The System Works! No Thanks to Republicans on Council

So, no laws had to be changed.  No, arms had to be twisted.  Instead, the Republicans Grandstanding on a non-issue just needed to waste some time.  None of that mattered.  The Oakley Skyline Chile Restaurant has approval to expand as it wanted.  If you hear any of the Republicans taking credit, ask them to explain what they did, exactly, to get his done.  If they don't have anything beyond a B.S. answer, then you can figure out what stinks.  If you can't smell what they say, then you have your nose up someone's behind.

Dear Chief Craig, Deters Is an Ignorant Political Hack

Cincinnati Police Chief James Craig was on WDBZ radio recently and reportedly was troubled by the comments made by Hamilton County Prosecutor Joe Deters.  I can help Chief Craig here by telling him that Deters is a Republican who gets elected by making people in Hamilton County, mostly Republicans, scared of the City and of black people specifically.  That's what he does.  He's subtle about it, but he does it on purpose.  Case in point is Deter's ignorant comments about the incident on Fountain Square, where he compared it to Times Square and claimed "It's had one gun crime in the last three years..."

Well, let me help some more and do a quick Google Search on the topic:
1. April 5, 2010: 4 Shot, 54 Arrested in Times Square Easter Melee

2. December 10, 2009: Cop kills man in Times Square shootout

3. May 1, 2010: Car Bombing Attempt

4. January 7, 2011: Journalist Found Murdered in Times Square Hotel Room

5. August 21, 2010: Police investigate fatal stabbing near Times Square

6. August 12, 2010: Wizard of Oz Character Stabs Man in Times Square

7. July 17, 2011: Attempted Rape on Time Square

So, after a really quick search, I found two incidents of gun crimes (five dead), one almost tragic terrorist attempt, two fatal stabbings, one non-fatal stabbing, and one attempted rape. All of these happened with the last three years.  This is by no means a complete list, just a quick Google Search.  So, yes, Joe Deters is full of shit.  Times Square is a relatively safe place, far safer than it used to be.  I somehow survived walking with my high school classmates through Time Square in 1989 back in the old scary days, and lived to tell about it.  Time Square is still far more dangerous that Fountain Square has been or will ever be.  You can't find how many muggings or thefts in the news in NYC because those don't make the news.  Here in Cincinnati, sometimes it makes the news, on slow news days or when the victim makes for good pictures.

Bottom line, Deters makes stuff up to gain attention and make people scared of the City and Downtown specifically.   He does so, in my opinion, to make people scared and more open to his brand of fear politics.  Thankfully, I've not seen this from other Republicans in the same manner.  I'm still waiting for the next council meeting, where I hope it is not used as a political weapon. Having a police chief that is willing to not ignore the comments of people like Deters and is willing to call them on it is a refreshing spirit that I hopes continues.

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False Perceptions Are Fueled By the Media, and Build Walls

The events Friday and Saturday are tragic events, but the lingering tragedy is in the fuel that burns the false impressions into the minds of ignorant people from the media coverage of these events.  No, there's nothing false about the news, but it's the intensity given the story. The articles are going out of their way to give the truth about crime rates and the exceptions that these incidents represent, but people like Joe Deters are using it and will use it to build fear.  All they need are the images and the words describing what happened.  The headlines and the pictures are what linger in the minds of the average Joe-Q-Public.  When there are three or four different headlines about the same story, an extra importance is perceived.

This results in the false perception of the city and of Downtown.  It strengthens the bigotry of some and it puts doubt in the fickled ignorant, who consume news as if they are window shopping for shoes.  This is a cultural state that is plaguing the public and I don't know any type of solution, short of driving around every cul-de-sac and neighborhood in the tri-state area, shouting slogans on a megaphone.  That still wouldn't get the truth into minds who don't want to know anything that isn't easy and familiar.

What I am bracing myself for is the political onslaught of fear mongering.  There was some from Deters in the article above.  He's done it so many times I think everyone expects the same and they get the ignorance he puts out, like his ignorance on Times Square crime rates. (Hat Tip to CincyCapell).

What I am really hoping we don't get are Council Candidates using this as political fodder.  I encourage council members and candidates issuing comments that are introspective or positive.  We need to work together to prevent crime and we need to make people understand that our city is safe.  We don't need council candidates claiming this is any type of indication or example of something that should drive future action of government.  Here the system worked. No more or no fewer police officers were going to prevent a person from carrying a gun illegally in a public place. It is tragic that a 16 year old put himself into this situation.  I also really hope that the police actions are allowed to be reviewed, but not used as a tool to build hate.  If there are questions, they can be asked.  We don't need to push fear of the police.  I am looking right squarely at Chris Smitherman on this. I hope he does not play politics with these incidents. Instead I really hope he helps people understand what happened, not assume they know what happened and create more false perceptions.  False impressions build walls.  Many of us have tried to tear down all of the walls that separate  us into conflicting factions.  It is the duty of all public officials, and those trying to become public officials, to help keep those walls down and create open spaces were people and their cultures can freely blend with all others.

