May 5, 200916 yr I rode my bike down Race about 30 minutes before this happened. There was a large group of about 25 black men milling around this block. There was definitely a tense feeling to the group which makes me think an argument broke out between somebody and somebody and they left, got their gun, and came back and started shooting.
May 5, 200916 yr I found out that there was a large shakedown last night around 13th and Vine. I was coming home down 12th, and was passed by cops on all sides. I drove up Jackson and down 13th, and more cops were coming up on all sides. I got out to walk down and was stopped by a cop who said that it was unsafe for anyone to enter. I wonder if the two incidents were related?
May 5, 200916 yr This and the rape in Lytle Park that the Enquirer has had splashed in every email makes a bad couple days. Hopefully it is not a trend.
May 6, 200916 yr ^I'm shocked that a rape could have occured at 2 pm on a Monday in Lytle Park without any witnesses.
May 6, 200916 yr ^Info on that... Man arrested in Lytle Park rape Enquirer, May 5, 2009 Cincinnati police have arrested a man they believe raped and robbed a woman in Lytle Park downtown on Monday.
May 6, 200916 yr I rode my bike down Race about 30 minutes before this happened. There was a large group of about 25 black men milling around this block. There was definitely a tense feeling to the group which makes me think an argument broke out between somebody and somebody and they left, got their gun, and came back and started shooting. I was over at 14th & Vine around this time walking around...everything seemed fine where I was.
May 8, 200916 yr While cycling around OTR this evening (actually, right before I got on here), I talked to an officer about the shooting the other day on Vine. He noted that crime, statistically, is "significantly" up from last year. Robberies, shootings, etc. that he blames on the economy and the drug trade. Many of the shootings and incidents are gang-related, he noted. Police investigate shooting, homicide By Eileen Kelley and Janice Morse, Cincinnati Enquirer, May 7, 2009 WEST END Cincinnati police criss-crossed the outer streets of the downtown area Thursday after a shooting and then a homicide occurred within 90 minutes of each other. The homicide happened on Findlay Street near Baymiller Street in the West End around 7:45 p.m. A man in his 20s died at the scene. Police did not immediately release his name, saying they were having difficulty notifying his next of kin. The alleged shooter was spotted getting on Interstate 75 in a gold vehicle.
May 8, 200916 yr Do you attend any of the safety sector meetings Sherman? Seems like that might be a good outlet for you.
May 8, 200916 yr I've attended one of the community meetings they hold in OTR, although every time crime was brought up in the discussion, it was shouted down with cries of racism (go figure). I've thought about attending some of the safety sector meetings (http://www.otrchamber.com/events/otrccsafetymeetings), but most are during times that conflict with my schedule -- at least for the next month. Update 1: Article update and refresh.
May 8, 200916 yr Community Council meetings serve a different purpose...that's why I asked about the safety sector meetings. The people who attend those are very involved and the meetings are quiet productive from my experience. You should really try to go if you want to help make a difference or find out how you can help.
May 11, 200916 yr The Enquirer earlier called this a fatality, but it's been upgraded to "life threatening." Brittany is on Facebook, but I'm not able to pull any details. Two shot in Over-the-Rhine The Enquirer, May 10, 2009 OVER-THE-RHINE Police are looking for suspects in a Sunday morning shooting that sent a 20-year-old woman to University Hospital with life-threatening injuries. Police identified the victim as Brittany Jackson. Jackson was found at about 9:20 a.m. by police in the 1300 block of Broadway Avenue. A Ford Taurus with a broken rear window that was seen leaving the area has since been located in Northside, according to Cincinnati Police Sgt. Joseph E. Briede.
May 11, 200916 yr ^ The comments for this article on the website are particularly offensive, even by normal enquirer comment standards. Things do seem to be getting off to a horrible start in OTR this year, as far as violent crime is concerned. Does anybody know where we stand YTD 2009 vs 2008?
May 11, 200916 yr From my 5 years in Cincy... i do notice that crime tends to increase a bit around April/May as the weather improves and then tapers off. Of course.. people are very short-sighted and have horrible memory, so no one remembers that each year.
