Green Street Closed

 

Green Street has been barricaded for a few weeks. At first I was worried because I thought it might mean that there was a building in danger of collapse. But it appears to be an attempt by the police to disrupt drug buyer's traffic patterns.

Rock Throwing

Happy Bastille Day.

I don't have a long time to formulate thoughts about the recent rock throwing incident, so I'll keep it brief.

Below is a police photo of a rock thrown at a car on Columbia Parkway:
 

1. My dad had his windshield smashed with a rock while driving on Columbia Parkway over 5 years ago. It did not make the news and the police did not find the rock thrower.
2. I threw snowballs at cars as a teen. I could have caused an accident and killed someone. I was stupid, but at the time it seemed like a lot of fun.
3. I do not understand the extreme hatred shown towards the rock throwers in the comments section of the Enquirer. What they did was bad, real bad, but calling for long prison terms or physical punishment is crazy.
4. The police had to let one of the kids go because they did not have enough evidence to indite him. Did the police really hold a press conference in front of the kids house? That doesn't sound right.

Jerome's Memorial

Site of a July 4th weekend shooting:
 

Green and Republic: 

This is just a block south of Findlay Market. I walked this way to the Market Sunday, and my son was asking why there were so many empty buildings up here and why the owners don't fix them up. I told him there was a shooting here, but he wasn't so interested in the memorial.

O'dell Owens on OTR Crime

I missed this nugget the other day from our Coroner:

Hamilton County Coroner O'dell Owens isn't buying a survey that named Over-the-Rhine the “most dangerous neighborhood” in America.

Dr. Owens said in a press conference on Wednesday that Cincinnati is a good city that suffers from “poor self esteem.”
...
"At our worst we had 89 homicides. Philly had 440, Detroit has one a day, Indianapolis had eight in one day. Toledo had multiples in one day. We've never had eight homicides in one day in Cincinnati," said Owens.

Owens said there is a problem with crime but people shouldn't let fear keep them out of the area.

Channel 9 follow up story yesterday.

Arrogant FOP

"..I'm not listening to a lot of what Greg Harris is saying right now.." - Cathy Harrell, president of the Cincinnati FOP on WVXU Tuesday.

Greg Harris has a forward thinking proposal to combine the Hamilton County Sheriff and the Cincinnati Police Departments. This is the kind of big thinking that is needed in Cincinnati. But as Greg Harris says in the article, "you would think the sky is falling by the response".

Thanks Mainstream Media... for nothing.

You know it is one thing to have to deal with misperceptions from folks outside of the area, but I would love to see our local news sources dig deeper into stories before passing out distorted information. The latest instance? Walletpop.com ranked a "neighborhood" in Cincinnati as the most dangerous in the nation. This was picked up by local news sources as:

• OTR Ranked As Most Dangerous Neighborhood In US (WCPO)
• Over-the-Rhine Most Dangerous Neighborhood in U.S. (WKRC)
• Web site: OTR most dangerous (Cincinnati.com / Enquirer)
• Report: OTR Nation's Most Dangerous Neighborhood (WLWT)

All of these headlines are terrible. The area in question is a piece of OTR and the West End. It is bounded in the south by Liberty Street, goes a couple blocks west of Central Parkway and then bounded my W. McMicken in the north and Vine street in the east. I don't think there are a lot of residents in this area (feel free to comment on that). If I work back the statistics the 457 incidents working out to 266.94 per 1,000 yields 1,712 residents. One article I read (see below) pointed out that OTR is home to over 7,000 people. I would love to see an analysis of those crimes. The area seems to attract dealers and buyers from outside the area. How many of those crimes affected residents? How many were caused by the increased attention law enforcement gave to the area? Attention that made things better, but may have caused a spike in recorded incidents. But no, instead we have inflammatory headlines.

I don't blame the web site. It uses an automated data analysis. They have no idea what constitutes a neighborhood. I am just frustrated by the lack of depth in local reporting. Cincinnati.com and WLWT at least gave passing mention that it was just a part of OTR, but the headlines don't say that.

Thankfully there are quite a few local bloggers that ARE willing to look behind the numbers.

