About Loiter

loiter
/ˈloidər/ verb
The freedom to explore without fear, gather together, and reclaim our space.

Loiter is 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization dedicated to reconsidering and reimagining a different future for black communities centered on spatial and economic justice.

Loiter takes on its provocative name as a direct challenge to the city’s criminalized narrative. It actively invites and encourages residents to commune, interact, and appreciate their community in welcoming public retail and agricultural spaces. Unfortunately, this is not a current reality and we are committed to do something about it. What makes Loiter so unique is that Loiter is not just a place—it’s also a mindset. To us, Loiter means to actively seek out people and places that convey a sense of safety and belonging.

East Cleveland has a rich history and a promising future. Yet, the narrative of a city steeped in problems, poverty, and limited potential has created a sense of inertia.

The current multi-million dollar development within the adjacent University Circle in Cleveland proper, illustrates the environmental injustice of the urban periphery, racialized poverty and inequality concentrated by exclusionary political and economic practices. East Cleveland is geographically and socially cut off, and a world apart. Cleveland’s world-class medical complexes and university cultural districts are literally (physically) separated by a bridge. Decades of disinvestment and a disparaging narrative have undermined and internalized local morale and diminished community expectations and aspirations, leaving a wake of distrust in civic institutions and the political process.

It is time to flip the script.

Loiter weaves a tight community network centered on the people’s voices and experiences. We are committed to reimagining what community life is like when we work, play, and create together.

A group of East Cleveland entrepreneurs, residents, and change-makers providing critical wrap-around services through all stages of business development to the habitually excluded will ignite industry in culture, agritourism, sports, recreation, and business incubation.