May 11, 200916 yr ^ The comments for this article on the website are particularly offensive, even by normal enquirer comment standards. Things do seem to be getting off to a horrible start in OTR this year, as far as violent crime is concerned. Does anybody know where we stand YTD 2009 vs 2008? YTD 2009 versus 2008 are "up" according to a police officer that I spoke to after the last incident. I'm not sure what is driving the latest spike in crime -- drugs? I ran across an article in the New York Times a while back stating that drug-related crimes is on the rise on part of the deep recession -- people cut back on drug use as the economy sours, and when some cannot pay up, they get whacked. Who knows.
May 11, 200916 yr Going through my saved articles to post... Charge filed in 2002 killing of gay man The Enquirer, May 7, 2009 A man already behind bars was indicted Thursday for a 2002 killing in which a gay man was shot in the chest and killed. A Hamilton County grand jury indicted Jerry Jones, 28, for murder. That indictment came after Jones was arrested and charged with the killing in 2003 but released after authorities presented evidence to a grand jury in 2003 but it declined to indict after a key witness changed a story. Jones is accused of the Dec. 31, 2002, killing of Gregory Beauchamp, 21, at the Over-the-Rhine intersection of Vine and West Liberty streets. Beauchamp was killed by a gunman shouting anti-gay epithets as Beauchamp was walking to a New Year's Eve party with two men wearing women's clothing. Jones is in jail in Dayton, Ohio, on unrelated charges.
May 11, 200916 yr ^Posted other new articles today above. Anyone find the below fishy? More specifically, that no one can touch Streicher? Complaining officer's powers removed By Eileen Kelley, Cincinnati Enquirer, May 6, 2009 A Cincinnati police officer who filed the only citizen's complaint on record against Police Chief Tom Streicher had his police powers suspended on Wednesday. Aaron Layton, 32, is the second member of the department to fight back recently against a decision made by the city's top police officer. In early April, Layton filed a complaint with the Citizens Complaint Authority, an agency that allows citizens to address complaints against police officers without having to go to the police department.
May 11, 200916 yr To the broader crime issue, we did just close a prison and there have been layoffs throughout the safety sector of the economy. I also wonder if some folks are testing the waters of OTR to see how much they can get away with. I do agree that spring seems to be the time when this stuff seems to capture more attention and happen.
May 11, 200916 yr I would be interested in seeing the actual data rather than using frequency of news coverage and casual conversations as supporting evidence.
May 11, 200916 yr Through May 6th here is the rundown between 2008 and 2009 in Over-the-Rhine. Green indicates a drop from 2008 to 2009 whereas red indicates an increase. Crime - 2008/2009: Murder - 2/1 Rape - 2/8 Robbery - 76/68 Agg. Assault - 31/38 Burglary - 72/45 Larceny - 179/136 Auto Theft - 22/12 Non.Agg. Assault - 200/128 Vandalism - 80/47 Sexual Offense - 2/2 Family Offense - 3/0 Disorderly Offense - 15/18 Other Offense - 2/2 Source: http://www.cincinnatipolice.org/excelcius/Crime-Arrest%20Comparison.html
May 11, 200916 yr I would be interested in seeing the actual data rather than using frequency of news coverage and casual conversations as supporting evidence. Crime OTR -26.92% YTD (April 2008 to 2009) YTD APRIL 2008 ; APRIL 2009 TOTAL 505 ; 691 MURDER 2 ; 1 RAPE 7 ; 8 ROBBERY 76 ; 68 AGG ASSAULT 31 ; 38 BURGLARY 72 ; 45 LARCENY 179 ; 136 AUTO THEFT 22 ; 12 NON AGG ASSAULT 200 ; 128 VANDALISM 80 ; 47 SEXUAL OFFENSE 2 ; 2 FAMILY OFFENSE 3 ; 0 DISORDERLY OFFENSE 15 ; 18 OTHER 2 ; 2 Just going by recent reports, if it holds up: YTD MAY 2008 ; MAY 2009 MURDER 2 ; 2 AGG ASSAULT 31 ; 44 I added in only what I searched and posted for May 2009, +1 murder and +6 agg. assault. I'm not saying that OTR crime on the overall is up. In fact, it's down. But if the media plays up the crime, and if you have brazen daytime shootings that happen within days of each other, then there can be cause for concern. Certain aspects of crime are shown to be down, others up. Trends happen. But let's not under report it here, as that has seemingly been the case (this thread was lightly updated until recently). I live in OTR and dig through a variety of articles to find ones that are of local interest to post, and these incidents happen only blocks of my apartment so they are of passing note. That doesn't mean I'm a Negative Nancy, just that it concerns me as it justifiably should.
