urbansites einey shirts J 2g INDICE Ae RAP OTR 2 30060 LT MAHL AMIE EONS 3 41 Any pou road HOE ON MAIN. 4 30 Subaht SCE. ALICE s 93 Besun, GL GALEN. SunerSeT- o St _/k1s OFE GRENDON 16 MAIN 7 6 Yep Ani EN erueey AT sunge$ pe yas AILIKLE MR: PITTFIS 4 37 movean ereauD Caurey HERE 10 We rever- se ACES. u Bena 2 fate — Men DRivkeew 7 40 ger AEC — Gln DW RHINE Hts 2 NL Secau pune die — we NATION. 4 WIT SALUATION AWAY Tt ILE THE WebDWARD. ts 44 LiGetly Me mot Mom tie Ib Wh Cocceenve CIP Reo Akt AAD a Westen SovTpceny 4TH rook cheATVE |B Ye Nicene foLT wn WCKY 006 4 WIRY CHOWN n CHRIS VARIAS. n” Keute Ys Era Abadi WS a3 THE HUB m4 Bure Pete 25. PLAY LIBKAY. a Gn00s. n VREN TAME (T 38 513.621.6246 1209 sycamore st / cincinnati oh / 45202 urbansites.comWednesday, February 1, 2023 at 13:37:05 Eastern Standard Time ‘Subject:(Ginicy Shirts Notice > Date: Wednesday, February 1, 2023 at 1:34:50 PM Eastern Standard Time From: Darin Overholser a y¥ Gt Tor Greg Oson ish reed (NOY SHAT ce ated from outside ofthe o now the contentissafe. Greg, With our lease at 1301 Main St ending in April, we have decided to not renew and close down our OTR location. This Is not an easy decision for us considering we've been a part of the OTR community since 2014, We've been through the good and bad. There have always been rumors of the area transforming and making ita ‘more appealing area for retail, but we really haven't seen much improvement. It is very difficult to staff this location. During the week, our store sales don't justify having 2 employees, but this is a must due to safety concerns. “There are specific challenges for doing business in OTR which we do not encounter in our Hyde park or Ft Mitchell locations. ‘There is constant drug activity and loitering which does not mate ou-customass want toapproach our storefront ‘Our statf as arrived to find human feces in the doorway before we open. Staff have been paying to park in Ziegler ‘garage and wherever Else they can find spaces that don't require an OTR resident tag, which is considerable for someone making $15/hi Our block is full of nightlife, but not a lot going on during the day to draw people in. We did try being open until midnight for a month stretch in 2019, and it did not go well. ‘The most common types of “crime” are more or less nuisances. Things we've alerted the police to, but aren't really actions that they can do much about. Things lke drunks from the street.coming in asking for money, or spewing nonsense. Theft is hard to prosecute when you are talking about items that us $10 to produce. It's simply not Worth our time to pursue We had a guy tell staff he had a gun, and then stole an $85 jacket from the rack and walked out. We called the cops, they found him. We got our jacket back. The employee who was present was asked by the prosecutor on the case to testify at his trial. ( He had a long list of warrants) My employee did not tell me he was going to court this until after he appeared. | would have told him to not go to court over an $85 jacket. He appeared and the defense attorney ‘apparently laid into him and made him feel like the bad guy. It just ended up being a whole thing that my staff tried to handle the best way they knew how, and ended up causing way more drama than it was worth. With all of these issues considered, our business has been good in OTR. The support has been great. Our print on demand retail model has helped us to capitalize on inventory woes and allows us to print shirts on the spot. With this model, it requires us to stock a lot of blanks, which our location simply doesn't have the space for. Regardless of the neighborhood situation, we have outgrown our space. With our lease being up, and the Reds not showing signs of improvement over last year, our plans to step back for a year or 2, and monitor the improvements coming to ‘Main St. We'd love to come back bigger and better. Our brand needs to be in OTR to rep the city we love, but we feel itis time to step back and focus on expanding retail ito other parts of the city that are easier to manage, and allow us to focus’on Tshirts. ——~” Darin Overholser CincyShirts.com Page 1 of 2Bi hope this letter finds you well. | am writing to express my frustration with the low-level street crimes that have been happening outside of our storefront recently. Our business has been operating in this area for over 5 years, and more recently the area has become more unsafe than it ever has been for ourselves and customers. Over the past few months, we have Noticed an increase in incidents such as loitering, vandalism, shootings, open container alcoho! ‘consumption, cat-calling young women, etc. There have also been incidents involving overdoses, prostitution, double parking and illegal parking as well as directly selling drugs out of cars that are illegally parked. These impact retail business owners, bars and restaurants, and hundreds of residents. These incidents and crimes not only pose a safety threat to those who frequent our store, but they also have a significant impact on our business. Our customers have expressed concerns and some have even chosen to avoid the area altogether. This has resulted in a decrease in sales and a tarnished reputation for our business. | have personally been asked on multiple occasions by customers to walk them back to their vehicles after they are done shopping. This means | am forced to shut my retail store down to ensure the safety of my customers, which is unacceptable, The mass shooting incident that injured 9 people only a few short months ago happened right outside of our storefront. We are beyond frustrated. | strongly believe that itis the responsibilty of the police department, city council and city hall to ensure the safety and security of our community. | kindly request your assistance in | addressing these issues and taking the necessary steps to prevent further incidents. This could include increased patrols in the area, working with local businesses to identify potential suspects, and educating the community about the importance of reporting any suspicious. activity. There should also be further steps taken to shut down the H&A Market convenience store specifically, as many of the problems listed above stem from this particular place of business. | would be grateful for your prompt attention to this matter and any updates on the steps being taken to resolve it. Thank you for your time and consideration. Sincerely, Billy Luther Co-Owner Rad OTR 1315 Main St Cincinnati, OH 45202February 6, 2023 e.g To: Main Street Working Group From: Jamie Beringer, Owner damiesons Urban Pet Spa, 1411 Main Street ee ) ~— Yurban perspa Asa single, female business owner of Jamiesons Urban Pet Spa, I created my business for myself and my 3 teenage sons. Unfortunately, I do not allow my sons to work at the Spa because, well, it’s just unsafe! I did not sign my first lease in April of 2022 ignorant to the fact that Main Street was not the crown jewel of Cincinnati. Not until Iimmersed myself into the community did I realize that the non-patrons loitering the sidewalks every day, are in the ones in charge. I was invited to Main Street safety meetings, where the Chief of Police, Mayor, etc., were in attendance. I left each meeting waiting for an email scheduling the next meeting to discuss sub-committees and so on...nothing was done. Also, it was stated by police that “business owners need to do their