Time To Get Off The Pot

Sorry...that may be an overly-vulgar title for a post, but this article, reporting that Eagle Realty Group (a division of Western & Southern) is seeking yet another extension of time to submit a plan for Fifth and Race, is truly frustrating.

I was excited when, earlier this year, Eagle Realty proposed the construction of a large condo complex on the site. (For those who don't know, the parcel we're discussing is the parking lot adjacent to the Millenium Hotel.) But once again, Eagle Realty has failed to deliver a concrete plan to accomplish anything other than more empty promises.

Don't get me wrong--cutting through that parking lot when walking from my home to my office saves me about half a block of shoe-wear. But Eagle Realty has had the development rights since 1998 (it's been a parking lot since 1999; before that, it was an office building).

Maybe Eagle Realty isn't the right company for the job. Maybe the City needs to deny an extension and open up some sort of bidding/proposal process to determine which company is best-suited to do something with the space. But it's too valuable a location to allow Eagle Realty to hold onto the rights in perpetuity in the absence of any real sign of progress. And if there is progress, then it ought to be shared publicly: for instance, is there any financing in place for the putative condo building? How about feasibility studies? Construction timetables?

When it takes eight years to put together a plan to develop one block of space, it becomes clear why the Banks is taking so long.

Visibility Problems

As I was scurrying down Vine Street yesterday (scurrying because of the cold, not out of any sense of insecurity), I overheard a conversation between two women who were obviously visiting downtown. One asked the other, "Did you find the mall?" The reply: "It's not really a mall; there's just a Macy's." I assured the inquiring woman that there was, in fact, a mall (not "just" a Macy's), helped her locate it, and went back to my errand.

The episode brings up one of my biggest pet peeves about downtown: why is Tower Place Mall so invisibile? Frankly, if you don't know it's there, you could walk past it on Vine, Fourth, or Fifth many, many times without any awareness that you're walking past a mall.

If we're serious about downtown being a destination, then we need to start acting like downtown is someplace where people from outside Cincinnati want to be (rather than just hoping they'll drop in). Visit other (more booming) cities' downtown areas and you'll find strategically placed maps. Why don't we seem to have any of those? Even UC has figured out that permanently-affixed maps help people find their way around campus; why not the same for downtown? Or more signs (geared towards pedestrian traffic) with arrows towards major attractions (Fountain Square, Tower Place, CAC, the Underground Railroad Museum, and Music Hall, just to name a few)?

Downtown needs to be more than merely safe (which, by the way, it is): it also needs to be accessible and accommodating. Let's work on that.

Criminal or hero?

The Enquirer reports that Arthur Graham, a disabled veteran, happened upon a woman being assaulted in the 1100 block of Race. His response? Stab the guy assaulting the woman. The police's response? Arrest him for felonious assault. I know the legal definition of felonious assault, but I'll admit I'm not sure where the line between self defense (or defending another person) and felonious assault is. I can't help but feel that if I were the woman he saved from being assaulted that I'd feel pretty bad that he got arrested for it. The strange thing is that the man assaulting the woman, Jeffrey Lowery, was only arrested when Graham told the police that he had been hit by Lowery with a bottle. What about assaulting the woman?

(Edited location for accuracy.)

What Happened To The Humans? -- Part Deux

"What kind of man hits a kid" (a former council member notwithstanding) or points a sawed off shotgun at kids selling Christmas trees? Yet, that's exactly what happened last night at the corner of Gilbert and West Galbraith, where some Boy Scouts were selling trees and three young thugs came up, pointed a shotgun at the kids and their parent, hit the father and one of the kids, and stole money. Is this what passes for courage in the groups in which these thugs were raised? Is it simply poverty, lack of education, or lack of opportunity that creates these thugs or is something else at work? What do we say to these kids who had a gun shoved in their faces and who were robbed about the state of the world in which they live? "Happy first day of Hanukkah and Merry Christmas, 2007!"

What Happened to the Humans?

Kevin Drum has found an interesting example of Republicans holding horrid beliefs. These are not the candidates, these are the party's base, the average voter.