May 11, 200916 yr http://www.wcpo.com/news/local/story/Homicide-Detectives-Investigating-13th-Street/MD0Pd4Wxa0utHHkL5X6Bbg.cspx 13th and broadway is Pendleton NOT OTR. Dumbass media reports again... Still was a bad day for 13th st. though. Clay St shooting was OTR
May 11, 200916 yr I'm not saying that OTR crime on the overall is up. In fact, it's down. But if the media plays up the crime, and if you have brazen daytime shootings that happen within days of each other, then there can be cause for concern. Certain aspects of crime are shown to be down, others up. Trends happen. But let's not under report it here, as that has seemingly been the case (this thread was lightly updated until recently). I live in OTR and dig through a variety of articles to find ones that are of local interest to post, and these incidents happen only blocks of my apartment so they are of passing note. That doesn't mean I'm a Negative Nancy, just that it concerns me as it justifiably should. All you're doing is reposting the increased media coverage of crime in a neighborhood that doesn't need any more people looking to prey upon its every misstep. Go ahead and share substantive findings and actual data all you want, but when you just repost the same crap the Enquirer uses to stir up and excite their suburban audiences it doesn't sit well with me. If you're just looking to be vigilant against crime then do it. Post every article and every thought from each neighborhood and community. OTR doesn't need another person sharing the bad press it disproportionally gets.
May 11, 200916 yr You mean, just stop posting articles that may be negative to Cincinnati's image? I find it shocking that you'd want to do that, given that this thread is all about crime in Cincinnati. I don't selectively post -- if it is of passing interest that pertains to Cincinnati, I'll post it if it's not already been posted. This thread has been lacking for quite some time -- no offense to others who have posted. It's just not updated enough, so I'm doing my part to at least update it with some articles that I pass by on the varying web-sites, whether it is negative or not. To that, it's not "increased" coverage from the Enquirer -- it's increased coverage on UrbanOhio. It's not "crap" -- it happens to be events that have actually occurred, and so far, the Enquirer has not spun the articles or posted non-factual statements. I bash on the Enquirer enough, but they have been very reliable in keeping the community updated on many events and on-goings, whether that is crime or with some development project more so than any other independent news source. As much as I prey on the Enquirer's downfall, I tend to wonder where we would be receiving our news feeds from in the future.
May 11, 200916 yr As Sherman is a very mobile and visible resident of OTR, I think its perfectly within his right to post relevant articles of his neighborhood. Certainly, if his postings bring to attention the crime that is occuring in his neighborhood it can only be a good thing. Why is it many never want to see anything negative posted on UO as if it might do some damage?
May 11, 200916 yr This thread has not only been lacking for some time, it should simply die of a lack of quality information, and that includes the recent postings that are in question. Crime reporting is out of whack in Cincinnati and elsewhere. What you post does not necessarily inform us of crime risk, nor does it inform us of whether what is being done to reduce those risks is working, or not. Any scientist knows that focusing on single data points in isolation is useless. I repeat - USELESS. It tells us NOTHING. However that is exactly what sells fear and newspapers and hence advertising. There is no reason to perpetuate that approach anywhere else. I am all for realistic and substantive, and even negative, reports about the city and its efforts to fight crime. However in order to do those sorts of reports one must study seriously and do the analysis. Now since nobody here (and, at the Enquirer, unfortunately) has the time to do that, then this thread should die before it infects any single additional person with its biases. By the way, on a related topic, I've always been annoyed that the Enquirer's online crime data center (http://dunes.cincinnati.com/data/crime/) includes crime stats ONLY for crimes within the city of Cincinnati. Do you think that this indicates a more general bias at that newspaper, and perpetuated here as a result, that crime really only occurs in Cincinnati city limits? What is the explanation that crime stats are available only for a portion of the metro area that is home to less than 20% of its residents? Yea, I think we can guess the answer.
May 11, 200916 yr Okay, then! Sherman, please ignore the random drive-by shootings that are occuring in your neighborhood, because it clearly paints a bad picture of OTR, and we don't want to scare away the potential investors! Just remember to duck!
May 11, 200916 yr DanB, tell us what you know about random violent crime. Tell us when the last random white person was killed by a black person in Over-the-Rhine.