• Intellectually dishonest" report claims OTR is nation's most dangerous neighborhood (UrbanCincy)
• Is Cincinnati Home to the 'Most Dangerous Neighborhood' in America? I Beg to Differ... (Queen City Discovery)
• Over the Rhine is NOT what they said. (Queen City Survey)

Triple Homicide

One downtown parent and her infant son are dead, while another downtown parent mourns her murdered daughter. It truly is an unthinkable tragedy. Parents know what that means. You literally can't imagine the death of your baby because it's just too painful. Trying to imagine another parent's grief is almost as bad.

Now begins the investigative and legal processes which will try to somehow balance this senselessness and set things aright again. We've had a lot of fun using LEGO as a playful proxy for how we would remake our world if imagination were all that mattered. Here's another more serious exploration along that same line.

For some inexplicable reason this design for a LEGO electric chair was rejected. Probably because it didn't include a Joe Deters mini-figure.





Click any pic for larger view. Click HERE for assembly animation.

I remain philosophically opposed to the death penalty. But it sure is difficult to stay committed to that principle when someone shoots a 3 year old and a 9 month old in the head. When it comes time for that particular criminal to receive justice, I'm going to have something (anything) better to do than to protest that execution.

Jim Webb Courage

During last year's presidential election, you may recall that I briefly was speculating that Obama would choose Jim Webb as a running mate. I find the guy fascinating. Lately he has been championing the very unpopular issues of prison reform and drug de-criminalization. In a political climate in which most politicians fall all over each other trying to be tougher on crime, Webb is an anomoly.

Criminal justice reform has never been much on my radar, but starting with the jail tax issue last year and continuing to the Pogue Center controversy, I have to say my interest is definitely growing. For example, I was under the impression that the Pogue Center was a locked facility in which offenders serve mandatory time. But apparently that is not how it works at all. Their doors are not locked. This is a bit disconcerting, since they are just a block away from a public swimming pool that we attend often.

Then there is the fact that our Sheriff, Simon Leis, recently closed a minimum security prison in Queensgate, to little noticeable effect. It seems to me that one reason the jail tax failed last year was that it had little specifics in it other than a new jail would be built on the Kahn's site. If the plan had specifics about building and running more secure halfway houses and sex offender rehabilitation programs, maybe it could pass.

Here are some excerpts from Jim Webb's speech on the Senate floor last week:

...We have 5% of the world's population; we have 25% of the world's known prison population. We have an incarceration rate in the United States, the world's greatest democracy, that is five times as high as the average incarceration rate of the rest of the world. There are only two possibilities here: either we have the most evil people on earth living in the United States; or we are doing something dramatically wrong in terms of how we approach the issue of criminal justice. . . .

... a significant percentage of those incarcerated are for possession or nonviolent offenses stemming from drug addiction and those sorts of related behavioral issues. . . .

...there are stunning statistics with respect to drugs that we all must come to terms with. African-Americans are about 12% of our population; contrary to a lot of thought and rhetoric, their drug use rate in terms of frequent drug use rate is about the same as all other elements of our society, about 14%. But they end up being 37% of those arrested on drug charges, 59% of those convicted, and 74% of those sentenced to prison by the numbers that have been provided by us. . . .

Another piece of this issue that I hope we will address with this National Criminal Justice Commission is what happens inside our prisons. . . . We also have a situation in this country with respect to prison violence and sexual victimization that is off the charts and we must get our arms around this problem. We also have many people in our prisons who are among what are called the criminally ill, many suffering from hepatitis and HIV who are not getting the sorts of treatment they deserve.

Importantly, what are we going to do about drug policy - the whole area of drug policy in this country?

And how does that affect sentencing procedures and other alternatives that we might look at?

Someone Should Be Fired

Yesterday I spent an hour or so watching lots of kids play at a playground about 5 blocks from the VOA Pogue Center. Little did I know that they had recently kicked a violent sexual offender, Anthony Kirkland out onto the streets. In fact, I looked back on the notices that the Sheriff sends out, and found that we were never even notified that he resided here. Not that it would matter. When you get 3 or 4 a week, all the names and faces become a blur. And another reason it doesn't matter is because he committed the crime many miles from here.