part”. It was never clear to me what that meant. Am I supposed to get a weapon, hire private security, or el esa execs reer Pere Pearce meee tere ne errr eer ee jane ‘My biggest concern is the complacency I see amongst law enforcement. For example, after the meeting with the Mayor, police presence was noted. An officer was parked on Main in front of the ever-so-popular mini mart, window down, eyes on his phone. I walked past a drug deal on the sidewalk in the officer's rear view mirror's line of site. The patron of the freelance distributor then stood 1 foot away from said transaction and enjoyed his purchase. Obviously the officer did not see the transaction, but certainly the quite distinguishable aroma of the product floated by his open window. ‘We have daily non-patrons entering, ranting, and asking for money. We must close when the sun goes down, and my employees and patrons must walk through gaggles of loiterers blatantly drinking and doing drugs daily. From my standpoint, it appears that all of this behavior is acceptable to the City of Cincinnati, and we as merchants must “Just deal with it”. A statement by law enforcement in one of these meetings said “we can arrest them, but they will just be out in a few hours”. Sounded to me like they just did not want to deal with the paperwork. But isn’t that the point... keep arresting them! They are, in fact, breaking THE LAW! Police typically are responsible for maintaining public order and safety, ENFORCING the law, and preventing, detecting, and investigating criminal activities. These functions are known as policing. I have seen none of this in my 10 months of business.. Sincerely, Jamie BeringerHOF W IRIN Monday, February 6, 2023 at 13:47:23 Eastern Standard Time Subject: Main Street/Business Concerns Date: Monday, February 6, 2023 at 12:38:13 PM Eastern Standard Time From: Tiffanie Scott To: Greg Olson To Whom it may concern: Thank you for listening to my concerns regarding my Business@ Hair & Body Fetish Salon 1437 Main Street. We've been at this location for 6 years now and have had multiple incidents occur with the crime on Main Street....€verything from defecating in our entry way to the business, busted out windows , drug use / paraphernalia left on premises , being threatened by the drug users to trafic woes . My hope is that some positive resolutions are coming soon, especially with spring/summer coming upon us. Thank you for your time! Tiffanie Scott /Owner HBF ON MAIN, Page 1 of 1A ucé 7 Sout ome 4 = a Lost Hospitality Somerset, 139 E McMicken Ave Cincinnati on 45262 February 1, 2023 To whom it may concern, We operate three locations in OTR, with another opening in April this year. We currently employ ~8@ people in the neighborhood, most of whom also live here. Last year we saw a marked increase in violent crime on Main St, which has many of our employees seriously concerned for their safety. Furthermore we have seen a massive rise in petty crime such as smashed windows, a common occurrence at this point, and the flagrant drug dealing on the street continues to be a big issue, as it has been for a long time It would seem from our perspective that there is @ new wave of smaller criminal activity that will inevitably lead to bigger issues if it is continually left unaddressed, as we feel it is now. Crime is also having a negative impact on neighborhood businesses. This is something that has been discussed a lot in the business community. If customers stay away from our neighborhood, then all the issues risk compounding. We need a healthy, vibrant, and safe place to live and work. We are joining with other businesses to ask that the City and Police increase the available resources in our area before these issues continue to spiral Whatever we are doing now is not working, so we need to innovate and stay one step ahead Thank you, Cae James Fisher CEO Lost HospitalityFMAY Don) 212 Walt Sti Suite 1800, Kent Wellington incinnats, OF a5, Direct Fax: $13-333-4387 Direct: 513.629.2812 ‘welington@graydon com January 31, 2023 Gregory W. Olson Main Street Working Group 1209 Sycamore St. Cincinnati, OH 45202 Main Street - Graydon on Main Dear Greg: ‘As the attorney in charge of Graydon on Main (Graydon’s OTR office at 1421 Main St.) for the past 5 years and a regular user of that space, | write to express concerns about Main Street. We rarely if ever see a police presence on the street. What we do see is drug use, drug dealing, prostitution, open container violations, gambling, double and illegal parking abuses, and people selling alcohol and other undisclosed items out of cars and even their trunks. These low- level crimes are not being enforced. They should be. When low level crimes are not enforced, ‘they can lead to more serious crimes. It’s a slippery slope. It naturally follows, when lawlessness is tolerated by law enforcement, safety concerns arise. Consequently, safety remains a concern for many of our 130 team members due to the absence of a consistent police presence and enforcement. Yesterday was the first day in a while we've seen a consistent police presence around Main St, but that was due to the filming of Wise Guys at the Woodward Theatre. Hollywood is ‘Not back today on Main Street. Neither are the police. ‘We currently are partnering with the Art Academy to exhibit their art at GOM. And we also allow charities and other not-for-profits to use our space. It’s wonderfully diverse. This is a great street in an importantly diverse neighborhood. We can do better. | also am one of the founding leaders of Saturday Hoops (now in year 19) and we'd like to return to Ziegler Park this summer. That too will require more of a consistent police presence.Gregory W. Olson January 31, 2023 fy Page 2 Just getting a police officer to stop by and walk through on Saturdays for 5-10 minutes sends the right message to kids, volunteers and people unfamiliar with the Main Street area. We've got good energy, good people at GOM and many good neighbors on Main. Main Street is an important street in our city. It has been and remains a microcosm of our City. When Main Street is a positive, our City is a positive. When Main Street is down, so is our City. Thanks in advance for your increased love and attention to Main Street and making sure our laws are enforced. Respectfully Submitted, GRAYDON HEAD & RITCHEY LLP Peat f4— Kent WellingtonSere t OAT Gruen ov Cuno b To whom it may concern, Our time on main street has been amazing, filled with great memories and great community connections. Each day we are meeting great individuals within the community. Amongst all the great we've experienced, there have been some important aspects that have impacted our business as a whole. Over the years, we've experienced vandalism to the storefront window, we have never expected to experience something like this as CPD is frequently in the area. Secondly, having a business that services children. We've noticed a ri and just to the right rt door, this has made some of our customers feel abit unsafe and uncomfortable. Also, loiter ie Street has made it impossible for patrons of Gumbo to park on the street in front of or near the barbershop. Lastly, with the increase in gun violence crime, it has Made it uncomia ind unsafe for barbers to work later into the night We are hopeful that changes and policies can be set in place to make the main street community fee! safe and still maintain its close-knit community aspect