May 11, 200916 yr I wouldn't say it was a murder, but the drive-by shooting near Tucker's a few days ago was considered random. None of the victims were connected with any of the incidents as of late (that coming from a uniformed officer, who I will decline to name). Jim, would you be willing to head up that discussion then? Since you are new to UO, it should be pointed out that there are hundreds of "positive" threads regarding Cincinnati -- new developments, events, and the like. Appropriate enough, there is a thread regarding crime, whether it is "positive" or "negative." Likewise, it is appropriate and appreciated to have divergent viewpoints, and it is in normal discourse to have a varied discussion. That said, we have threads for crime for other cities, and in other urban forums that I participate and view, there are similar if not larger threads. By the way, on a related topic, I've always been annoyed that the Enquirer's online crime data center (http://dunes.cincinnati.com/data/crime/) includes crime stats ONLY for crimes within the city of Cincinnati. Do you think that this indicates a more general bias at that newspaper, and perpetuated here as a result, that crime really only occurs in Cincinnati city limits? What is the explanation that crime stats are available only for a portion of the metro area that is home to less than 20% of its residents? Yea, I think we can guess the answer. As much as I dislike the Enquirer's bias, this is not one of their realms that they are biased in. Their data is derived from the City of Cincinnati that is posted online (http://www.cincinnati-oh.gov/police/pages/-4258-/). Few other police departments make their statistics as detailed and available as Cincinnati's, which is the reason that you do not see detailed crime reported posted in suburban locations. Do you see detailed crime data for the city of Norwood? (http://norwoodpolice.org/) Nope. Forest Fair? (http://www.forestpark.org/department/index.asp?fDD=12-0) Nope. It's not bias, rather a lack of publicly available information.
May 11, 200916 yr I know what I see on the news. Tell me jake, you seem to be an expert, what exactly are your qualifications? I don't recall anyone mentioning color. Just watched the news about the girl who was a random victim. What a shame. I'll try to pretend it didn't happen, since it was really a whole block away from OTR. You're right, you're white, and you ride your bike all the time and have never been shot! Pretty convincing evidence!
May 11, 200916 yr As Sherman is a very mobile and visible resident of OTR, I think its perfectly within his right to post relevant articles of his neighborhood. Yes, I'm quite familiar with the neighborhood as well and know many of the residents, business owners and activists there on a first-name basis. My involvement there has gone back many years now and I think my opinions should also be valued. Why is it that only the people promoting a negative stereotype assumed to be the ones in touch with reality? Why are their anecdotal pieces of information any more valuable than someone else's? BTW, my mother and I spent the afternoon in OTR and had a great time. We went into several businesses, enjoyed Second Sundays on Main, talked with some people and had lunch...all while we criss-crossed through the neighborhood on streets like 12th, 13th, Clay, Main and Vine. No problems whatsoever...although there were several strangers who made sure to say Happy Mother's Day to my mother as we walked passed.
May 11, 200916 yr No need to bring race into the equation. I see nothing wrong with posting articles about crime in OTR. I think too many people on this forum think that OTR is "there" and that crime is an issue of the past in the neighborhood. People who say that they think OTR is dangerous are accused of being ill imformed or racist or ignorant. OTR is getting better, but it's not there yet, and we need to think seriously about crime if we want the area to one day be what we all envision.
May 11, 200916 yr Randy, WHAT IS YOUR POINT? I was in OTR Friday afternoon, and I was fine also. Not one shot was fired in my direction! But that doesn't mean that there were no random shootings this past week, and I'm not down there walking around at 11PM.
