December 29, 200618 yr Er...someone "holding the ranke of Detective Sargeant" who misspells his own rank? Can you forgive a little skepticism on my part? Sure, so long as you can forgive the fact that I think faster than I tupe.
December 29, 200618 yr Mudslide, how often are you downtown? I live on the border of CBD and OTR, and I see several police officers every day.
December 29, 200618 yr People have to feel safe, and they don't feel safe down-town and in other places. There is only one thing that will cause people to feel safe, and that is high police visibility, which is non-existent in this city, and which, ironically, is the only way to reduce crime. Yeah, I agree Melanie ... Mudslide, we're talking about downtown Cincinnati, right? lol ... Cops are all over the place. How often do you come downtown?
December 29, 200618 yr Yeah, I don't have a single problem feeling safe downtown. Sure, it's a little...dark and scary we'll say....going through OTR. But, I've definately fealt less safe in Youngstown, Warren, and even Cleveland and some areas of Columbus. Honestly, I think a lot of it comes down to what the person is used to and if they are familiar with their environment.
December 29, 200618 yr Wha? I was downtown everyday over the last three days. I saw cops everywhere, especially on Fountain Square. To say that crime is an issue is one thing but to say that you don't see cops downtown, well you are either blind or you aren't actually downtown.
December 29, 200618 yr I realize this is from a couple weeks ago, but I had to respond. It's fine to have your opinion and want the city to work more on safety, but I feel like I am reading the Enquirer when you suddenly crown the city as the "Murder Capital". I could not find the information for 2004, but the most recent data I have seen had us with the 15th highest rate. While bad to be that high, it is not number 1. Additionally, we would have to go over 100 to even get close to the Birmingham, St. Louis, Atlanta, Baltimore, Detroit, DC, and New Orleans range. You are right that the preferred method is per capita to make the comparisons. They normally do it by the number per 100,000, which equates to 23.86 murders per 100,000 instead of stating it as .2386. In 2004 Chicago was safer, but I want to point out that you should feel lucky if you were not there from 1999-2001 when they hovered around 40 murders per 100,000 or 2002 when they were at 30 (2003 was about the same). The city has only recently reduced this rate, and while they are obviously headed in the right direction they have seen rates that would amaze people in Cincinnati. Actually, crime here is very bad. The per capita rate is the preferred model since it allows comparisons between cities of all sizes. For example, in 2004, Chicago had 448 murders, or a per capita murder rate of 0.16 per 1,000 people, to Cincinnasti's 79 murders, which is 0.238 murders per 1,000 people. In other words, your chance of being murdered in Cincinnasti is 50% higher than in Chicago. Or, another way of looking at it, if Cincinnasti had 2.8 Million people, the murder rate in 2004 would have been 667 murders, about 219 more murders than Chicago. Thus, in 2004, Cincinnasti was the Muder Capital of the US, and will probably win again in 2006, since we've already tied 2004.
December 29, 200618 yr Huh...I thought that Cincy was the crime ridden rothole of the US, and that it was all to blame on city government and what not. I wonder if economic prosperity has any correlation with crime hmmmmm :| '06 murder count rises in most big U.S. cities KAREN MATTHEWS / ASSOCIATED PRESS December 28, 2006 NEW YORK - Gangs, drugs, easy access to guns and a disturbing tendency among young people to pull guns to demand respect were among the causes authorities cited in trying to explain this year's increase in murders in major U.S. cities after years of decline. New York reported 579 homicides through Dec. 24 - a nearly 10 percent increase from the year before. The spike mostly reflects an unusually large number of "reclassified homicides," or those involving victims who were shot or stabbed years ago but did not die until this year. Thirty-five such deaths have been added to this year's toll, compared with an annual average of about a dozen. http://news.cincypost.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20061228/NEWS01/612280366
December 29, 200618 yr Expert: City can reduce crime JOE WESSELS / CINCINNATI POST December 29, 2006 CINCINNATI - When it comes to crime, Cincinnati is no different from other cities. That's good news for those charged with turning around the city's alarming homicide rate, said David Kennedy, an internationally-known crime-reduction expert being tapped by Cincinnati officials. "The basics turn out to be the same no matter where you are," said Kennedy, who is a faculty member of the John Jay College of Criminal Justice in New York. Kennedy, who has meet with a number of city and county officials, believes they are ready to implement a new approach, and he would like to help. He is looking at a program that worked in Boston, something that some in that city have dubbed, "The Boston Miracle," a label Kennedy disputes. http://news.cincypost.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20061229/NEWS01/612290375
December 29, 200618 yr I realize this is from a couple weeks ago, but I had to respond. It's fine to have your opinion and want the city to work more on safety, but I feel like I am reading the Enquirer when you suddenly crown the city as the "Murder Capital". I could not find the information for 2004, but the most recent data I have seen had us with the 15th highest rate. While bad to be that high, it is not number 1. Additionally, we would have to go over 100 to even get close to the Birmingham, St. Louis, Atlanta, Baltimore, Detroit, DC, and New Orleans range. After Cincinnati's population was adjusted it moved down a couple of spots to 17th with Norfolk & Rochester now having a higher murder rate than Cincinnati.
