An officer's voice came over the police radio: "I have a group of people fighting -- one of them is dressed like a robot."

Another officer, in reference to a group of protesters on Wednesday night: "They’re playing duck-duck-goose in the park."

Such was the radio traffic during the Republican National Convention, where officers' voices on the publicly available radio broadcast conveyed the tension, monotony, and occasional humor involved in keeping Cleveland safe.

Get the whole story from USA Today here.
 

Starting this Wednesday, the Ohio City Merchants Association will offer Wednesdays on the Square, a family friendly concert series featuring two local performers from  6 to 9 p.m. in Market Square Park on the northwest corner of Lorain Avenue and West 25th Street. There will be a variety of local merchants selling their goods and activities for kids and adults alike. The event aims to carry on the good vibes from July's Ohio City Stages and keep the community coming together on Wednesdays in August.

The line up is as follows:

August 3: Morgan Mecaskey and Shawn & Shelby

August 10: Jul Big Green and Corduroy Season

August 17: Samfox and The Mason District

Everyone is invited to this free mid-week booster.

Fresh Water managing editor Erin O'Brien was downtown most every day from July 14 until the RNC concluded on July 21. In this roundup, she gives a street-level view of the protests, large and small.
 

Fresh Water publisher Fran DiDonato tweets what she sees at the RNC.

From patriots in Daniel Boone hats to police in prayer circles, Fresh Water's managing photographer Bob Perkoski caught all the myriad sights amid the RNC.

In this riveting essay, Fresh Water contributor Mark Oprea offers up a sweeping insider's view of the RNC.

A roundup of Mark Oprea's observations during the RNC, from Little Italy to the Q.

It's a fair June evening and Nehemiah Spencer sways stageside at Wade Oval Wednesday, clad in black-on-black Converse and a crew neck festooned with the familiar red curves of the Coca-Cola logo. Today’s theme is “Reggae Night,” and the assembled families are chatty and sporting Bob Marley T-shirts. Spencer has picked up a loose branch in each hand and moves his arms in easy rhythms, improvising a deft twirl of one wrist in time with the band. A few huddled couples smile at him from their blankets, unsure if he’s part of the show.
 
Spencer, a graduate of the Cleveland School of the Arts (CSA) and Juilliard, is now a company dancer with the Complexions Contemporary Ballet in New York City. The Glenville native is preparing for a new show with the company in Israel. So what’s he doing in Cleveland on a Wednesday night?

Continue reading.

A roundup of Guth's social media reports throughout the RNC, both on the street and in the Q.

A collection of RNC moments caught by our managing photographer Bob Perkoski.

During last week's Republican National Convention, Downtown Cleveland was a veritable flea market of ideologies and beliefs, with Public Square serving as the epicenter.
 

There was a lot to take in during the RNC last week, from unique participants to a party-like atmosphere. Senior Fresh Water contributor Karin Connelly Rice shares her impressions of the event and how it played out in the 216.

Here is a rundown of Rice's social media reports on Facebook and Twitter throughout the RNC last week.

From her trip downtown last Saturday to pick up Fresh Water's media credentials, to the protester's squabbles, to demonstrations of love and kindness, Erin O'Brien was on the street for the RNC from beginning to end.
 

These straightforward tactics contributed to a stunningly successful policing story for the Cleveland Police Department and its extended team during the Republican National Convention.

Social media roundup: the final day of the RNC in Cleveland brought soaring temperatures yet a mellower crowd to Public Square and East 4th Street.