May 11, 200916 yr Yes, I'm quite familiar with the neighborhood as well and know many of the residents, business owners and activists there on a first-name basis. My involvement there has gone back many years now and I think my opinions should also be valued. Why is it that only the people promoting a negative stereotype assumed to be the ones in touch with reality? Why are their anecdotal pieces of information any more valuable than someone else's? BTW, my mother and I spent the afternoon in OTR and had a great time. We went into several businesses, enjoyed Second Sundays on Main, talked with some people and had lunch...all while we criss-crossed through the neighborhood on streets like 12th, 13th, Clay, Main and Vine. No problems whatsoever...although there were several strangers who made sure to say Happy Mother's Day to my mother as we walked passed. Once again, no one stated that crime is so prevalent that any jaunt out on the streets will result in a robbery, rape or shooting. Crime happens, but not at every second or minute that you seem to assume others believe. I've walked the streets of OTR plenty of times, as I do live here, and I have not been a victim of any crime thus far. Nor do I expect to be. But that doesn't mean that I need to let my guard entirely down, much like in other neighborhoods. Remember when Cunningham said that 15th and Vine was so dangerous he would never go there? Ronny and myself ventured there at midnight the day after he noted that, and did we get raped or mugged? No, people said hello to us and waved. But does that mean that OTR has now become the safest neighborhood in the city based on that generalization? Let's not paint a rosy picture for all of Cincinnati and then blast others for having a viewpoint that may be divergent of others. Crime still occurs here, in greater numbers than other neighborhoods although that is decreasing at a steady rate. Let's not forget that.
May 11, 200916 yr My point is that every anecdotal piece of evidence that isn't rooted with facts can be called into question - like the evidence Sherman provided about the discussion he had with a "uniformed cop" as he put it, or his recent drive down McMicken. I know the realities of the neighborhood on a first-hand basis from being there virtually every day and knowing the many people who live, work, play and congregate there on a first-name basis. I also know that my personal experiences can not be extended beyond my own life. From there I point to the raw data and the information provided to me that I can share with others (as I did above).
May 11, 200916 yr DanB, the chances of being the victim of a random violent crime in Cincinnati are incredibly low -- virtually impossible. Yet the media exploits these fears to affirm suburbanites that their suburban culture is the correct one. >I'm not down there walking around at 11PM. Well I do and so do many people who post here and they've lived to tell about it.
May 11, 200916 yr Let's not paint a rosy picture for all of Cincinnati and then blast others for having a viewpoint that may be divergent of others. Crime still occurs here, in greater numbers than other neighborhoods although that is decreasing at a steady rate. Let's not forget that. And I'm sure that these occurrences will decrease with the shear number of people knowing about them. Look, I'm all for awareness and involvement Sherman - hence why I recommended you go to a safety sector meeting and share your concerns with the business owners, residents and activists in your neighborhood that are working to do something about the crime that exists there.
May 11, 200916 yr ^Which I already stated I plan on attending when it's not in conflict with other events that were pre-planned. I'm already on good terms with several cops who work the beat, and receive a lot of great info from them -- a lot that I can't post or disclose, for obvious reasons. I'm more involved with OTR and Cincinnati than you probably realize, but I don't disclose everything that I do or handle.
May 11, 200916 yr I know what I see on the news. HA! So what you are saying is that the story I just heard about Brittany Jackson wasn't true and that the media made it up or intentionally said OTR instead of Pendleton just to make us suburbanites feel safe in our bed? Yet the media exploits these fears to affirm suburbanites that their suburban culture is the correct one. >I'm not down there walking around at 11PM. Well I do and so do many people who post here and they've lived to tell about it. Jake, why must one lifestyle be more right than the other? Why do you have this feeling that everyone hates the city? I would love nothing more than to have a vibrant OTR. There was a point in my life when I may have lived or worked in a city neighborhood. Why must you try to make me wrong for wanting to live in the suburbs? Oh, BTW, I hope Brittany Jackson lives to tell about her walk through OTR.
May 11, 200916 yr In any neighborhood that is experiencing some kind of transition it is valuable to watch (and discuss) the current crime situation. In OTR the positive growth in the 'hood means that watching crime closely is about discerning any falling back to old patterns (which happened not so long ago when the neighborhood was as poised for Renaissance as it is now). It also means (and has meant) discussing rising crime in Springfield and Colerain Twnshp. It could be declining crime in Bond Hill due to new development or rising crime in PRidge due to cops staying closer to Hyde Park (this happens every couple years). It is wrong to live in the suburbs, deus told me so.
May 11, 200916 yr OTR is probably the most talked about little piece of urbanity talked about on this site, so why would it be odd it's the one discussed most in the Cincinnati Crime thread? Like it or not, the amount of crime there (at very least, the perception of the violent crime there) is one of the biggest problems. There are a lot of potential investors/visitors/residents that don't consider OTR at all now, that might if crime weren't as big a problem as it is now. You can attack the Enquirer and local news for exploiting the crimes commited there, you can attack suburban citizens for their somewhat exaggerated perception of the danger of OTR, and you can dismiss them all. Or you can try to make OTR a really safe neighberhood, jail the criminals, and push drug activity out. The change in perception will follow shortly thereafter.