Kind regards, Ricardo Grant Gallery at GumboWe fines — David mtontenonmn RON | am writing this letter in the hopes of helping to affect changes in the policing policies going forward from the city, regarding the OTR Main Street district, specifically the area around Ziegler Park. ‘My business, Mr. Pitiful’s, has been directly impacted by the lack of law enforcement of low-level crimes in the area. | am specifically referring to the drugs (dealing and use), gambling, and open container violations that occur throughout every single day. The lack of enforcement of these violations directly led to large street parties last year. Last year, as a community, we asked for these violations to be enforced, and they were not. As a result, this led to a mass shooting on the 13” hundred block of Main Steet on August 7°, as officers on patrol stood by while the party raged on, The street has still not yet recovered. Daytime foot traffic has also been affected because of the perceived unsafe surroundings. We, asa business community, are struggling, My small business became a part of a national news story after the event, even though we had absolutely no involvement with it. Our business traffic and revenue are stil 50% down from last year, and we continue to lose customers during the weekdays. | have since closed on Mondays, and now close early on Tuesday and Wednesdays due to lack of business, and lack of street safety enforcement. | want to make it clear that we have the upmost respect for the Cincinnati Police Department and continue to support them, but we need their support as well for our business community to survive. We are once aj the city to start enforcing these violations. We are not asking for the neighborhood FY to be harassed, or even arrested. What we are asking for, is for tickets to be written for these violations, and for it to be understood that these types of behaviors will no longer be tolerated in the neighborhood, for the betterment of the community and city. ‘Thank you for your time. David Gronauer Managing Partner Mr. Pitiful'sBob Deck Qe ( 202 W Elder St Cincinnati, OH 45202 Office: (513) 721-0083 ‘To Whom it May Concern, ''m writing on behalf of Four Entertainment Group in regards to the increased violent criminal activity within Main Street. We own and operate two establishments within the area, Rosedale and Japp’s. Our staff continues to witness instances of low level crime such as the ones listed below. We are requesting to see more enforcement of the following crimes in hopes of discouraging escalated behavior. Which | feel leads to more violent crime in the area. © Drug use © Double Parking © Drug dealing © legal parking © Prostitution Selling alcohol & other items out of © Open Container parked cars © Gambling ‘Thank you for your time and consideration of this matter. SOE D_ 201123(oP NATION i KITCHEN & BAR NG, ee 1/31/23 a Gregory W Olson Chair, Main Street Working Group Hi Greg, ‘As owners of rhinehaus (12 and Clay) and Nation (12" and Broadway, we are long-standing members of the Main St business community, having opened in 2013 and 2015 respectively. We're very proud to have been a part of such a vibrant, diverse, and ever-changing community. We greatly appreciate your efforts to improve the Main St corridor and address some of the issues that have wreaked havoc on the neighborhood, and thus businesses and residents...we live and have offices in the neighborhood as well, so we see it at all hours. ‘Some of the most concerning issues are the recent uptick in blatantly public drug dealing and use. In addition, we are seeing more and more casual gambling, coe SUA and selling of alcohol, and other behavior that is a challenge for our customers, and to explain fo our children. Prostitution seems to have ramped up as well cea eens Lastly, many people from both inside and outside the neighborhood seem to be ignoring parking rules and laws more than ever. Double parking, illegal parking, stopping in the middle of the road and putting blinkers on. We know this is very tough to police aFall hours, but itis s8verely impactful to the quality of life in the neighborhood when having to traverse a different route, and deters customers when they have the off-putting experiences, We love Cincinnati, Over-the-Rhine, and specifically our Main St corridor and neighbors. We would just love to see some additional attention paid to what we consider one of the most historic, important and impactful entertainment and residential districts in the city. Thank you! Sl oa Jack Weston, Andrew Salzbrun, and Aaron KohlheppR poo Re: Main Street Safety Summer 2023 1/31/23, Greg, Please find below 3 primary points Id like to make concerning the police on Main St. Last year | personally made multiple calls to the police and waited only to find no one respoding to my call Summer gets very busy down here and we need police presence to check the riff raff. It gets very dangerous to the point that some people are afraid to come to work. The danger for us last year culgpinated jn an assault where one of our female bartenders was threatened and then spit on by a non-customer male who just walked in off the street to harass someone. What's next? We need police presence down here at strategic times to puta stop to the escalating violence. 1} Main Sts in need of beat cops, particularly starting early evenings on weekends to, among other things, identify and break up "car parties" whereby people park their cars and serve drinks out of their backseat or trunk throughout the evening, people need to know the police are around and enforcing the law. es 2) There needs to be some type of transparent, active safety plan that Main St businesses and residents can participate and collaborate with CPD. What's the plan for 2023, how do | access it and how do | particpate in it? 3)We need a better effort by the police to respond to phone calls from Main St businesses. Most of the time we just need someone to show up and make police presence known, but sometimes it's more severe than that, and w/ out police presence Main St becomes a lawless free-for-all where criminals are given the message that they can do whatever they want unchecked. Thanks again for taking the lead on this, Chris Schadler Se Owner & Operator: Woodward Theater, 1404 Main St MOTR Pub, 1345 Main St Woodward Theater, 1404 Main St /MOTR Pub, 1345 Main St| Cinti, OH 45202‘52 Eastern Standard Time Friday, February 24, 2023 at 11: Subject: REEMA stolen car Date: Thursday, February 23, 2023 at 9:50:56 PM Eastern Standard Time From: Joe Girandota To: Rick Wolhoy y ce: Greg Olson, Danny Lipson ‘Attachments: AAC_Logo-O1_bbb74958-028c-4927-8715-6cf4aaf45de9.png, ‘Thank you, Rick- copying Greg and Danny at urban Sites here-so they are aware. dee ‘VG yn Sent from the moon. Joe Girandola President A joe girandola@artacademy edu 513-562-6750 1212 Jackson Street Art Academy Cincinnati, OH 45202 ofCincinnati 800-323-5692 toll free ‘Cotege of Art & Desion ‘YouTube: MAKING ART | ON AIR - The New AAC Podcast Episode 3 ~ Featuring Oamian Hoskins onthe history of Hip Hop and hi own journey back toat [email protected]> wrote: On Feb 23, 2023, at 9:05 PM, Rick Wolhoy Hey all, | know we haven't established a chain of who needs to know what but | thought sending this out so we are all aware is best. | was just notified by AAC Security that student (00088 had their car stolen Page 1 of 2NK KO Dewy from our 12" street