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Sent the below to Metro. The streetcar has become a really dodgy place the last couple of weeks. I'm hoping they nip this in the bud before this escalates. I'll post their response when/if I get one. Metro Customer Service, I just wanted to make you aware of increasing issues of safety on the Cincinnati Bell Connector. Over the last two weeks I've had three instances where groups of individuals were acting incredibly inappropriately on the streetcar. Homeless individuals have been shout profanity, making disgusting sexual comments, panhandling riders, and in the case today threatening to kill me because I wouldn't give him any money or any of the take-out Skyline I was bringing home to my family. I have regularly rode the streetcar ever since it has opened and never had issues even closely matching what I've experienced over the last two weeks. Could you please let me know what steps as an individual I can take when I see this behavior? Should I call District One dispatch or 911? Should I alert the driver (or supervisor like I did today)? What steps is Metro taking to ensure passenger safety? Any feedback would be greatly appreciated.

I truly wish this was just a joke. Sigh. The Over-the-Rhine Community Council is a cancer on the neighborhood.

Just to change the subject, is anyone else surprised at how few people use the streetcar for commuting. I use it for such relatively regularly and I can count the regular commuters around 8am and 5pm at easily less than ten. I would have a assumed at least a few dozen people who would live in OTR and regularly commute downtown, but that's just not the case. Anecdotally, it seems like a lot of people living in OTR seem to work outside the basin or work close enough that the streetcar isn't useful for commuting. Am I crazy here?

OTR is still one of the top most dangerous neighborhoods in the city despite all the recent progress. I imagine it will be decades before that is no longer the case. This is just another reminder to be careful when in the neighborhood.

I tried getting involved in the OTRCC. I was a board member of the Downtown Residents Council for two years and thought it could be a bit of a mess sometimes. However, the culture at the OTRCC is toxic to the extreme. You literally have people shouting at each other and grabbing microphones out of the peoples' hands. If you value your sanity stay away from that hot mess. It's no wonder anyone who wants to make a difference in the community does their best to avoid them.

Congrats man! Nothing better than the feeling of paying off those debts ?.

Probably just cost savings of combining all the back office stuff as well as making coordination better between the two.

3CDC was probably just making sure that it was reported to the building owners downtown that their fees wouldn't cover 3CDC operations or OTR. I would have hoped that the Business Courier would have pressed them with those types of follow-up questions, but maybe they were asked and not answered (or presented as "off the record" to the Business Courier for now).

I don't like the narrative that Social Security and/or Medicaid will not be available in the future. Even in worse case scenarios Social Security will be able to pay out 70% of the promised benefits due to younger workers still paying into the system. Trying to cut Medicaid will cause the large portion of the voting base to run anyone out of town who makes the attempt. This is why I'm trying to put more of my money into Roth IRA accounts. The tax rates in the future are going to be crazy and will focus on those that have been diligent with saving. An expected result of Republican spending combined with their tax breaks to the richest few.

Oh I agree, I'm sure many Millennials are able to use a can opener. I just don't think it's fair to paint them all as incompetent just because some don't know how to use one because they realistically don't have to anymore. P.S. Even I struggle to use the really old, tiny can openers that we used in scouts to save on space/weight. Those things sucked.

Thank you. I thought the skit was funny, but it really isn't fair to make out like Millennials are incompetent just because they can't use a can opener.

The final straw of them harboring Karl was something I just found out on Friday. I've got some year-end and holiday work to do, but I plan on making on making it my mission to put a spotlight on them after the New Year. There's nothing I hate more than non-profits that are bad neighbors especially at this scale.

I've been reaching out to Tender Mercies for quite some time now. I even gave them some money a few years ago to help with their lighting issues. However, their line that they're good neighbors that hold their tenants accountable is complete bunk. It took them a year to put the screws on one of their tenants who was regularly tossing garbage and containers of his urine out the window. A prostitute that's been heavily engaged in drugs as well as has been recruiting others to join her has been causing issues for nearly a year now. Karl (the one I previously mentioned who's been causing issues for years) lives there and was even featured in a one of their Facebook posts recently. Any pressure they put on the people there is weak at best. They're now the main source of drug dealing/abuse as well as prostitution in the area and frankly they don't care.

I just found out that Tender Mercies on 12th Street between Race and Vine has been housing a serial criminal in the neighborhood. This individual is someone I have to call the police on multiple times per week and have had to testify in court against on two different occasions. I used to think they were one of the more responsible non-profits in the neighborhood. Unfortunately, over the last few years of living in the area it has become clear that they don't hold their tenants to any standards and house quite a few individuals actively involved in crime in the neighborhood. I'm just putting this out here so that you can be on your guard if you hear of any Tender Mercies developments being planned in your area (like in the West End right now).

Wow, me too on growing up with the "enemy doors" (love that term). Must have been a design flaw propagated for years until someone finally said something to the architects.

We saw two cars and a truck back to back in the lane yesterday at 4:35pm. It has been wasted money thanks to the Cranley Administration.

And a Walgreens directly across the street probably didn't help them much either.

Happens ALL THE TIME ! We need some markings here so that truck drivers don't keep blocking the streetcar here.

How about that old CMHA (Cincinnati Metropolitan Housing Authority) building on Central Parkway between Vine and Race? Been waiting and waiting for something to happen there.

They really should put down some indication on the road here that trucks can't park beyond the white line otherwise they block the streetcar.

A lot of those ReStoc people are now part of OTR Community Housing. While the re-branded organization isn't as bad as it was, many of the same attitudes and behaviors exist in the organization. Many of their employees/supporters were the ones protesting at the re-opening of Washington Park.

According to people we spoke to at the downtown Payless, they were going to close anyway, but the timeline was shrunk by quite a bit due to the building being sold.

Looks like there is some development going on at the old Payless as well as down Race a block south to sixth street. A lot of old and somewhat shady Race Street businesses have closed and signs note new development soon.

DIVISION OF OPERATIONS-LAND MANAGEMENT AND URBAN FORESTRY Dave Gamstetter, Interim Division Manager (513) 861-9070 URBAN FORESTRY Robin Hunt (513) 861-9070 If anyone wants to call after the holiday go for it. If not, I'll call since I have a question about the tree they cut down directly in front of our home and have recently ground down the stump. When I contacted them earlier in the year I thought they said they'd be planting a new tree in the Fall, but it doesn't look like they have much time left. P.S. We live in southern OTR.

Cincinnati does have an urban forestry division that I believe is funded through a portion of your property taxes. You can see the line item via the Hamilton County Auditor website. Not sure what can be done to push them into more trees. https://www.cincinnatiparks.com/urban-forestry/