But, tonight I found out that we have some tangential relationship to young woman, Esme Kenney that Kirkland apparently killed yesterday. She attended school in the neighborhood and her mother worked at a local shop. And I cannot believe that the people who are charged with enforcing the law fell down on the job to such a tragic result.

Apparently Kirkland, a man with a very long criminal record, including murder was ordered to the Pogue Center at 115 W. McMicken. But when he violated their behavior rules, they just opened the door and told him to walk down the street! Un-Believable!

The guy has a parole officer! The officer should be called, and he should be re-arrested for violating his parole, end of story. The staff person at the Pogue Center who made the decision to let him walk should be fired, at minimum. And if it turns out that this procedure is Pogue policy, then the Center should lose it's license.

Broken Windows Theory Tested

Some Dutch guys set up experiments to test the Broken Windows theory and found it to be true.

The researchers’ conclusion is that one example of disorder, like graffiti or littering, can indeed encourage another, like stealing. Dr Kelling was right. The message for policymakers and police officers is that clearing up graffiti or littering promptly could help fight the spread of crime.

Update on Machine Gun

A short story on Channel 12 last night said police recovered an AK47 from nearby. I'm quite sure that is what I heard being shot last week. They also mention in the article, the grafitti I posted yesterday, as a possible list of street names of those involved.

Larry Winslow Lives in Alley

A while ago, I signed up to receive notices when sex offenders move into my neighborhood. It is not something that I am overly concerned about, but the emails are sometimes thought provoking. I noticed yesterday for example that Larry Winslow states that he resides in the alley behind the Drop Inn Center.

The Drop Inn Center does an important job with a limited budget, but pressure has been growing on them to change their operations. One change they have implemented is a 3-strikes policy, in which people repeatedly ticketed within 500' of the center will be refused services. They also have been turning away sex offenders. To me this is backwards. If Mr. Winlsow, who is a 58 year old homeless "tier III sex offender" cannot get a bed here, where could he possibly go? The whole point of the DIC is to be a place of last resort. If the DIC starts getting too picky about who can sleep on a mat, the result will be more people in the alleys and possibly frozen to death this winter. Is it getting to the point where we need another shelter, one that just takes the addicts and sex offenders?

Meanwhile, concerned people in cities like Chicago have been building beautiful, green homeless shelters. See article here and details here.

Read the whole article to see how nice the building is (it has a greenhouse, 2 gyms, library and sleeps 1,400) but also notice this part about the trouble they had expanding:

For years, Pacific Garden Mission had been pressured by the city Board of Education to vacate its men's facility on South State Street in the former Skid Row. As the neighborhood gentrified, the site was increasingly eyed for expansion by Jones College Prep, an adjacent public high school. Mission leaders were willing to relocate, but each time they pursued a site for a new shelter, a wave of NIMBYism swelled up from nearby residents.

... "The mission treated these people with great respect and dignity," ... "They are not referred to as indigents, but as overnight guests."

... set out to help find a new site. Ultimately, the combination of strained neighborhood politics and the mission's desire to build an ambitious multipurpose shelter led to the selection of a parcel south of the Loop at 14th and South Canal streets, surrounded by commuter rail tracks and parking lots for UPS trucks. ... The site was selected primarily because of its availability, adequate size, and reasonable proximity to the old site a mile away.

A quick anectode to end this post:
The weather being beautiful we walked down to Fountain Square last night. Since it was a school night we were just intending to walk past. But two booths were set up on the square selling barbecue, and and the square was lively with businessmen and people from the Baptist Convention, so we ordered some pork. I was short $2 for the meals, and the man said, "hey we're family, that's ok, just take them", which I really appreciated. While eating a very cute redheaded girl, maybe 6 years old came up and started playing with my daughter. They bonded so quickly that they were crying when we had to separate them 20 minutes later. The mother and father said maybe they would see us again downtown soon. In the small-talk as we were leaving, I asked where they lived, and they replied that they were staying at a homeless shelter. They said the one they were staying in had special quarters for families.