parking lot late last night (please see email below). The student worked with AAC Security to call the police and file the report as soon asf realized their car was gone. | will follow up with ‘AAC Security, Cincinnati Police, as well as the student first thing tomorrow morning. Copies of camera footage will be handed over to the CPD as soon as possible Best, Rick Wolhoy Director of Facilities rickwolhoy@artacademyedu 606-232-6270 Art Academy of Cincinnati 1212 Jackson Street Cincinnati, OH 45202 800-323-5692 toll free From: John Laycock Date: Thursday, February 23, 2023 at 7:28 PM To: Rick Wolhoy Subject: GUS stolen car Hey Rick Themmy told me anytime that an incident comes up that we can email you the details. So today a student by the name of (NBER came to me & said his car was gone. Jake was notified to see if the tow company came & took it. ran camera footage found out that his car was stolen last night out of Walnut st. parking lot at 0242. | told (@iiBhe needs to call the police & file a report & if the police need’s footage that ‘they can come in on Tammy's shift & get a burn copy. When the police showed up | helpec¥™AHB explain what happened the police asked if they can see the footage & | said no you'll have to come back during Tammy's hours to get a burn copy. | also told him that we still have a flash drive with footage on it of a pickup truck that was stolen & the person that stole it hit IMB old car. | told the officer that | seen both footages & the guy that stole the pickup truck &§9JMIBB current car looks like the same person even wearing the same stuff so the officer said he would be back to get a burn copy & then collect the flash drive Get Outlook for Android Page 2 of 2ert ‘rt Academy of Grint A Sita rede fate laaon ect ik Gaernds> one January 31, 2023, Greg Olson Principal, Chief Executive Officer | Urban Sites 1208 Sycamore Street Cincinnati, OH 45202 Greg, Thank you for your initiative in your efforts to continue making Over-The-Rhine (OTR) a place to lve, work, and play. This includes the community of students faculty, and staff atthe Art Academy of Cincinnati (AAC]. As an original stakeholder of OTR’s revival since the riots of 2001, AAC welcomes continued conversations and collaborations to assist in ALL measure necessary to continue the progress with regards to safety in the neighborhood. | write today to share frustrations and concerns with regards to the following first-hand accounts ‘and witnessing of items that are harming our ability to recruit and retain the most creative students in the world to ‘AAC. They include: Drug use (Jackson and 12 Street corridor including Main Street) Drug dealing (Main Street/Jackson Street/Walnut Street- 12" and 13" Street corridor) Drug overdose death inthe alley behind AAC and adjoining AAC parking lot. Prostitution (lackson and 12" Street corridor and Washington Square and Ziegler Parks) ‘Open Container (OTR overall) ‘Gambling (12 and Main Street corridor, Ziegler Park) Double Parking {Main Street, Sycamore Street) **AAC is currently working with Devou Good Foundation to evaluate possibility of street cushioning/closure of Jackson Street between 12" and 13" Streets to enable a pedestrian only/majority corridor. Please assist AAC in all conversations with this plan as it will enable greater security for the 3-5 Block radius of AAC to create a “neighborhood campus.” Illegal parking (OTR) Selling alcohol & other items out of parked cars- (12" and Main Street corridor, Ziegler Park) ‘Attempted armed robbery (1212 Jackson Street two months ago) Loitering/pandering increasing since Summer 2022. (Main Street/Jackson Street/Walnut Street) ‘One student and two staff members hit by car in crosswalk by speeding car. (Vine Street at 12° and 13% and Vine) ‘+ Shooting in parking lot across the street from entrance. (Jackson Street) “Thank you again forall that you are doing for the OTR Neighborhood and Cincinnatt Agi ‘Art Academy of Cincinnati 519-552-6750‘Wh A, 4"FLOOR CR ESA TMV E 1417 Main St ~ Cincinnati, OH 45202 To Whom it May Concern, In January 2021! moved our business to Over-the-Rhine at 1417 Main St. We founded our company in April 2015 and originally planned to move from our Norwood incubator in the first two quarters of 2020. The COVID-19 Pandemic derailed those plans. Fortunately, we found stability through the year and decided to begin looking for space at the end of that calendar year, leading us to our current location in the heart of Main Streets vibrant business corridor. We love our location and are thrilled to be a part of the OTR business community. However, | have a great deal of concern regarding the crime that had riddled our neighborhood over the past 18 months. It began with the shooting a few blocks away on Father's Day 2021 and continued last summer, culminating in the murder of a teenager, steps outside of our front door. The shootings, the drug deals and continued crime is immensely frustrating. Four months after we moved in, our business was burglarized. While the crime was inconvenient and very frustrating, | had no idea this crime would fall towards the bottam of my list of concerns. eee pt of cond | shouldn't have to worry about gunfire when walking to Brown Bear Bakery for snack or tal my kids fo the pool at Ziegler Park. | understand that many of our community leaders are dedicated to improving the conditions that are negatively impacting the street, the businesses, the residents, and the neighborhood. | appreciate the efforts of these individuals and hope their strides will result in lower crime rates as we move towards the Spring and warmer days when more people will congregate on the street and crime levels tend to increase. If there is anything | can do to support these efforts, please let me know. Sincerely, tbr Tom Gelehrter President & Founder 4" Floor CreativeEastern Standard Time Monday, February 6, 2023 at 11: Subject: Re: Follow up Letter Date: Monday, February 6, 2023 at 11:10:15 AM Eastern Standard Time Wee From: Ryan Reynolds Date: Thursday, February 2, 2023 at 8:00 AM reg Olson Subject: Re: Follow up Letter ‘Thank you Greg, | have listed some items and voiced opinions on the ongoing issues with Main Street. | apologize in advance for my poor emailing/sentencing skills. The night crowd is definitely more difficult than the daytime customers. In my opinion, when it's dark, there should be officers on foot within visible range from about every corner...sending police alone in cruisers down the street does not help. The worst for me is the children running about while there is open drug use, drunkenness, prostitution and other illegal acts. This does not foster an appropriate environment for them to grow up in and the community/police should be involved. In my store, the daytime issues usually involve local teenage boys 18 and under. Many do not know how to behave appropriately for public standards at least. We actually h We a raw egg smashed in hecface. A police presence and guidance in these cases would also help. It would seem these issues go. hand in hand. it would be interesting if the police would try, even temporarily, the “presence” method just so they could see with their own eyes the illegal activity going on and on, AAs far as my business is concerned, the main issue | am having for nearly two years now, involves hiring and retaining employees. This would also seem to go hand in hand with the other issues mentioned. People