Long-time Cleveland community activist Khalid Samad dies

CLEVELAND, Ohio (WOIO) – Cleveland community activist Khalid Samad has passed away, according to a statement released by Cleveland City Council President Blaine A. Griffin.

El Hajj Amir Khalid A. Samad was an internationally known and recognized community activist who served as the assistant to the public safety director for the city of Cleveland for youth gang intervention under Cleveland Mayor Jane Campbell. He has also served as a Gang Prevention and Investigative Specialist for the Cleveland Board of Education Gang Task Force, according to the Cleveland International Hall of Fame’s website.

He was the chief executive officer and co-founder of Coalition for a Better Life and co-founder of Cleveland’s Peace in the Hood.

Peace in the Hood posted about the passing of Samad.

Read the statement from Council President Blaine A. Griffin on the death of Khalid Samad.

“I am heartbroken to share in the loss of my dear friend and brother, Khalid Samad. Khalid wasn’t just an activist; he was the heartbeat of our neighborhoods and a man who spent every waking hour trying to save our kids from the streets. For decades, I watched him walk into the most difficult situations with nothing but a sense of peace and a deep love for Cleveland. He had a rare way of making people feel seen and heard, whether he was mentoring a young person at a crossroads or advising city leaders on how to make our community whole again.

Losing him feels like losing a piece of the city’s soul. Khalid’s legacy through ‘Peace in the Hood’ and his induction into the International Hall of Fame are markers of a life well-lived, but his true impact is found in the lives he saved and the peace he brokered when things felt hopeless. My prayers are with his family and everyone who leaned on his wisdom. We’ve lost a giant, but I know the work he started will continue through all of us who were lucky enough to call him a friend.”

His cause of death is not known at this time.

Check back with 19 News for the latest on the passing of Khalid A. Samad.

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