Forgetting a Child is a Crime

Mother's lives are hectic. Even if you are a stay-at-home mother of one, it is hard to keep on top of daily errands. Add on top of that another child, a full time job, a 20 minute commute, car maintenance, daycare arrangements, house payments, packing lunches, music lessons, homework, etc etc, and a mother quickly becomes overloaded.

I forget things all the time. Heck, I had to jump my car this morning because I left the lights on. Trust me, I know what it is to be forgetful. But, I know what my limits are, and I know for example that I cannot take-on freelance work these years when the kids are small. Each of our small decisions each day build upon each other to build our total life. We make decisions about whether we should eat fast food or a home-prepared meal, we decide how far to live from work, how many hours to work, how big of a house we can afford, watch TV or read a book, play with kids or do your taxes. And I don't want to forget to mention that these decisions are often made by both parents, and the fathers also share responsiblity here.

Both the Slaby and Edwards case were mothers apparently starting back to work after spending summer with their kids. Both worked full time. Both live in upper middle class neighborhoods far from their work. Both had SUVs with high seat backs that have more distance between the kids and the driver. Both had jobs in which they educate other people's children. To me, it is a cumulative effect of slightly bad decisions that put things or career ahead of their own children. Each is a small decision, but they added up to a scattered mind and a tragic accident. An accident that is a crime that should be prosecuted.

In the past 10 years, about 340 children have died of the heat after becoming trapped inside vehicles, according to an Associated Press analysis made in July. Prosecution and resulting penalties have varied widely.

Charges were filed in a little less than half the deaths. Of those that went to trial, 81 percent resulted in convictions or guilty pleas, and half of those brought jail sentences.

The NAACP believes that black mothers in similar situations have been charged. Nate Livingston said the same last year. I think I agree. Some mothers may have known the child was in the car, but thought they would be OK. To me, the distinction between neglect and forgetfulness is the same as that between one big bad decision and many smaller bad decisions. Both result in a dead baby, and both should be prosecuted. ...At least take it to court and make the case.

Prisoners Sweeping Still

I've noticed that the Sheriff is still bringing the cleanup crew through OTR, and I appreciate it a lot. A few observations. The guys (they are all men, mostly white) work very hard. No slackers here. I think they are under instruction not to socialize, but they will say hi and "how are you?", which is what this guy said. My response at 7am, half awake was, "I'm ok, better that you I guess" and he chuckled.

 

My understanding is that it is a voluntary work detail, and that for each hour worked, you get two removed from you time served. Better than lying in a concrete cell...

Juvenile Car Crash

Crunch. A fifteen year old hot wired this Buick in KY and crashed it into my parked junker Honda. They ran away, but the cops caught them.

 

Bummer but it could have been much worse.

Crime and Vouchers Redux

A liberal retort to the Atlantic article a few weeks ago that claimed a link between Section 8 vouchers and spreading crime. I linked to the original article here. After reading both articles, I really don't think they disagree as much as they purport. Both see the old "projects' as largely problematic and also believe support of some kind must follow the vouchers. The new article points out that there is no evidence that the actual voucher recipients are the criminals, and also points out that the poor economy in cities like Memphis are the more likely culprit.

Fuel Theft

Last month, as gas prices were skyrocketing, I witnessed my first gasoline theft. The cashier just shook her head as a man drove off with $80 of unpaid gas. I talked with the cashier, and she said that it has been happening more, and that it is always young men. She said, she will be standing there, looking at them, even make eye contact as they are filling. Then, when she is checking out another customer, suddenly they drive off.

Now I am seeing more stories like this: a man with an 800 gallon tank in his pickup truck, stealing gasoline from gas stations. What will we see when prices get up to $5?

A similar story.

I see now that the Democratic Response to the Drill More campaign is to blame speculators for the high prices. I got an email from Delta a few days ago urging me to write my congressman, "Drillmore" Chabot, and ask him to stop people from speculating on oil. Whatever. It is a free market, a world market in which demand continues to rise. And although there is lots of oil all over the world, the easy kind that bubbled out of Jed Clampett's field is gone. The rest requires pumping sea water into the ground, deep sea drilling or boiling tar sands, which of course costs more. Cheap oil is over. Sorry.