of the community are not willing to work for whatever reason and they have too much time and opportunity to behave illegally. Our local government and police need to be involved in this community. What they don't know does hurt them. I'm sure this is not what you were looking for from me but | hope it helps in some way. If there is anything, else you need or I can do differently please let me know. | apologize again for my lack of writing/emailing skills..Thank you, Ryan. Page 1of 1a gee Jecen To whom it may concern, We have operated businesses on Main Street and East McMicken since 2012. We remain frustrated with the lack of police enforcement and proactive policies preventing these pockets of Over-The-Rhine from feeling safe and allowing for a thriving business district. In the last few years we have seen a marked increase in: n air drug dealing, ope i This list doesn’t include the parking infractions that are becoming even more salient such as illegal parking and double parking ee oe We feel these low level offenses, when left unchecked, can and do have-2"broken window’ impact to the neighborhood thereby increasing the frequency with which these offenses occur. It is our expressed opinion and desire that the City begin to take these offenses seriously and increase enforcement along Main Street, East McMicken and Walnut Street. Allowing these areas to be a safer for residents and businesses alike. Thank you, Gha H. Jeremy Moore COO | Northcrown Property 131 E, McMicken Avenue, Cincinnati, OH, 45202Chns Varies pee RS 1345 Main Street Cincinnati, Ohio 45202 January 31, 2023 To Whom It May Concern, The city is failing to enforce low-level crimes on Main Street in Over-the-Rhine such as open-alcohol-container consumption, which is negatively affecting our businesses and contributing to low quality of life on the street and, worse, serious safety issues. We own two businesses on Main Street, MOTR Pub at 1345 Main, and the Woodward Theater at 1404 Main. | am on Main Street seven days a week, and | see people breaking open-container-consumption laws every day. Because the city does not enforce open- liner laws and other “low-level” crimes on Main Street, there is an attitude of lawlessness and a belief that “anything goes” People know that they can doyble park, gamble and sell alcoho! out of the trunk of their cars without consequence. These smaller problems create the foundation for larger ones, sUch as what traMSpired on Main Street last summer. It's past time for the city to see to it that the business owners and residents on Main Street as well as the customers and patrons of Main Street businesses enjoy the same attention from the city and expect the same level of safety as those on Vine Street in Over-the-Rhine, Freedom Way at the Banks, and in any other thriving business and entertainment district in the city Sincerely, Chris Varias 513-200-8273To whom it may concern, We have operated our advanced manufacturing shop on Moore Street since 2020. We remain frustrated with the lack of police enforcement and proactive policies preventing our immediate area of Over-The-Rhine from feeling safe for our employees and customers. Over the last couple years we have seen a large increase in drug use and open air drug dealing, open containers, and litter. In addition, there are countless parking infractions - especially near Tina's Carry Out on Walnut Street. These low level offenses, when left unchecked, can and do have a “broken window” impact to the neighborhood and increase the frequency with which these offenses occur. My personal residence is on Corwine St. so | write this letter as both a business owner and resident in the neighborhood. | have lived on the same block for over 8 years and have seen a consistent lack of enforcement in many areas over these years. Itis my desire that the City begin to take these offenses seriously and increase enforcement along Main Street, East McMicken, Walnut Street, Corwine St, and Moore Street to allow these areas to be a safer for residents and businesses alike Thank you, Tony Alexander CEO | Remote Vans 1619 Moore Street, Cincinnati, OH, 45202aie eatery _ Ak CHALLEY Dear Greg, {As you know, this is our third location of Aladdin’s Eatery here in OTR and we've had to face issues we've never had to face before at any of our other two locations. Recently, we have had altercations with the homeless on numerous occasions, some of which are violent and dangerous, not only to our staff but to our guests. Just last week @ guest said a homeless man exposed himself to her inside our store and threatened her. We've had our bottles ofiquor stolen, our ogo orders stolen, homeless people sleeping in our trash room and refusing to leave, homeless people jamming the doors So they can sneak into our stairwell and stay overnight, leaving garbage, urine, cigarettes, drug paraphernalia ete on our property that our staf is forced to clean up. as vou col esse when thee peso unc au aasguae roman to return and’ scares our employees, many of whom are young and are not used to handling situations of these types. We feel the issues on Main St seem to get worse each year and not better. There is constant drug use, drug dealing, selling of iterns out of cars and ever prostitution happening sight ‘outside our doors. We've even had shootings on this street. We pride ourselves on being a family friehdly establishment but with situations ike those listed above happening right on our streets, it's very } difficult to encourage families or suburbanians to venture down to ths location. We also have constant issues with double parking or illegal parking that takes away spaces from our employees and guests. Keeping this location afloat, especially after COVID, has been extremely difficult. It would be so beneficial to all the businesses if we could find real solutions to these problems. Having more of a police presence could have a huge impact on reducing these behaviors. We would be grateful if you could help us and the other business owners on Main, find solutions to these real and scary situations. Thank you ‘so much for all the efforts you are putting into helping your tenants have a better experience being business owners in OTR. We appreciate you greatly and look forward to any guidance you can provide tous. Respectfully, Carla Chalkley Aladdin’s Eatery OwnerENV] srr roman 2 22a 12210 ae Sondre Subject: qyEnvoillettér Monday, February 20, 2023at 5:30:21 PM Eastern Standard Time Da From: steve weinstein To: Greg Olson, Denise Weinstein Attachments: Screenshot 2023-02-20 at 5.29.04 PM.png EAGTIONE Tis email orgated fom outside of the organiaton, bo not cio nis or pen aaehmiens Unies you ecouni | feersens cate torte oe Dear City Council, |1am writing to express my extreme frustration and anger regarding the persistent issue of loitering and disorderly conduct on the street where my business, Envoi Design, is located. Every day, my employees and | are forced to navigate through a gauntlet of individuals who are drinking, smoking weed, gambling, and blocking the entrance to our door. They are also loud into all hours of the night, making it nearly impossible to conduct business oreven get a good night's rest. This situation is unacceptable and has been ongoing for far too long. Despite numerous calls to the police, nothing seems to be done to address this problem, My business and other neighboring businesses are suffering as a