NPR Misses the Story

Over Thanksgiving weeking, NPR's Morning edition had a news story that parallelled the Washington Park Feeding the Bums story from the week prior. The story was on the surface balanced, but it wasn't long enough and in now way gave enough background. It played upon the basic extremist NGOs out to protect their funding "clashing" with the city and business owners. It gave a nice positive quote to one of the owners of CityRoots (great store by the way, they have Christmas Trees for sale!!!).

The story however just glossed over the issues. It gave no history of the neighborhood, of the effort to make a better neighborhood, and of the foolish choice to move the social services to OTR in the first place. It played into the false stereotype used by the NGOs. When people listened to that story and when they heard the term "homeless" what came to mind is the image of a person down on their luck, living out of their car, who were hurt by the system, not by any of their own actions. In reality, the people in question are "homeless" because of their own actions. They are felons, alcoholics, and drug addicts. The mentally ill are part of this group, but I would say in most cases it is not their "fault" for being there. Unless they refuse to take their meds, the fault lies with the state for eliminating institutions to care for the mentally ill, or families who are unable to find a way to care for their mentally ill kin. If people don't agree that the mentally ill should be put into good facilities, then I think they must be mentally ill themselves.

More Seafood for Downtown

I just noticed the signs in the windows of the first floor of the 580 Building (on the southeast corner of Sixth and Walnut) that the Oceanaire will be opening a restaurant there this spring. A quick web-search leads me to conclude that while this story got some mention last June when the lease was signed, it was relatively under-reported.

The executive chef will be Justin Dumcum, who previously held that position at Palomino and Jeff Ruby's South Beach Grill.

While I'm a little concerned about whether the downtown market can really sustain both the Oceanaire and McCormick and Schmick's, it's great to see another storefront occupied.

Good News for Downtown: Grocery Store Coming!

Wednesday's Post reports that Avril Bleh Meat Market, the fabulous butcher on Court Street, plans to expand into the adjacent storefront and open a grocery store. This is terrific news for downtown. The store will be about 1,300 square feet.

People who have recently moved downtown from the 'burbs need to be cautioned: it's not going to be anything like the Hyde Park Kroger or a Walmart Supercenter. Instead, it sounds like it will be like the grocery stores you'd expect to find in the midst of New York City neighborhoods. Fresh meat, produce, dairy, but not necessarily a ton of dry goods. But that's what should be downtown: a typical, urban grocery store. We don't need no stinkin' supercenters.

The irony, of course, is that the grocery store will sit quite literally in the shadow of the Kroger Building. Kroger has consistently declined to build a grocery store downtown, claiming there's not a sufficient population base to do so. Even more shameful, though, is that company's failure to build a decent-sized grocery store in Over-the-Rhine--which certainly has enough residents to support a larger store than the abomination that sits on Vine Street a few blocks from corporate headquarters.

I just can't wait for summer again....some of the best food I ate this past summer was from Avril Bleh's little grilling stand in front of the store.

Missing Ballots

The Hamilton County Board of Elections screwed up. 100 ballots is not going to change council races, no matter how certain candidates try to alter mathematics.

American Presidential Politics: "Do you believe every word of this book?"

Now admittedly, my view on this issue may be jaundiced, given that I went to public school a long time ago in the South before GOD and prayer were removed from public schools by the Satan inspired Warren Supreme Court (although I have never understood how people could believe in an omniscient, omnipresent, and all powerful deity and then believe he/she/it could be forcibly removed from anywhere). In my school, we had this old blind lady come in on a weekly basis and we would have actual honest-to-god bible study and prayer on a regular basis -- sometimes even glossolalia would occur -- and we would pray for all the non-believers (including Jews, Mormons, Muslims and, sometimes, Catholics). Ahhh, the fifties and early sixties. . . . .

But really, should I care whether my President believes every word of the christian scriptures? Does it matter if Mitt Romney believes every word of the Book of Mormon? Does it matter if Mayor Guiliani believed every word of scripture, except the ones about divorce and infidelity, when he was using taxpayer money to provide security when he met up with his then paramour, while he was married? Does whether a candidate believes every word of christian scripture inform whether they believe waterboarding is torture -- John McCain, who has been tortured, does believe it, while Governor Romney, who avoided military service (like Dick Cheney and W), thinks waterboarding might be alright for really bad dudes (again, like Dick Cheney and W).

