The first one is increasing safety in the area north of Liberty. Cincinnati's Police Department has spent a lot of extra resources in our area and it has really started to pay dividends that are starting to be seen and felt today. For years down here I was the only one even reporting many crimes and drug deals that were happening in broad daylight. I can remember weeks where I called in a gun shot every night and some nights multiple. Looking back, I now question my sanity and laugh at my nativity.
But CPD does a great job of following the data points and it turns out that I called enough for them to realize that they had a hot spot up here worth the extra resources. It hasn't gone away, but regular bike patrols and cruisers are more than welcome in what used to be the wild west in the heart of the city. Another important tool that has been put in place are police cameras throughout the area. They help the police build solid cases against know offenders, so that they can keep them off of the streets rather than cycled quickly though the jailhouse. In my first days in OTR, I would hear stories of a "huge bust" then a few months later see the same offenders return back to the street and back to business. Not so around here anymore.
It will take a constant effort to keep these forces at bay because literal decades of miscreant behavior has been carved into the collective memory of many of the people now being released from jail and migrating back through the city. They keep coming back! Who are they I ask because I haven't seen them in the last 5 years that I've been here, yet they bring back memories of a past era when you litter on the streets 5 feet from a street can "because it's OTR" and you come to OTR from your other neighborhoods to drink in the streets and deal in drugs that you don't want in you own neighborhood! It's sad, but I don't know of a good way to fight this corrosive culture.
Which brings me to the second driver for change that has happened in the area and that's new neighbors. And while yes, there are new people moving into the neighborhood and visible signs of buildings being fixed and actual occupancy in buildings that were once vacant blight; that is not what I mean by this. I mean the new community of neighbors in the area that is starting to form. Who are tired of putting up with this bad behavior, who want to have a safe place for their children to live and safe parks for their children to play, and who are chipping in to take their neighborhood back from this corrosive culture. Many of them have been here for years living in fear while the wild west winds blew outside. That's changing recently.
Part of it has been new owner occupants filling empty buildings and taking more ownership in the area (more than just me on an island). But more has to do with turnover of the rental units and the police effort to eradicate the problem elements, so that the other residents can thrive. More neighbors of all types are getting to know one another and we've started to get more gatherings in Grant Park and elsewhere to further build these bonds.
Our part of OTR is starting to build a tangible sense of community together and in the coming years we hope to further build on this positive momentum. We've organized a group around Grant Park to tackle many common problems like Safety, Blight, Litter, and plan these type of neighborhood events. We hope to further improve the park, but also build a neighbors directory for easy communication, identify problem owners and find remedies, and help the city departments more effectively service our area. The more we can accomplish these goals and change the culture of this area the more likely we are to make it even safer and reinforce the same community of neighbors.
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