result of the presence of these individuals, and itis causing significant financial harm. Moreover, the safety and well-being of my employees and customers are being put at risk every time they come to our location. Limplore you to take swift and decisive action to clean up the street where my business is located. The loitering, drinking, smoking, and gambling must stop immediately. The individuals responsible for this behavior need to be held accountable for their actions, and the police must take @ more active role in maintaining order and safety on this street. | urge you to take this matter seriously and to act quickly before the situation deteriorates any further. Sincerely Steve Weinstein Envoi Design Beste Page 1 of 24 Eastern Standard Time ‘Thursday, February 23, 2023 at 13: Subject: Fwd: concerning main street noise and disturbances Date: Friday, February 17, 2023 at 3:28:59 PM Eastern Standard Time From: Denise Weinstein To: Greg Olson J UNE 202. o Attachments: image0.png. GregSorry for the delay in getting these past messages to you. | am sifting through my previous emails concerning ‘my customers remarks about their horrible experiences on Main Street in OTR Cincinnati. | will send you all that | can find, These just proves that visitors leave our City with no intention of coming back, and/or may tell their family and friends the same which is really sad. To me. Begin forwarded message: 1: Denise Weinstein Subject: concerning main street noise and disturbances Date: June 15, 2022 at 1:38:29 PM EDT To: felly@otrchambercom not sure if this is helpful for you to pass along. but these are the kind of messages i keep getting from my customers. if it’s helpful 'l send you more of them from last month. what's most sad is the amount of people telling me they will never visit cincinnati again. that's so sad for our community. anyway just tying to help any way i can. ‘we notice more police. they seem to drive by more often but that’s about it, +36 ale Done 2of2 Hip Eclectic 1 bedros Past quest - Jun 10-12, 2022. 8: un 12,2022 LeAnne * 52) Good morning, we left this morning at 9am. Parking pass in kitchen. Your apartment is so cute and we were comfortable. However, We were not prepared for the noise of partying all night right outside our windows. Also, the guys standing around smoking pot. Very unsafe feeling walking past them. Unfortunately ruined our Cincinnati experience and will not return. Maybe the atmosphere is for young 7 go-ers, but nat two misidtc aged women wanting to see the art Papeivid scene, Just wish we were advised. Again though loved your Sean Aa‘Thursday, February 23, 2023 at 13:53:28 Eastern Standard Time Subject: Fwd: Police Attention Needed PLEASE Date: Friday, February 17, 2023 at 3:38:35 PM Eastern Standard Ti From: Denise Weinstein oe Cope, tNval COMMUN OKTION Hine To Rock, Brendon” , "idfayotr@gmail,com* , Steve Weinstein , Sara Bedinghaus du NE e , [email protected], [email protected], Chris seelbach@cincinnati-oh,gov, Derek Bauman , [email protected] Subject: : Police Attention Needed PLEASE 3017 | sent his text to Officer Gordon at 830pm Wednesday. He's the only cell we have. officer Gordon responded that cincinnati police will patrol again tonight. Steve is working late and called the number that you have us this morning SGT Ward. While the corner of ‘Main and Woodward are rather clear, There are 10 men smoking dope next to 1332 Main Street and on the doorsteps of democratic office of cris sellbach and Derek Bauman and infront of shadeau bakery right now... So they have merely moved over.. Denise Weinstein Envoi Design 1332 Main Street Cincinnati OH 45202 513-651-4229 On Jun 14, 2017, at 9:57 AM, Denise Weinstein wrote: Thank you kindly for your reply. We will try our very best to get the word out to other residents and businesses as well. We really appreciate your continued support. David Vissman from 3cdc also called me last night. He was also very supportive and plans to keep in touch with you also, Just now the Officer Bike Response team was out this morning. They were very nice and informative and encouraging.... Hoping they return late afternoon - evening when the sun is out. Thx. Page 1 of 5ENYO| On Jun 14, 2027, at 9:22 AM, Ward, Hank « wrote: Good morning Denise, Officer Rock and | will work hard to improve the conditions around Ziegler Park. | met with representatives with 3CDC to discuss your issues in the park and the street corners 3CDC will schedule workers in the park during opening hours ‘once the construction has finished. First, second and third shift uniform patrols will increase their presence around the park with directive patrols and enforce violations. | will speak to my Captain, Lisa Davis who will commit to resources as well. We will send a clear message that the behavior that you are reporting will not be tolerated, | shared your observations with our Violent Crime Squad supervisor and asked their investigators to work on drug complaints in and around the park. Getting guns off our streets is a top priority. | appreciate your kind comments regarding Officer Gordon, He and | were discussing additional patrol at Ziegler Park ust yesterday and | thank him for spending time to discuss the issues that are hurting the neighborhood. Denise, I need bit of help from you and your neighbors to ‘address this area with all the tools that I can gather. We need to know when the crowds are present and when you witness drug deals; especially when you see gun-play. | encourage you and your neighbors to call $11 or 513-765- 1212 when violations are present in the park or surrounding, area. Wear out those phone numbers when you need police ‘to respond and work the area. Calls for service (radio runs) help District Commanders deploy resources to areas appropriately. I'm in and out of the office and work flexing hours; so the best way to communicate is email Page 2 of 5FAO) We will do our best to improve the area, Additional uniform patrol presence, undercover work for drug complaints, a ‘good working relationship with 3CDC representatives and the neighborhood calling when a crowd is present or illegal activity is witnessed will help significantly. Hang with us Denise, let me get a handle on the area and increase enforcement actions. I'm confident that we can make a difference. My direct line number is 513-352-1210. ‘Again, I'm in and out of the office most of the day; email is the best way to communicate but I will return calls for all, messages. Officer Rock and | can be available to meet with you, your neighbors and business owners if you wish. Respectfully, Set. Hank Ward From: Denise Weinstein [mailto:denise @envoidesign.com! Sent: Tuesday, June 13, 2017 5:32 PM To: Ward, Hank; Rock, Brendon Ce: [email protected]; Steve Weinstein; Sara Bedinghaus Subject: Police Attention Needed PLEASE Importance: High Hello Sgt. Ward and Officer Rock, Many Main street business owners and their employees are having a difficult time dealing with the mass amount of people, drugs, loud stereos on the corner of Woodward Avenue and Main Street. Since Ziegler Park closed for renovations last year many people began congregating on the street and the corners. This has affected our businesses as well as our customers. For a better lack of vocabulary | ‘would name it “A Total Shit Show" Page 3 of 5ANvo| Often in the middle of the day the corner of Main and ‘Woodward, on the same side of Collective Espresso, has