December 29, 200618 yr You don't need a "cop on every corner," they just need to be seen once in a while, and they are in the neighborhoods you mentioned. But that has more to do with the fact that influential people in those neighborhoods demand it, just like current and former council members, and other influential people, who live in the Gas-Light District in Clifton expect it. Many neighborhoods, like clifton, spend their buisness district support money to hire off duty cops. All neighborhoods get the same amount of funds, they just use them differently.
January 9, 200718 yr From CityBeat, 12/13/06: Fun with Numbers Marijuana stats don't tell much By Greg Flannery You'd have to be stoned to draw any conclusions from City Manager Milton Dohoney's report on the impact of Cincinnati's new marijuana law. It's one of those reports that's most telling for what it doesn't say. For example, the report says police arrested 2,330 people for possession of marijuana between March 29 and Sept. 30. But it doesn't say that that's significantly down from a comparable period last year. The report covers the first six months of an ordinance making possession of less than 100 grams of pot a fourth-degree misdemeanor, with a possible 30-day jail sentence. Repeat offenders can be charged with a first-degree misdemeanor, carrying up to six months in jail. http://www.citybeat.com/2006-12-13/news3.shtml
January 9, 200718 yr From the 12/17/06 Enquirer: Anti-gun group marches against crime BY FEOSHIA HENDERSON | [email protected] Members of CeaseFire Cincinnati had planned to just hand out candy and holiday cards Saturday as part of a membership drive. Instead, they also found themselves marking Avondale's eighth shooting since the anti-gun group was created. About 15 people met at the Avondale Community Pride Center, where 5,000 small plastic bags of candy had been collected. The group is based on a similar group called CeaseFire Chicago. Since the Chicago group began its campaign, crime has been reduced by 60 percent in the participating neighborhoods, according to the Cincinnati group. http://news.enquirer.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20061217/NEWS01/612170370/1056/COL02
January 9, 200718 yr From the 12/26/06 Enquirer: PHOTO: This weekend, Joshua Harden (left, with his sister, Marquilla Cook) became the city's 83rd homicide of the year. Provided photo Guns used in city's 82nd, 83rd homicides Record set; North Fairmount shooting kills 19-year-old father BY DAN HORN AND QUAN TRUONG | [email protected] AND [email protected] Cincinnati broke a record this weekend that it didn't want: The city surpassed its modern record for homicides with the shooting deaths of two men, the 82nd and 83rd homicides of the year. "This is tragic," Mayor Mark Mallory said Sunday. "We need to live in peace in this community." The Saturday night death of 19-year-old Joshua Harden in North Fairmount, like so many others this year, involved a gun and two young men with a history of drug arrests. It's a combination that police and elected officials say is fueling violent crime. http://news.enquirer.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20061226/NEWS01/612260330 From the 12/26/06 Eastern Hills Journal: Problem streets in Oakley see some improvement BY FORREST SELLERS | COMMUNITY PRESS STAFF WRITER OAKLEY - A more visible presence by police has helped curtail problems at Brownway and Robertson avenues. "They have been giving direct patrols," said Jim Assum, a retired police officer and head of Oakley's Crime and Safety Committee. "The prostitutes have gotten the word that you don't mess around in the area." Direct patrols involve officers paying close attention to problem locations. Both Brownway and Robertson have had incidents involving prostitution and distribution of drugs. [email protected] 248-7680 http://news.communitypress.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20061226/NEWS01/612260302/1090/Local
January 9, 200718 yr From CityBeat, 12/27/06: CPD reforms meant more money for crime prevention programs By Bootsie Princeton As she promised earlier this year, Police Chief Rachel Thornton returned 5 percent of the Cincinnati Police Department (CPD) operating budget. The funds already have been committed to social service programs that have been proven to reduce crime -- including job training, drug rehab and at-risk youth intervention -- and some innovative community outreach initiatives begun two months after Thornton became chief on Jan. 30. Presenting a symbolic check to Mayor Mark Mallory and members of City Council, Thornton thanked the politicians for their support of her reform efforts within the department that made the redistribution of funds possible. http://www.citybeat.com/2006-12-27/cover.shtml