Republican Council Members Are Exploiting Tragedy

A Cincinnati police officer was on his way to work recently and was very seriously injured in a car accident on Columbia Parkway on the East side of the City. This is a terrible tragedy and I believe everyone wishes him a speedy recovery.  Four members of Cincinnati City Council hold a press conference, along the side of the road, calling for a study of that road.  They don't say how they would pay for such a study or pay for improvements to the road.  They don't say why this incident is more important than other car or pedestrian or bicycle accidents that happen during their terms on different roads in throughout the city.

The fact that they held the press conference along the side of the road, likely caused enough commotion that they are lucky they did not cause another accident during the presser.

This accident happened to occur to a Police Officer.  That means it will get media attention and get the attention of the type of voter that listens to the FOP (police union) when it makes endorsements for city council. This grandstanding event is designed not to improve road safety, but to increase the voter tallies for Ghiz, Murrary, Lippert, and Bortz (the Charterite of the group).  That's explotation, but that is politics and these members are playing politics like conjoined quadruplets.

A functioning mainstream media needs to rip them a new on this issue the same way Kevin Osborne did on the Oakley Skyline faux controversy.  Since we live in a culture where criticism of any perceived to be helping a police officer injured, we will not get much.  The WLWT article linked about had some hints of reporting when they asked ODOT.  Now they need to just dig further and find out how dangerous this road is considered as opposed to other roads.  I've driven on it and I have driven on Glenway and Queensgate on the West side.  Couldn't they be holding the same press conference over there?

UPDATE: It appears the mainstream media, the Enquirer specifically, did rip them a new one, and handed it to them.  It is too bad that more people will watch the TV news clip and not read the article.

UDATE #2: You might ask three of the four (Ghiz, Lippert, Murray) if they oppose COAST's anti-rail issue.  That issue would make it impossible to have any passenger rail transportation until well into the next decade. Rail transportation along Riverside/Eastern Avenues would help reduce traffic on Columbia parkway thus taking away at least one factor that increases accidents.

The Number of City Council Candidates Is Growing

Joe Wessels has a great article reporting on who is officially on the ballot for the Cincinnati City Council election and who among the declared candidates are still working on getting on the ballot.

The big news is that we officially have more than one nutty candidate running (other than Smitherman). Life would boring without conspiracy spouting political candidates. The additional person, who is no stranger to the tin foil hat community is Sandra Queen Noble. "Queen" is joined by 1 official write-in candidate Orlando Welborn, who will not appear on the ballot, but his write-in votes will be counted. Good luck on that.

Other possible candidates, none of whom I've heard of, are:
Jacqueline Allen
Kathy Atkinson
Patricia McCollum

Joe also lists out a group who have taken out petitions, but have yet to turn in any signatures. I'll not mention any of them out of a semblance of respect, except for Theo Barnes, who is on the list and who has been a candidate for council before. I'm not surprised to see him back and he could be in the lead for last place, even with a write-in candidate in the mix.

So, this puts us to maybe a list of 23 running for council, counting the write in candidate and assuming none of they-who-shall-not-yet-be-named actually get their act together. I will predict, for no apparent reason that we will see 21 candidates listed on the ballot, not counting the write-ins.

Lippert Is Carrying COAST's Water

When Councilman Wayne Lippert issues a press release demanding that all work on the Streetcar be stopped until the Anti-Rail issue on the ballot in November is voted on, he is helping COAST and its anti-city efforts. The question that will persist about Lippert: Does he support COAST and it's anti-city efforts?This press release goes along way in supporting COAST.  In my views it does the following:

1. It legitimized COAST's extreme anti-rail effort. 
2. If signals to COAST voters that Lippert is in full support of the anti-rail issue without having to say it.  He may not be in support of the issue, but wants COAST voters to think he is.  Tea Party money may be politically toxic to anyone who cares about the City, but it is still green.
3. It gives more free press to COAST and Co.
4. This solidifies Lippert as desperate to get every far right wing vote he can.  He's lost any hope of getting moderate voters that are not just closet Republicans.
5. This confirms to me that Lippert is looking not to help the city, but is laying the groundwork to run for higher office and will do so by pushing the agenda he thinks will get him elected at that later time, not what will improve the city. He wants to appease conservative base voters and they are in the suburbs and not in the city.

Lippert has made a harsh political choice and is playing to the media and to the extremes of the city and really the suburbs. A real leader would not help do anything to help propel COAST's anti-rail amendment. Everyone can see it is a horrible idea is meant to hurt the city. A real leader would speak out against this issue not hide behind false equivalency. A "let the voters decide" attitude is not leadership, it is being chickenshit.  If Lippert truly wants to the let the voters actually vote unhindered, then he should not have said a thing about the issue.  Instead he does what he can to push COAST's agenda, without actually endorsing it. When will the Enquirer ask and publish Lippert's stances on the anti-rail issue?

What makes this on the surface laughable, is that if you use Lippert's logic, the City, County, and State should not take any action, spend any money, have any discussion of anything that will be affected by a ballot initiative. That therefore means that since we have a statewide ballot issue (anti-healthcare law effort) that will decide if Ohio will knowingly violate constitutional law (supremacy clause) , we should avoid following the U.S. Constitution or any federal laws until the voters speak. Oh, Lippert didn't mention that one in his press release? Hmmm, I wonder why.