CINCINNATI — A small but vocal group of mostly downtown Cincinnati residents gathered in Over-the-Rhine on Thursday night to discuss several topics related to public safety.
The town hall at Ensemble Theatre is one of several that City Councilmember Betsy Sundermann is hosting across the city. The first took place July 1 in East Westwood.
The meeting was smaller than the first. But Sundermann said that made for more of a “back-and-forth” conversation with the panel, including police officers and social service providers.
The Over-the-Rhine neighborhood in Cincinnati (Casey Weldon/Spectrum News)
Most of those in attendance live in a downtown neighborhood — the Central Business District, Over-the-Rhine or Pendleton. One man came across the river from Kentucky because he considers himself part of the greater Cincinnati community.
A key talking point was the need for more resources and services for young people.
“In this one, half the people said there were no activities for kids, but the other half of the people here tonight said they actually run activities for children,” Sundermann said. “So that really gives me hope that we can hook these people up, and we can get the kids into these programs, and they won’t be bored and turn to drugs or crime.”
Two of the service providers in attendance were from Wesley Chapel Mission Center and UC Health Trauma Care. UC Health runs an early intervention program for at-risk youth.
“It takes a village to raise a child. Well, right now, that village is on fire,” said Kevin Corey, executive director of Wesley Chapel.
Corey’s center offers mentorship and academic programs, but there are services they can’t offer. He said providers need to do a better job working together to cover those service gaps.
“We bring our kids to your center, you bring them to our center — as long as we’re doing something fruitful that helps those kids and their decision-making,” he said. “Maybe we’ll curtail or cut off a future tragedy or incident.”
Kevin Corey speaks during a Town Hall in Over-the-Rhine (Casey Weldon/Spectrum News)
John Donaldson, a resident of OTR for 22 years, said the city needs to do more north of Liberty Street, especially around Grant Park. He feels city investment in things like litter pick-up and parking enforcement would help by building community pride.
“The problems we have around Grant Park, I’m 100% we can deal with them, we can, but we need the city at the table,” he said.
Donaldson was one of a few residents who voiced a need for better relationships with the Cincinnati Police Department. He said neighborhood liaison officers “can be a big help,” but when a staffing change happens, it can hurt established relationships.
“We are on our third captain, second sergeant, third neighborhood officer,” he said. “There’s a lot of stuff, little things, that we need to address that get missed. I’m in the middle of working on something, and then all of the sudden they switch people around, and I just find out about it. And it’s like we can’t catch up.”
Capt. Mattew Hammer, who commands CPD District 1, said he understood the frustrations. He said events like the town halls and community council meetings provide “critical engagement opportunities.”
“Engagement and having regular conversations are absolutely critical. It’s one of the keys to success, one of the keys to building a safer city,” said Hammer, who previously worked in District 1 for several years. “If a citizen is frustrated, the worst next step that can happen is for them not to tell us.”
Sundermann plans to host at least two more town halls. She plans to use the ideas and themes for the meetings to come up with proposals to bring to the City Council.
The next event is Aug. 1 in East Price Hill. Sundermann said people who can’t attend a meeting may reach out to her office.