January 9, 200718 yr From the 12/28/06 Cincinnati Post: War on crime may go 'holistic' By Joe Wessels Post contributor Cincinnati is poised to take on a "holistic" crime-fighting approach that includes a get-tough attitude on sentencing violent criminals along with teaching young people methods of resolving conflict short of violence. To help it do so, city officials want to hire David Kennedy, the director of the Boston Gun Project, which is credited with curbing youth violence in that city in the mid-1990s. The program began in 1995 and midway through the next year spawned "Operation Ceasefire," a violence-reduction approach that targeted Boston's youth gang members and repeat offenders. http://news.cincypost.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20061228/NEWS01/612280376
January 9, 200718 yr From the 12/30/06 Kentucky Post: Leis backs proposal to curb gun violence By Joe Wessels Post contributor Hamilton County Sheriff Simon Leis said he supports a proposed program to curb gun violence in Cincinnati. The program - first implemented by David Kennedy, a former Harvard University researcher and currently a professor at the John Jay College of Criminal Justice in New York - dropped gun-related deaths in Boston nearly 70 percent in 18 months and has been replicated in about 20 cities around the world. "We're ready for anything that works," Leis said. http://news.cincypost.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/AE/20061230/NEWS02/612300351/
January 9, 200718 yr From the 12/31/06 Enquirer: PHOTO: Victoria Straughn and Iris Roley, both friends of Richard Muhammad, march in Avondale as mourners gathered this morning to condemn Cincinnati's 84th homicide of 2006. The Enquirer/Meggan Booker Mourners condemn record Supporters: 'Tell on our babies to stop Cincinnati killing BY KIMBALL PERRY | [email protected] AVONDALE Almost as many tears as rain drops fell this morning when outraged mourners gathered to condemn Fridays record-breaking homicide of Richard Muhammad and rage against attitudes that cultivated the killings. Our community is dying. These boys are taking their manhood in a pistol and were watching them die out here, said Victoria Straughn of Avondale. Straughn, one of about 75 at the 9 a.m. ceremony paying tribute to Muhammad, was referring to Cincinnatis 84th homicide of 2006, setting an all-time high for the city. http://news.enquirer.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20061231/NEWS01/312310009 From same: Latest victim tried to end violence BY PEGGY O'FARRELL | [email protected] The violence that Richard D. Muhammad tried to stop on Cincinnati's streets has claimed his life. The community advocate was found shot to death Friday night at the Sycamore Hotel at 7759 Reading Road in Roselawn. He was Cincinnati's 84th homicide victim in 2006, a record-breaking year for homicides in the city. Cincinnati police issued a warrant Saturday night for Phillip Harris, 20, in connection with Muhammad's death. Harris is wanted for complicity to murder. His last known address is 1653 Summit Road, Cincinnati. He is described as black, 5 feet 10 inches, 145 pounds, with black hair and brown eyes. Sgt. Robert E. Liston, homicide supervisor with the Cincinnati police, wouldn't give any details on the circumstances surrounding Muhammad's shooting. http://news.enquirer.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20061231/NEWS01/612310388
January 9, 200718 yr Multimedia * http://Map detailing Cincinnati homicide locations (PDF) * Homicides by year, police district (PDF) Record causes city to react Some warn trends behind the increase are spreading BY QUAN TRUONGG | [email protected] With 86 homicides in 2006, the year was Cincinnati's deadliest since police began keeping consistent records in 1950. The record number of homicides follows the recent blueprint for violent deaths - drugs, weapons and broken families. "Ninety percent of all homicides are drug-related," said Hamilton County Coroner O'dell Owens. "When you peel the onion back, even self-defense violence is because of drugs." Drugs, guns and bloodshed have long plagued large cities like Cincinnati, Owens said, but whatever happens in the inner city eventually seeps into the suburbs. http://news.enquirer.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070101/NEWS01/701010329/1056/COL02