May 11, 200916 yr If they can ban sex offendesr from living within 1000 feet of a school. Why can they ban felons from living within 1000 feet of an historical building. Which would mean all of OTR.
May 11, 200916 yr Jim, would you be willing to head up that discussion then? Since you are new to UO, it should be pointed out that there are hundreds of "positive" threads regarding Cincinnati -- new developments, events, and the like. Appropriate enough, there is a thread regarding crime, whether it is "positive" or "negative." ... By the way, on a related topic, I've always been annoyed that the Enquirer's online crime data center (http://dunes.cincinnati.com/data/crime/) includes crime stats ONLY for crimes within the city of Cincinnati. Do you think that this indicates a more general bias at that newspaper, and perpetuated here as a result, that crime really only occurs in Cincinnati city limits? What is the explanation that crime stats are available only for a portion of the metro area that is home to less than 20% of its residents? Yea, I think we can guess the answer. As much as I dislike the Enquirer's bias, this is not one of their realms that they are biased in. Their data is derived from the City of Cincinnati that is posted online (http://www.cincinnati-oh.gov/police/pages/-4258-/). Few other police departments make their statistics as detailed and available as Cincinnati's, which is the reason that you do not see detailed crime reported posted in suburban locations. Sherman - First I am a new poster but have been checking out this fine blog a few times a week for the past 6 months or so. Next, the answer is No, I won't lead up that thread, for the reasons that I stated. And no that isn't a cop-out, its a reality that doing something interesting with a crime *discussion* will involve serious journalism and data analysis. This isn't at all like "I think the west side of the new SCPA building is ugly!", where opinion is not only appropriate - it's all there is. And on the subject of the Enquirer data center not being biased. Your argument would (fortunately) be rejected in any sort of academic/scientific realm. It is not possible to say "well, that's all the data that I could find, so I analyzed those." That student gets a failing grade. The FACTS of the matter are that the FBI requires crime statistics for communities > 100,000 population; the Enquirer has convenient access to Cincinnati crime reports and no other for that very reason; and the Enquirer decides to put those data exclusively on the web, just like it decides to focus its crime reporting almost exclusively on the city of cincinnati. Yea, I'm all for freedom of information, of course, but some of you may think I prefer to hide my head in the sand. On the contrary, I simply appreciate the difference between information for information sake, and information meant to encourage reasonable understanding of the situation by the public at large. The Enquirer has the most powerful force for swaying public bias - I mean opinion - ever known to humankind in Web2.0 mapped data applications. I'm not sure they appreciate that, at all. What's the next logical step, if this information is so useful, a free twitter feed showing my distance from the nearest City of Cincinnati crime report? How fascinating and useful that would be, to make me more "aware" of my crime situation. I find it funny to read about how these sorts of single-event discussions are supposed to be valuable for my "awareness" of crime in OTR and other places in the City. I think we're well up on that curve. The latest from the Enquirer blog roll, prominent on its front page right side banner, just this morning: "Two More Shootings in Over the Rhine! HUGE Surprise! Hey Downtown! You Suck!" Yes, I am aware.
May 11, 200916 yr Next, the answer is No, I won't lead up that thread, for the reasons that I stated. And no that isn't a cop-out, its a reality that doing something interesting with a crime *discussion* will involve serious journalism and data analysis. This isn't at all like "I think the west side of the new SCPA building is ugly!", where opinion is not only appropriate - it's all there is. Serious journalism and data analysis is not needed to report that there has been a spree of a shooting adjacent to Tucker's in OTR, or a life-threatening gunshot wound at 13th and Clay. They take what they can get from the officers at the scene, and then they do follow-ups. The rest that they present is simply conjecture, and from what I've posted, they haven't been doing that. They have presenting the basic facts -- what happened (if it is discernible), who was shot (if known) and their status (if known), the time and day, and the location. There have been little if any opinion inserted within that, such as "And this goes to show that crime in OTR is just as bad as they make it out to be." And on the subject of the Enquirer data center not being biased. Your argument would (fortunately) be rejected in any sort of academic/scientific realm. It is not possible to say "well, that's all the data that I could find, so I analyzed those." That student gets a failing grade. The FACTS of the matter are that the FBI requires crime statistics for communities > 100,000 population; the Enquirer has convenient access to Cincinnati crime reports and no other for that very reason; and the Enquirer decides to put those data exclusively on the web, just like it decides to focus its crime reporting almost exclusively on the city of cincinnati. This isn't an academic forum, and the Enquirer is not an academic piece, nor should it be. It's a newspaper for the people. There are news publications for the suburbs that cover their bases quite well; likewise, the Cincinnati Enquirer, with its understaffed newsroom and shrinking budget, can only do and cover so many places with a finite budget, so it is reasonable to assume that they will cover the topics that are closest to them. OTR is unfortunately conveniently down the street, whereas Mason is not (which is covered by other newspapers as well). Some are willing to hide the fact that OTR is essentially a small component of Cincinnati's overall population, yet it has one of the highest crime rates, statistically speaking. If there is a major incident (e.g. a shooting spree) in Mason, I'll post it if it's published somewhere. If there is a major incident in OTR, I'll post it. When people start trying to hide that fact, they begin resorting to blaming the Enquirer, or blaming it on Negative Nancies or try other tactics to try to silence the propagandists.