I was glad to know that John McCain, the soldier, does not own a gun, that Fred Thompson, the TV star, owns two, but the whereabouts are a secret, and that Mitt Romney's son owns two that are in the governor's house for some reason. Also, it is good to know that Romney thinks asking people with "funny accents" who are working on his lawn for their papers is bad form, but that America's Mayor thinks that would be just fine, while Tom Tancredo thinks we should not ask, but just round them up. Ron Paul, on the other hand, is worried about our national sovereignty and believes that there is a secret conspiracy to merge the US, Canada and Mexico (Given the exchange rate between the US dollar and the loonie, it might not be a bad thing).

So this is what is important in America in the new century! Thank God, I could go to sleep after this debate with images of dreamy Anderson Cooper in my mind to calm the disturbance caused by the thought that this was the best we could do . . . . . . .

Vigilantism Acceptable in Hamilton County

The Enquirer reports that the Hamilton County Prosecuting Attorney will not file charges against the owner of the N & M Minimart at Ninth and Elm. As you might recall, the owner, Wade Nassar, followed a robber into the street and fired shots at him as the robber fled. As recounted by the Enquirer at the time:

As soon as Nassar gave the man the money, he ran out the door and east on Ninth Street. When the robber took off, Nassar said he reached behind the counter, grabbed the .22-caliber handgun he keeps there and ran to the front door, opened it and started shooting, getting off five shots.
"How I missed him I don't know," Nassar said. "If I (would have) crossed the street, I would have killed him." Police heard the shots and responded. They weren't too thrilled about Nassar shooting his gun on a downtown street in an area across the street from a school.

And Nassar wasn't shy about his intent:

Nassar said he gave the robber $400 – and then grabbed his gun and followed him out the door. That’s when Nassar said he fired his .22-caliber handgun at the fleeing robber. “I meant to kill the dude,” Nassar said minutes after the Nov. 12 robbery.

Why is this OK? Joe Deters says that the robber "forfeit[ his] right not to be shot." But this isn't about the robber's rights; it's about the legality of Nassar's conduct. With gun ownership comes responsibility. Shooting at a fleeing suspect--who's already outside your property--is not self-defense. If Nassar had hit and killed his target (whose name is Sanford O'Neal, and is obviously not a terribly sympathetic figure--a few weeks after the Minimart heist, he was arrested for allegedly burglarizing a homicide victim's house, an act made possible only by breaking through police crime scene tape), would Nassar still be a free man?

I'm not suggesting that Nassar be charged with attempted murder. But there should be consequences for firing your gun on a downtown street at someone who no longer poses a risk of harm to you. I'm not convinced that turning downtown into the Wild, Wild West is such a good idea.

Pay Attention, Suburbanites!

I know the air is a little thinner out there, but the author of the 4th letter to the Enquirer today needs to know that Hamilton County is not planning on building a "Trolley." The City of Cincinnati "approved" a plan to build a Streetcar. They have not really approved building one yet, but they like the plan for it. It is funny how people don't pay attention.

Next thing we'll get is someone writing a letter to the editor bitching about Cincinnati Public Schools for banning a play by Jessica Fletcher.

Method to the Madness?

I often wonder how independently the county administrator (Patrick Thompson) operates from the elected county commissioners. And the recent wrangling over the county's public safety budget makes me wonder even more.

Last week, Thompson made public a series of proposed budget cuts, including one requiring townships to pay for the deputies that patrol their streets. At the time, it seemed to be taken for granted that in the wake of the defeat of Issue 27, the county would discontinue funding for the patrols in Over-the-Rhine.

Yesterday, following a public meeting attended by several HamCo sheriff's deputies, we get this statement from Todd Portune:

"I expect the balanced budget will include Over-the-Rhine patrols. I expect it
will include no changes for township deputies. I don't know what we'll do to get
there, but I believe strongly we will accomplish our goals."