January 9, 200718 yr From the 1/1/07 Enquirer: PHOTO: Milton Trite III, at the 100 Male March, holds the megaphone for Sharon Muhammad, the wife of slain Richard Muhammad. The Enquirer/Meggan Booker PHOTO: Marchers walk through the rain down Rockdale Avenue during the 100 Male March on Sunday in Avondale. Many were troubled by the death of Richard Muhammad. THE ENQUIRER/MEGGAN BOOKER March mourns activist's death Crowd promotes peace, change BY KIMBALL PERRY | [email protected] AVONDALE - Almost as many tears as raindrops fell Sunday morning when outraged mourners gathered to condemn Friday's homicide of Richard Muhammad and rage against attitudes that cultivated the killings. "Our community is dying. These boys are taking their manhood in a pistol ... and we're watching them die out here," said Victoria Straughn of Avondale. Straughn, one of about 75 at the 9 a.m. ceremony paying tribute to Muhammad, was referring to Cincinnati's 84th homicide of 2006, setting a modern high for the city. http://news.enquirer.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070101/NEWS01/701010331
January 9, 200718 yr From the 1/7/06 Enquirer: Multimedia * Graphs: Gun crimes rising (PDF) Police ramp up gun crackdown More cases routed to stricter federal court BY SHARON COOLIDGE | [email protected] Cincinnati police arrested Jason Miller in June 2005 after they caught the 23-year-old carrying a loaded .357 revolver - a gun he was not allowed to have because of a prior felony conviction. A few days later, a Hamilton County grand jury decided not to charge the Colerain Township resident. Yet three months later, Miller was behind bars again - this time accused of killing two people and wounding a teenage girl in the crossfire of another shooting at an Over-the-Rhine apartment building. http://news.enquirer.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070107/NEWS01/701070359/1077/COL02
January 11, 200718 yr From the 1/10/07 Enquirer: Trial starts in drug deal turned deadly Defendant accused in three shootings, one of them fatal BY DAN HORN | [email protected] DOWNTOWN - Cincinnati police know the block on Race Street as "Heroin Central," an illegal open-air market where drug dealers and buyers do business. Prosecutors say that's why Matthew Cox and three teenage girls drove there last April 5. They expected to make a quick transaction and then head home to Northern Kentucky. They didn't count on Delrico Robertson. http://news.enquirer.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070110/NEWS01/701100350/1056/COL02 From the 1/10/07 (UC) News Record: UCPD conducts survey of students Police look to distribute resources better to fight crime Zach Garrison Issue date: 1/10/07 Section: News The University of Cincinnati Police Department conducted a survey of students on the issue of crime and public safety in hopes of developing a new safety plan. The survey, which took place on Blackboard and ended on Jan. 8, surveyed 501 UC students on what they felt were the issues of the most concern in terms of public safety. "We basically asked questions about how safe people felt on campus during the day and at night and then off campus during the day and at night, and then if they felt unsafe why did they feel unsafe," UCPD Capt. Karen Patterson said. "We had questions like poor lighting, information in the media, homeless people, we had a whole bunch of different responses that people could pick, so we sort of can hone in on what sort of things are making people feel uncomfortable so we can address them." http://www.newsrecord.org/media/storage/paper693/news/2007/01/10/News/Ucpd-Conducts.Survey.Of.Students-2616067.shtml?norewrite200701111853&sourcedomain=www.newsrecord.org
January 12, 200718 yr how not to address the Judge :? http://news.enquirer.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070112/NEWS01/701120352/1077/COL02 'Bonafide Hustla' curses judge Life with no parole for 80½ years in slaying of Blue Ash man BY SHARON COOLIDGE | [email protected] Lonnie Webster showed emotion Thursday for the first time since he was arrested for a string of crimes that started when he killed Robby Pursley outside a Hyde Park pub. Throughout his murder trial, the man who has the words "Bonafide Hustla" tattooed across his forehead sat slumped back in his chair as if he was bored in class, instead of sitting in court facing life behind bars. Webster came alive Thursday after Hamilton County Common Pleas Judge Steve Martin ordered that life sentence, with parole possible only after 80½ years. He lashed out at the judge in a profanity-laced tirade that brought more jail time every time he opened his mouth.
