
1039:
1034:
1029:
1024:
1019:
1005:
1004:
998:
992:
986:
981:
976:
970:
965:
960:
955:
948:
947:External links
945:
944:
943:
932:
924:
923:
921:
917:
916:
909:
902:
895:
888:
887:
885:
881:
880:
879:, p. 2-B.
873:
866:
865:, p. 6-E.
859:
852:
845:
838:
831:
824:
817:
810:
801:
800:
791:
782:
773:
759:
745:
736:
724:
709:
695:
686:
671:
652:
650:
647:
611:
608:
573:
570:
566:Carl B. Stokes
530:
529:The billboards
527:
491:
488:
471:
470:Legal troubles
468:
422:
419:
375:Herbie Hancock
329:
326:
292:Winston, Age 9
285:
282:
253:
252:
235:
234:
193:
191:
184:
177:
176:
135:
133:
126:
119:
118:
74:
72:
65:
60:
34:
33:
31:
24:
15:
9:
6:
4:
3:
2:
1049:
1038:
1035:
1033:
1030:
1028:
1025:
1023:
1020:
1018:
1017:Living people
1015:
1014:
1012:
1002:
999:
996:
993:
991:
987:
985:
982:
980:
977:
975:
971:
969:
966:
964:
961:
959:
956:
954:
951:
950:
941:
937:
933:
930:
926:
925:
922:
919:
918:
914:
910:
907:
906:Ohio Magazine
903:
900:
896:
894:
890:
889:
886:
883:
882:
878:
877:Call and Post
874:
872:, Front Page.
871:
870:Call and Post
867:
864:
860:
857:
856:Call and Post
853:
850:
849:Call and Post
846:
843:
839:
836:
832:
829:
825:
822:
818:
815:
811:
808:
804:
803:
795:
786:
777:
769:
763:
755:
749:
740:
733:
728:
720:
713:
705:
699:
690:
682:
678:
674:
668:
664:
657:
653:
646:
643:
641:
636:
634:
630:
626:
622:
618:
607:
605:
596:
592:
590:
585:
583:
579:
572:Wrecking ball
569:
567:
562:
558:
554:
553:Euclid Avenue
547:
543:
539:
537:
526:
524:
520:
515:
514:
509:
505:
501:
497:
486:
482:
480:
479:
467:
465:
464:
459:
454:
452:
448:
447:Euclid Avenue
444:
440:
436:
432:
428:
418:
416:
412:
411:Richard Pryor
408:
404:
400:
396:
392:
388:
384:
380:
376:
372:
368:
367:John Coltrane
364:
359:
357:
352:
348:
344:
340:
335:
325:
323:
319:
315:
311:
307:
303:
299:
290:
281:
279:
275:
271:
267:
259:
249:
246:
231:
228:
220:
210:
206:
200:
199:
192:
183:
182:
173:
170:
162:
152:
148:
142:
141:
136:This article
134:
125:
124:
115:
112:
104:
94:
90:
84:
83:
79:
73:
64:
63:
58:
56:
49:
48:
43:
42:
37:
32:
23:
22:
19:
928:
912:
905:
898:
876:
869:
862:
855:
848:
841:
834:
827:
820:
816:p. 3-A.
813:
806:
794:
785:
776:
762:
748:
739:
727:
712:
698:
689:
662:
656:
644:
637:
624:
616:
613:
610:Recent years
601:
586:
575:
560:
550:
545:
532:
513:Plain Dealer
511:
507:
493:
484:
476:
473:
461:
455:
443:white flight
424:
415:Dick Gregory
360:
333:
331:
317:
309:
305:
295:
265:
264:
241:
223:
214:
195:
165:
156:
137:
107:
98:
76:
52:
45:
39:
38:Please help
35:
18:
1027:1939 births
844:Front Page.
837:Front Page.
823:Front Page.
589:Chillicothe
578:Chillicothe
435:Hough Riots
363:Miles Davis
1011:Categories
940:1558498494
901:p. 63
672:9996668460
649:References
502:, and the
431:vaudeville
407:Bill Cosby
347:One-Pocket
284:Early life
217:March 2017
159:March 2017
101:March 2017
78:neutrality
41:improve it
851:, p. A-8.
403:Redd Foxx
395:Malcolm X
391:Cleveland
351:billiards
343:Cleveland
339:Hollywood
270:Cleveland
205:talk page
89:talk page
47:talk page
858:, p. A-8
681:2873301M
521:and the
427:Bob Hope
332:He sold
314:Dearborn
198:disputed
82:disputed
931:pg. 57.
640:slavery
619:to the
604:slavery
145:Please
990:years.
938:
915:pg. 26
908:pg. 36
679:
669:
559:area.
397:, and
385:, and
936:ISBN
667:ISBN
413:and
349:, a
75:The
1013::
677:OL
675:.
642:.
635:.
606:.
498:,
453:.
409:,
405:,
381:,
377:,
373:,
369:,
365:,
50:.
942:.
683:.
248:)
242:(
230:)
224:(
219:)
215:(
211:.
201:.
172:)
166:(
161:)
157:(
153:.
114:)
108:(
103:)
99:(
95:.
85:.
57:)
53:(
Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License. Additional terms may apply.