For the record, I think we probably should allow continental shelf drilling, but I also believe gas taxes should be raised. The gasoline taxes we now pay do not cover expenses. They should cover all road building costs and all military and environmental costs directly linked to bringing oil to our shores.

If gasoline was fairly taxed, maybe there would be some money left in the budget for transportation alternatives.

Hope VI and Crime Wave

Hope VI was/is a HUD program that did things like demolish housing projects in the West End. As residents were given vouchers, they moved to other neighborhoods (like Westwood). According to this article in the Atlantic, this deconcentration effort has led to a sprawling crime wave.

..they .. merged his computer map of crime patterns with (her) map of Section8 rentals. ... the match was near-perfect. On the merged map, dense violent-crime areas are shaded dark blue, and Section8 addresses are represented by little red dots. All of the dark-blue areas are covered in little red dots, like bursts of gunfire. The rest of the city has almost no dots.

Betts remembers her discomfort as she looked at the map. The couple had been musing about the connection for months, but they were amazed—and deflated—to see how perfectly the two data sets fit together. She knew right away that this would be a “hard thing to say or write.”

There is a lot more in the article, including video. If you are interested in housing programs and urban crime, this is a must read article.

Why Call the Police?

I called the police an hour ago. Eight people were sharing a crack pipe on the sidewalk across the street from my window. I see lawbreakers everyday, but I don't call the police that often. After 10 minutes or so the dealer ambled away. The others stared into space, mumbled and left one at a time, leaving only two, quietly talking. No police. They did their drugs and didn't harm anyone, except themselves. At least not tonight. Is it worth even calling? I'm not even sure the stuff should be illegal. Should I call if someone is smoking pot? What if it was wine, malt liquor or littering? I think the police would rightly laugh if I called on a litterer.

The last time I remember calling the police, a guy was punching his girlfriend. Now that is a clear reason to call. That time I also inserted myself into the situation, by yelling at the guy before calling the police. Tonight, I could have just called out the window to the people to go away, and they probably would. They weren't looking for trouble.

I've had neighbors move, because they just couldn't stomach the ugliness they saw. One neighbor, who I think was studying to become an pediatrician, said he had to leave after seeing a pregnant woman shooting up in the alley outside his window.


Last Friday, some volunteer group completely cleaned-up Washington Park. A bunch of people came, and spread mulch, picked-up litter and made the place look spiffy. Sunday evening, I walked diagonally across the park to take pictures of the demolition at the corner of 12th and Elm, and it was striking how manicured the place looked. Also striking was that at several benches, groups of people sat drinking out of paper bags, and they were surrounded by all kinds of litter that they had discarded as they sat and drank. Should people be ticketed for littering?

Littering and drinking in public doesn't really bother me that much. The Park Board has a guy who cleans up the litter in the park everyday. And, the city comes by at least once a week and sweeps the streets and sometimes the sidewalks. I am more disturbed by loud music at 6:30 AM like we had yesterday. A small group of people were standing by a car, the doors open with a loud stereo, dancing to the music with beer cans in their hands. At 6:30 AM!

There are NA meetings 3 times a week right next door. There are dozens of churches here. There is a Homeless Shelter with a drug treatment program, right across the street. It seems that there are people ready to offer support if you want to get on the wagon.

Is it better that a drug addict be in jail or on the street? Or forced sobriety? Do we need more room at the CCAT? Or more "supportive housing"?

As I type this, I am hearing the street-sweeper coming down the street. I guess it will look clean again in the morning.

...Finally, the police pull up. They talk to the two remaining guys. They end up taking one guy to jail on a capias. Before he gets into the cruiser, he asks the last remaining guy to take his bike somewhere safe. End of night.

Does This Man Live on Fountain Square?

Basil Sturgill? I don't think so, but that is the address he gave the sheriff when he registered as a sexual offender last week. He probably just got out of jail and had no idea what else to tell them when asked where he is going to live... I've seen other men list their cars, or even the sidewalk....