January 12, 200718 yr UCPD conducts survey of students Police look to distribute resources better to fight crime Zach Garrison Issue date: 1/10/07 Section: News The University of Cincinnati Police Department conducted a survey of students on the issue of crime and public safety in hopes of developing a new safety plan. The survey, which took place on Blackboard and ended on Jan. 8, surveyed 501 UC students on what they felt were the issues of the most concern in terms of public safety.... http://www.newsrecord.org/media/storage/paper693/news/2007/01/10/News/Ucpd-Conducts.Survey.Of.Students-2616067.shtml?norewrite200701111853&sourcedomain=www.newsrecord.org UC rapes 30 thousand + students every quarter. Add that to the stats.
January 12, 200718 yr UC rapes 30 thousand + students every quarter. Add that to the stats. Now, that is what one would consider innappropriate use of a word...
January 12, 200718 yr UC rapes 30 thousand + students every quarter. Add that to the stats. Now, that is what one would consider innappropriate use of a word... Guess you're not getting your $$$$ worth?
January 14, 200718 yr From the 1/13/07 Enquirer: Homicide record just got worse Grim list grows by three - now totals 89 for 2006 BY WILLIAM A. WEATHERS | [email protected] Cincinnati's modern-day record for homicides climbed to 89 Friday when the Hamilton County Coroner's Office officially added three to the previous 2006 total. "The city had said 86. We're going to say 89," Coroner O'dell Owens said. http://news.enquirer.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070113/NEWS01/701130393/1077/COL02
January 14, 200718 yr A couple of news and notes on some ongoing cases.... * The Collins Street steps. Here is a letter, dated November 6, 2006, from Tim Burke to Caleb Faux, Chair of the City Planning Commission, regarding the ILLEGAL closure of the steps. http://www.cincinnati-oh.gov/cdap/downloads/cdap_pdf15093.pdf As a result, there will now be a hearing in front of the City Planning Commission on January 19, 2007. The staff recommends DENIAL of the closure for the following reasons: 1) The public steps are an important part of the city's overall transportation system 2) DOTE followed the city's step-closure policy and recommended that the steps remain in use, be repaired, and be monitored and maintained--as soon as possible 3) Closure should be done as a final alternative only, and closing these stairs without exhausting all other options could set a bad precedent regarding future decisions about the city's transportation network. * "Bonafide Idiot", who shot and killed Robby Pursley outside of Mulligan's a year ago, gets 80 1/2 years (no parole) and curses out the judge. Cincinnati Enquirer: 'Bonafide Hustla' curses judge (1/12/07) Cincinnati Enquirer: 'Hustla' rages; Term grows (1/11/07) Cincinnati Enquirer: 'Bonafide Hustler' found guilty (12/15/06) * A man has been charged in the killing of community activist Richard D. Muhammed. Cincinnati Enquirer: Man charged in activist's killing (1/4/07) * They never did find the guy who jumped into the river from the Brent Spence Bridge. Cincinnati Enquirer: Police don't find bridge jumper (12/13/06) * The trial of the killers of Philip Bates. Cincinnati Enquirer: Suspect's family has faith (12/17/06) Cincinnati Enquirer: Bates suspect denied bond (12/13/06) Cincinnati Enquirer: No bail for Bates suspect (12/12/06)
January 14, 200718 yr Tim Burke is a talented attorney and the head of the hamilton county democratic party.
January 15, 200718 yr Martin: "Thirty more days. Do you want more? How much time do you want?" Sounded like the script from "Breakfast Club"!
January 15, 200718 yr You have judged my nephew by the tattoo on his head. Maybe it was the wrong choice to put that on his head, but he is not an animal, he is not a monster. No, actually, he is an animal and a monster. ...and hey, great news on the Collins steps!