young men selling drugs. Our employees have seen them with guns. We had hoped and prayed when the Park/Pool ‘re-opened that efforts would have been out in to stabilize this area. The opposite appears to be true. Last night while the pool was open the amount of people, drugs, illegal drinking loud cars, loud stereos was worse than ever. Now Goetz Alley as well as Woodward have become “the new park’, Afternoon activity weekdays as well as weekends. Evening tends to be even louder and more packed. We all are good people and good community minded people. We have been here since 1988, raised our family here and have supported all kinds of efforts and all kinds of. people in OTR. We all feel that this area just went from really bad to really, really bad. We need help securing this area. We don't want the back of the pool area to be a breeding ground for anymore | spoke with Officer Gordon as | was given his cell by another business owner. He was very helpful and asked me to reach out so there was more of a constant police present. He told ‘my to call Sgt. Ward and Officer Rock. | left a message with district one. | used the number: 352-4566 {1am hoping I might get your direct line or cell pone for further conversation? Please let me know. (Our business line is 651-4229 denise cell 513-378-8112 steve cell 513-300-8022 Please let me know Denise Weinstein President Page 4of 5ON) THEM ALETHIA FINLEY Tk SNL SHERMAN on eatemstonen rine Subject: Fwd: Woodward/Yukon Meeting: Monday 5/6 Pay Date: Friday, February 17, 2023 at 3:40:47 PM Eastern Standard Time From: Denise Weinstein LyBRALY To: Greg Olson Less than 1 year ago, May 2022. Begin forwarded message: >From: Ale su ‘Woodward/Yukon Meeting: Monday 5/6 Date: May 5, 2022 at 9:08:32 PM EDT To: Kelly Adamson Ce: Denise Weinstein , Joni Sherman playlibrary.org>, Steve Weinstein , Mark Antrobus , David Vissman , Kevin Pape , Julie Fay , Anthony Palazzolo , Dustin Miller , "Hulme, Matthew" , wrreising@gmailcom Great evening, I have called so many times as a resident and nothing is done . The streets are blocked every weekend 0 | can’t park | would love to shop in the stores but | truly don’t think customers or residents should have to walk through Lawn chairs , booze , marijuana smoke and loud music, and gambling . It’s so bad they have set up a bba grill on the side walk. My husband and | parked in the 3cDc parking garage on Sycamore and was spit on by 14 children . This is beyond worse than 3 years ago in my opinion, Sent from my iPhone On May 5, 2022, at 8:45 AM, Kelly Adamson wrote: Good morning all, ‘Thank you for sharing this. A note that this email has been received and looking into options/dates to gather feedback and work on possible solutions, we will be in touch in the near future. -kelly (On Wed, May 4, 2022 at 1:45 PM Denise Weinstein wrote: {was wondering if we could hold another meeting... 3 years later and we are in a worse situation this time than 3 years ago ‘main and woodward have lawless activity night and day. including prostitution and pimps my customers aren't comfortable coming to my place “oni Sherman at the play library is having the same problem. kelly is there anyone that will help us on main street to help curb the partying and Page 1 of 3Cha Hur Guobs {Uke TOMS TT I'm writing this letter to convey what its really like to be a resident and business owner on. Main St in Over The Rhine. I've lived on the 1300 Block of Main St for almost 20 years, and right now is the worst it's ever been, In 2020, during the quarantine things got out of hand, and the police never got control back. The things | see daily are truly astonishing. Open air drug deals, people smoking crack on business's steps at any given moment, fights, harassment, theft, and more. I've seen people so messed up on drugs and/or alcohol, they pull their pants down and defacate in doorways and flower pots in broad daylight, while kids walk home from school. It's impossible to get any customers in the store when they have to walk through a loud game of dive with 15 drunk grown men. I've had females run into the store on multiple occasions, just to get away from the harassment on the street. There is always someone sleeping on my porch, and oftentimes they turn violent when | try to wake them up so | can open the shop, and they almost always urinate on the porch. | arrived at work one morning to find a man being detained and searched by the police. He was seen smoking crack on the steps of Old St Mary's and somebody called. While searching his crack pipe was found, he was let go, and | had to dispose of his crack pipe, that the officers left on my step. | honestly can't remember the last time I saw the police make an arrest on Main St, It's almost like they've been told not too? | call the police multiple times a week about the people drinking in front of my shop. Nothing is ever done. | saw a beer get poured out once. Yesterday, | counted seven people that walked past an officer standing in front of Mr. Pitiful's with open containers. Nothing was done. He actually waved and talked to a few of them. Can we please get some officers down here that care? As a business owner and resident, it’s sickening to walk down Vine St, and see how much the city cares about it, and how they've left Main to fend for itself. Dear Greg, Thanks for listening, Cari Hunt, Urban Transit Co-owner(NDIGO HIPPO Seer ree ee Subject: Re: Follow up Letter Date: Thursday, February 23, 2023 at 1:51:51 PM Eastern Standard Time From: Greg Olson To: Emily Farison Dake From: Emily Farison Dake Date: Tuesday, February 7, 2023 at 11:30 AM To: Greg Olson Hi Greg, Thanks for your patience on my response, last week was extra packed. Part of our ethos as Indigo Hippo has always been to bridge gaps and hold space for all peoples. Inclusion is @ key part of our mission, We very much want and support safe spaces and want Main Street to be a safe and flourishing street. However, personally making statements including the issues listed above do not feelin line with our role in the neighborhood, though we offer our support to bolster the efforts of others who do fill this role, ‘Additionally, given the nature of our organization and activity, we often are not privy to the issues you mentioned apart from hearing from our neighbors who spend time on/live on Main and witness the hours after 6pm, and therefore feel a bit removed from being able to speak to these issues with any personal experience. Perhaps we are unusually unaffected. We are here to support safety, hold space, and offer creativity for all and historically have refrained from making personal statements of any political or religious nature. An example of this is, during the summer riots a couple years ago, we did not make any formal statements but provided free art materials for anyone who wanted to express themselves, process, march, etc. That said, we are very much “for" Main Street and want our neighborhood to be a safe, welcoming, beautiful space for those who live and work here and those who visit. Let me know if there are other ways we can offer support, Respectfully, Emily (Farison) Dake Executive Director // Indigo Hippo ‘ndigohiono.oss 513.262.5166 fly (AN INDIGO HIPPO Page 1 of 1Subject: (none) Date: ‘Thursday, February 23, 2023 at 1:50:20 PM Eastern Standard Time From: Greg Olson To: [email protected] Attachments: image002.png From: [email protected] Date: Friday, February 10, 2023 at 