Parents Unite

Illicit drug activity occuring behind Keith Cheesman's Sunoco, 3852 Indianola Avenue, just 600 ft. from 2 Clintonville (Columbus), Ohio Schools

Figure 1: (L to R) The Graham School and Clintonville Academy

Proponents of California Prop. 19 are sending our teens and pre-teens a harmful message that marijuana is OK; even in the face of evidence that marijuana may be a "gateway" to drug dependency, at least dulls the senses, and is tremendously harmful to teen and pre-teen development.

Marijuana and stronger drugs are being sold to Clintonville teens and perhaps even pre-teens from the rear of a Sunoco gas station just 600 feet from two Clintonville schools — Clintonville Academy and The Graham School. According to school officials, many complaints have been lodged with the service station and local police to no avail.

Figure 2: Keith Cheesman's Sunoco, 3852 Indianola Ave., Clintonville OH where the illicit drug activity is occuring despite numerous protests from school officials.

Figure 3: Rear of Keith Cheesman's Sunoco where the proprietor is turning a blind eye to the illicit drug use activity occuring on his premises despite numerous complaints from school officials to stop providing this location for students to sell and use marijuana and stronger illicit drugs.

We call upon all Graham School and Clintonville Academy parents to unite with school and community authorities to get this harmful activity stopped permanently.

The Sunoco at 3852 Indianola Avenue, Columbus, Ohio is only 300 feet from Clintonville Academy and 600 feet from The Graham School. Clintonville Academy is a well-regarded kindergarten through eighth-grade private school founded in 1978. The Graham School celebrates its 10th year as a experiential education Columbus charter high school with a strong track record of excellence and growth.

Concerned parents are requested to act now by expressing their concern in any or all of the following ways.

1. Ask your child about the Sunoco and the pot smoking activity. Reinforce to your child that despite the mixed messages being sent to impressionable minds by California Proposition 19, pot smoking is harmful.
2. Ask your child to participate in "Just Say No to Pot" at school and encourage his/her friends to stop.
3. Contact Keith Cheesman's Sunoco and DEMAND that they stop supporting the illicit activity by allowing our students to congregate and smoke pot in the rear of their premises.

   Keith Cheesman's Sunoco
   3867 Indianola Avenue
   Columbus, Ohio 43214
   (614) 261-9636

4. Contact Sunoco's CEO Lynn L. Elsenhans and ask her to put a stop to this harmful activity NOW at (800) 888-8494 or (215) 977-3000 or (800) 786-6261.
5. Contact Columbus Mayor Michael Coleman and ask for him to help put a stop to this activity that is harming our children at mac@columbus.gov or (614) 645-7671. 
6. Contact Metro reporter Mark Ferenchik at the Columbus Dispatch and ask them to publicize the illicit activity being allowed behind the Sunoco.
7. Contact Local TV Channels 4, 6, 10, 28 and 34 and ask them to publicize this call to community action. Send them the link to this blog.
   TV Channel 4 — (614) 263-4444 or community@nbc4i.com
   TV Channel 6/28 — (614) 481-6672 or sdomozyc@sbgi.net
   TV Channel 10 — Angela An (CrimeTracker) at angela.an@10tv.com
   TV Channel 34 — (614) 292-9678 x 49730 or mediarelations@wosu.org
8. Contact the Columbus Police and ask them to take action to force Sunoco to stop giving haven to the pot smoking occurring behind their premises within earshot of two public schools at (614) 645-4545.
   

Here are some information resources to share with your student to convince them that smoking pot is NOT OK and is harmful to their mental, physical, social, emotional and character development.

• Drug Policy Alliance
• National Institute on Drug Abuse
• American Council for Drug Education
• Drug War Facts
• Close to Home - Moyers on Addiction

Please share this link (right click and select Copy Shortcut/Copy Link Location) with concerned parents and authorities so that we can clean up this drug activity in Clintonville around Graham and Clintonville Academy.

Thank you,

Concerned Parents of Graham and Clintonville Academy