January 16, 200718 yr Tomorrow's Borgman cartoon (unfortunately so true! (the attitude that is)): http://frontier.cincinnati.com/blogs/borgman/2007/01/tuesdays-cartoon.asp
January 17, 200718 yr $7M cocaine shipment seized CINCINNATI ENQUIRER January 16, 2007 PHOTO: Some of the 135 pounds of cocaine seized by the Regional Narcotics Unit. Hamilton County Sheriff's Office CINCINNATI - Agents of the Regional Narcotics Unit arrested two Cincinnati businessmen Monday who were allegedly receiving a shipment of 135 pounds of cocaine with a street value of more than $7 million, Hamilton County Sheriff Simon L. Leis said today. The sheriff's office said Erick Clisby, 38, 11839 Hamlet Road, Forest Park, proprietor of Classic Autobody, 11090 Southland Boulevard, and Cornell Clisby, 10913 Fallstone Drive, Springdale, proprietor of Clisby Cleaning and Construction, LLC, 514 W. Sharon Road, were charged with drug trafficking and drug conspiracy offenses. http://news.enquirer.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070116/NEWS01/301160023
January 17, 200718 yr Anyone else think that ending the war on drugs would be a good step? After all, it only enriches drug lords and directs lots of money into the hands of gangs. Providing a good education is another step and our current system doesn't do that, let alone provide consistancy in quality of education. I'm sure there is a study out there that correlates crime and violent acts among well-educated individuals vs un-educated ones, but even without citing one I think it's safe to say the better educated a person is the less likely they are to engage in such acts.
January 17, 200718 yr Tomorrow's Borgman cartoon (unfortunately so true! (the attitude that is)): http://frontier.cincinnati.com/blogs/borgman/2007/01/tuesdays-cartoon.asp What a great cartoon!! (He even used a fictional street name on the sign: Sixteenth)
January 24, 200718 yr Deputy patrols in city may continue BY KIMBALL PERRY | [email protected] January 23, 2007 ANDERSON TWP. Stressing the importance of public safety, Hamilton County commissioners want to continue funding a program that allows sheriffs deputies to patrol in the city of Cincinnati. When County Administrator Patrick Thompson submitted his proposed 2007 budget in November, he funded the program for only six months that pays to have more than a dozen deputies patrol the troubled neighborhood of Over-the-Rhine. After speaking with commissioners, though, Thompson readjusted his proposed budget. It adds $750,000 to fund that program for all of 2007. http://news.enquirer.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070123/NEWS01/301230035
February 12, 200718 yr Study says Cincinnati's crime rate could be worse BY GREGORY KORTE | [email protected] As bad as Cincinnati's homicide rate is, high levels of poverty and unemployment in the city cause crime researchers to conclude that it could be worse. That could mean that Cincinnati's police force is actually more effective than most police forces in dealing with violent crime, according to a new study from Georgia State University.
February 12, 200718 yr Here's another way to look at it: Given Cincinnati's population, the criminologists would have expected Cincinnati to have more like 85 homicides in 2005. The researchers say that's an inexact number, however, and place more emphasis on their adjusted rankings. Well, we had "more like 85" in 2006. I guess that means Cincinnati is typical. People who make a big deal out of homicide numbers seem to think that Cincinnati is worse than other cities, when that is not the case.
February 12, 200718 yr ^^That article didn't make any sense to me. How did San Fransico go from not on the list to #1?
February 13, 200718 yr What population are they refering to? The huge decline that took us below 300k or the numbers after the city proved we are around 320k? That can make a difference in per capita crimes (but could also make us look worse regarding nightlife per capita).