Here's my point: by raising the issue of county-subsidized policing for the townships, Thompson may have made it politically impossible for the OTR patrols to be de-funded. The average City resident, prior to last week's news reports, probably didn't realize the extent to which places like Greene, Colerain, Anderson, and other townships rely on the county for the provision of police services. How could the commissioners (particularly Portune and Pepper) have justified to City residents the expenditure of funds for public safety in the suburbs at the same time county funds for public safety in the City would be cut off entirely? The backlash from City residents would have been enormous (and perhaps rightly so).

So I wonder--was the issue of the township patrol budget floated intentionally, to ensure the commissioners would have political cover when they found money for the OTR patrols, or is that giving our local leaders credit for too much guile and foresight?

Those crazy suburban schools...

I've been doing theater for a long time, and had no idea that Ten Little Indians had an alternative name other than "And Then There Were None". Apparently the NAACP in Butler County has other ideas-- this alternative name (that few knew existed) will incite racism. Who knew? So these kids put in hours of work on a show that has nothing to do with African Americans (or Native Americans, for that matter) and it's all taken away because one group holds so much sway over the Lakota board. Convenient that Gary Hines does "diversity training", isn't it? I'm all into diversity and equality, but we can't rewrite history. Let's clean up To Kill a Mockingbird and Native Son and sanitize the slurs used against African Americans; let's sanitize Night and remove references to violence that surrounded the Holocaust. This cleansing doesn't benefit kids, it merely renders them unable to comprehend reality in which some people are racist and violent. There is indeed life outside of West Chester. Hopefully, Lakota will wise up and let the show go on-- but I won't bet on it.

Hot Air

It appears Greg Flannery and a couple of other activists are doing what ever they can to derail progress in OTR. It isn't good enough that the Washington Plan adds more green space. It has to create something that will cost more money and not be used to its potential. In fact what Greg wants is to keep more concrete in the area instead of helping add more oxygen to the atmosphere! Come on Greg, I thought you were Pro-Earth!

City Council does the right thing (for once)

Well, at least part of it has. The Enquirer reports that the Finance Committee voted unanimously to approve the funding request from 3CDC for improvement in OTR. Hopefully, the rest of Council will support it as well. The only way that improvement will "stick" in OTR is if the City is backing it financially as well as with some lip service.

A Nice Donabedian Profile

After a big opening Winter season I'd bet Bill Donabedian, Fountain Square Manager, is liking the Enquirer's profile. It it actually quite fair to him personally and gets insight from people who have worked with him. The square looked great on Friday during the day. I'd like to know if anyone was there Friday Night and can chime in how the event went?

Plans For Washington Park Look Great

The plans to expand and renovate Washington Park look excellent. Here is a pdf map of the plan.

Something that was mentioned in the article was the Drop-In Center, but the reason for it being mentioned is not obvious to anyone not familiar with the underlying issue: the Bums must go. All of the renovation of the Park will be lost if the bums still camp out in the Park and along 12th Street. That is the big question about Park renovation. If they have no plans there, then it will not matter how nice it is, the bums will do two things: keep people away and they will quickly ruin many of the renovations.

OTR Development Needs to Move Forward

3CDC is getting the job done in OTR. City Council needs to move forward and fund the next stage of development.

It is great seeing the building on the corner of Vine and 13th Streets undergo a massive rehab. In the new plan it is good to see more money for Main Street.

Mmmm, Pie....

When I'm eating lunch at my desk (or in Fountain Square), my favorite place to grab a sandwich is Fred and Gari's on Vine Street. It's one of those Cincinnati gems that have been around for a long time--you know, the kind that you're proud to know about when you mention it to a life-long resident of the City who's never heard of it.

This Thanksgiving, no one in my family was going to have time to do much baking, so I decided to order a couple of pies from Fred and Gari's--one pumpkin and one chocolate. Since Thursday (well, really, since Wednesday, when I first got a whiff of the pumpkin pie), I've been struggling to find words to describe how magnificent these pies are. They're so good they make you feel privileged to eat them, so good that you feel a little sad knowing that sooner or later (depending on your degree of self-control), they'll be gone.

Fred and Gari's: another one of the things that makes downtown Cincinnati a great place in which to live and work.