May 11, 200916 yr And now, moving back on topic (there is a thread just for bashing the Enquirer) -- The reason that Mallory does not want the electronic monitoring bracelets is because he wants the county to pony up the money. Bracelets or not, they are not a 100% suitable replacement for an 800-bed jail. For instance, ankle bracelets would not have prevented Miciah Black from raping the victim at Lytle Park, although it would have put Black at the scene. Releasing 8,571 prisoners from January 1 is bound to increase crime in Cincinnati and elsewhere. Leis: Bracelets no substitute for jail By Sharon Coolidge and Kimball Perry, Cincinnati Enquirer, May 10, 2009 A political fight that erupted last week at Cincinnati City Council over buying more ankle bracelets to monitor low-level criminal offenders obscured a basic truth, according to the Hamilton County sheriff. Even if the city and the county purchase electronic monitoring units by the hundreds, it's only a temporary fix.
May 11, 200916 yr Serious journalism and data analysis is not needed to report that there has been a spree of a shooting adjacent to Tucker's in OTR, or a life-threatening gunshot wound at 13th and Clay. Thank you for making my point more precisely and clearly. By the way, the dictionary definition of a "spree" is "an unrestrained indulgence in or outburst of an activity" -- is that the word you thought carefully to use, or was it the first one to come to mind? This isn't an academic forum, and the Enquirer is not an academic piece, nor should it be. It's a newspaper for the people. There are news publications for the suburbs that cover their bases quite well; likewise, the Cincinnati Enquirer, with its understaffed newsroom and shrinking budget, can only do and cover so many places with a finite budget, so it is reasonable to assume that they will cover the topics that are closest to them. OTR is unfortunately conveniently down the street, whereas Mason is not (which is covered by other newspapers as well). I can hardly believe that you are arguing that the Enquirer covers crime in OTR disproportionately because they are "down the street." You must not be serious. Some are willing to hide the fact that OTR is essentially a small component of Cincinnati's overall population, yet it has one of the highest crime rates, statistically speaking. If there is a major incident (e.g. a shooting spree) in Mason, I'll post it if it's published somewhere. If there is a major incident in OTR, I'll post it. When people start trying to hide that fact, they begin resorting to blaming the Enquirer, or blaming it on Negative Nancies or try other tactics to try to silence the propagandists. [sarcasm] Sherman, thank you for re-posting crime articles that appear widely in the standard news sources. [/sarcasm] You do not add anything to a discourse on crime by these actions. You do not even increase awareness perceptibly. You do not help me to understand why crime occurs nor how to intelligently assess my personal risks. In short, leave what you are doing to those who do it best, like the Enquirer and the 11:00 nightly news. They have vastly bigger audiences than this thread will ever have. And that's minus one, as of now.
May 11, 200916 yr Jim, I stand by my comments. If you have a problem with that, please private message me. I know a few friends who work for the Enquirer, and they work off of the convenience-factor. If there is spree of a shooting (i.e. multiple bullets were fired in rapid succession that struck three innocent bystanders adjacent to Tucker's), then that is newsworthy to the Enquirer much more so than a robbery in far-flung West Chester. I've stated this once before, but let's get this thread back on topic of crime discussion in Cincinnati.
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