March 13, 200718 yr From CityBeat, 1/24/07: A Matter of Trust Is the end of Cincinnati's Collaborative Agreement over police reforms a success -- or premature? By Kevin Osborne Brian Garry still is shaken when he recalls the incident that occurred on an unseasonably warm evening a few weeks ago in Over-the-Rhine. As he worked in his Vine Street storefront office with the windows open, he heard a family who lived in the building next door having a barbeque in the back alley behind their apartment. An African-American woman grilled some food as her young daughters laughed and played, all while the family listened to music from a nearby stereo. Garry remembers pausing briefly and trying to smell the tantalizing aroma from the sizzling meat before he continued his work. It was a typical urban scene repeated in cities across the nation: a poor family doing what it could to have some quality time together on a skimpy budget and in the absence of a nice home with a backyard to call their own. Soon, though, the incident took a turn that some people say places the event squarely in the stark reality of Cincinnati. Click link below for the rest of the article... http://www.citybeat.com/2007-01-24/cover.shtml
March 13, 200718 yr From the 1/31/07 Enquirer: Poverty got many jail time, court told BY DAN HORN | [email protected] Hamilton County judges failed for years to hold hearings that could have kept hundreds of poor people out of jail, a county lawyer told a federal appeals court Tuesday. The hearings would have determined whether offenders were too poor to pay court-ordered fines. If they were, the judges could have waived the fines and avoided sending them to jail. The offenders sued the county five years ago and argued their case Tuesday before the U.S. 6th Circuit Court of Appeals in Cincinnati. http://news.enquirer.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070131/NEWS01/701310360/1056/COL02
March 13, 200718 yr From the 2/1/07 Enquirer: Cincinnati wants to expand use of sheriff's patrols Five neighborhoods would be added; union not so happy BY DAN KLEPAL | [email protected] Cincinnati officials want to talk with Hamilton County about extending sheriff's office patrols into five city neighborhoods - Avondale, Bond Hill, Walnut Hills, Westwood and Price Hill. Council member Cecil Thomas introduced the idea and said that sheriff's deputy patrols in Over-the-Rhine have been so successful the city should investigate how much it would cost to expand them. City administrators are supposed to report back in two weeks. http://news.enquirer.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070201/NEWS01/702010367/1056/COL02
March 13, 200718 yr From the 2/2/07 Enquirer: Ceasefire Cincinnati rallies for peace, recalls victims BY QUAN TRUONG | [email protected] AVONDALE - A bottle of Woodford Reserve bourbon sat on Philip Bates' grave Thursday night. It would have been his 56th birthday. His widow, Melanie Bates, said he loved gatherings and bourbon. This year, she made sure he got both. Bates, who was shot to death outside his North Avondale home in August, was one of two people whose lives were remembered Thursday by Ceasefire Cincinnati, an Avondale anti-violence group. Earlier in the day, Melanie Bates had left the bottle at her late husband's gravesite. The other life remembered Thursday was that of Angelo Dwayne Jackson, 24, who was shot in the head twice on Tuesday, a few blocks from the Bates' home. http://news.enquirer.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070202/NEWS01/702020398/1056/COL02
March 13, 200718 yr From CityBeat, 2/7/07: Finally Ready for a Ceasefire Cincinnati officials embracing Boston's successful anti-crime plan By Kevin Osborne Cincinnati's political leaders hope it's a case of better late than never when it comes to trying to duplicate the success locally of a plan used in Boston and more than a dozen other cities nationwide to significantly reduce gun violence and crime. At the urging of community activists, university researchers and local physicians, Cincinnati City Council is considering implementing a crime-fighting strategy developed by David Kennedy, a professor who helped create the Boston Gun Project in the mid-1990s. Sometimes referred to as "the Boston Miracle," the plan was rolled out in response to a youth homicide epidemic there and is credited with causing a nearly 50 percent drop in gang-related violence within a few months. http://www.citybeat.com/2007-02-07/news2.shtml
March 13, 200718 yr From the 2/20/07 Post: Cop reform deal under scrutiny By Joe Wessels Post contributor A groundbreaking agreement that brought federal oversight to the Cincinnati Police Department is set to end later this year, but some in the community may ask a federal judge to extend it. The so-called "Collaborative Agreement" between Cincinnati community groups and the police was an outgrowth of the 2001 riots that were sparked by the separate deaths at police hands of two unarmed black men. Plaintiffs in a 2001 lawsuit alleged that for decades, city police had discriminated against minorities. The lawsuit was settled by the agreement, a five-year pact that runs out Aug. 5. http://news.cincypost.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070220/NEWS01/702200370
March 13, 200718 yr From the 2/27/07 Enquirer: Bates maintains her vigil Six months ago, she lost her husband to violence, but remains determined that something good will come of that BY CHUCK MARTIN | [email protected] Six months after her husband was shot and killed outside their North Avondale home, Melanie Bates says it's time to move on. Not that she doesn't appreciate the sympathy cards and kind words. Not that she no longer grieves for Phil. It's just that Bates is focusing her considerable energy on ending the violence in Cincinnati. http://news.enquirer.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/AB/20070227/LIFE/702270311/
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