12:32 PM To: Greg Olson Cc: Fr. Jon-Paul Bevak Greg, ‘As discussed in our meeting on January 25, 'm writing to voice Old Saint Mary's support for your efforts to improve the traffic flow along Main Street and elimination ofthe growing volume of problematic activities taking place along Main and 13°" Street. ‘The increase of criminal activity i the vicinity around the Church is alarming and is of great concern to us. With the exception of inclement weather days, itis commonplace to see drug dealing transactions take place along the street and out of parked vehicles. The individuals participating in these dealings seem to have no concern whatsoever of being discovered or reported ‘The loitering by groups of individuals is very intimidating to residents and visitors. We fee! that the Cincinnati Police do a good job, but more support is needed to address these issues. The area is in need of dally foot patrols both night and day. Hopefully, your efforts wil get city officials more engaged and the support to address our concerns. Thank you, David Wimnmel Facility Manager Old St. Mary's and Sacred Heart Office: 513-721-2988 ext. 127 Cell: 513-720-2185 [email protected] Page 1 of 1\Jit* OUNGBLOOD twrenyons Feb 10, 2023 Mr. Greg Olson Urban Sites 1209 Sycamore St. Cincinnati, OH 45202 Dear Greg: Thank you for meeting with me the other day to discuss both my and numerous business ‘owners’ concerns about some of the negative issues impacting Main Street in OTR. As an established business now located in OTR for almost 7 years I feel very committed yet concerned about the area. Over the past few years we have been adversely affected by the occurance of regular drug use, drug dealing, prostitution, open containers, gambling, parking issues, panhandling and alcohol use on the street. While we are not a retail establishment, we do feel that these issues are still negatively affecting our clients by way of coming to our offices for meetings or even attending evening events in our space. We have worked on and spent a lot of money to improve our space which we feel is a great investment in the street. We certainly would hate to move out of the area, but if these issues don't improve, we will be reevaluating our options this fall. For us to feel comfortable working on Main Street we are strongly ng for more police enforcement in all of the above areas. as Please let us know any kind of progress you make. | thank you for your help in advance. Sincerely, Amy G. Youngblood Amy Youngblood InteriorsFebruary 8, 2023 To Whom It May Concern, ‘We are the owners and operators of the real estate and business Sugar n Spice Diner at 1203 Sycamore Street. We invested nearly $2mm into this property with the multi-decade commitment and vision of being a part of the growing local ecosystem and integrate into the local communities of Over the Rhine, Pendleton, and Downtown Cincinnati Since opening Summer 2020, we immediately realized that the many things we were warned of by neighboring property owners, business owners, and residents are unfortunately true. In general, the lack of monitoring in the evenings encourages the continued neglect of abiding by local laws but also the disregard of the neighborhood, residents, and city. During the Summer, OTR Live essentially only fuels. the issues and expands on the situations that affect not only the individuals involved in the incidents but the neighboring properties, trash in our city streets, and disruption to residents, This past Summer, the violent incidents occurring in the area and specifically on Main Street, sadly resulted with injury to Cincinnatians but even worse, loss of life. Those incidents directly effected our sales even though we are not open past 2:30pm seven days a week. We lost 20% of our weekly sales for nearly five weeks and the summertime is our strongest sales period of the year. The pandemic already made it hard enough on local businesses to be profitable in this immediate area and none of us need anything to make it worse. We need the opposite. Thank you, Sugar n’ Spice DinerBROWN Bepy BAKERY Me Brown Bear Bakery is an independently owned seasonal artisan bakery located on the ul corner of 13% & Clay in Over the Rhine. We have been open over the last S years and have had our share of experiences while operating our bakery in the community. We are fortunate to have safely navigated that span, but there are moments that have be challenging- and scary both as humans and as business owners. The bullet holes in our front Streetery serve as a daily reminder. We are located a block over from Main St. and, as a bakery, typically operate in the early morning to mid-afternoon. As such we have been fortunate to, generally, not have been a part of some of the scarier activity throughout our time in OTR, but the morning-after reminders, walking through yellow tape or seeing blood on our front steps, make it real and help underscore the need for our community and those that make it up to feel safe on the OTR streets. We are extremely mindful of finding balance within the OTR community: we know that there were people in the community and locals here before our bakery began- and have always wanted to be friendly and welcoming to all. We feel that there’s a general vibe and flow to the streets and the community and our staff, our guests, and we, as people, can operate and co-inhabit them together, helping to create a stronger sense of community and inclusiveness. We feel that the greatest need to our specific area of OTR would be assistance with helping to limit pan-handling, erratic behavior, and general disruption that comes as the result of groups of addicts assembling to loiter, use, or hang out around the use of hard drugs. These individuals are users are hard drugs- this isn’t weed- they're addicts and typically visibly noticeable as homeless or different from the rest of the neighborhood. They're the ones that float around, typically asking for money, and we find them to be one of our largest challenges. This isa different level of need than gun violence but we feel that with continued police support, we can help keep these individuals moving on and limit their disruptions to our business and our guests. We respect that these are humans grappling with horrible problems and the realms of addiction and we do our best to respect them while also needing to own and operate safely. We have female employees that arrive as early as 3am and these people can be very intimidating, pushy, or menacing- not a comfortable situation. Generally, we feel that continued police support in the area, and specifically Main St, would be beneficial and we feel that, ultimately, the gun violence and gang-activity, and the behaviors that lead to it, cannot be allowed to continue. Things like prostitution, dealing of crack or heroin, or selling items out of cars only contribute to these violent outcomes and the larger picture must be considered. It’s important to respect the community and prioritize time and resources during this process and it seems that there is a balance that can be found that can help keep our community safe and encourage our area to thrive while also helping limit these activities. Chaske Haverkos & Blair Fornshell Brown Bear Bakery‘Sunday, March 5, 2023 at 20:03:03 Eastern Standard Time Subject: (none) It (j lf He Date: Friday, February 24, 2023 at 3:44:09 PM Eastern Standard Time wo cao = WUE Fed UBAN) EDEN ‘To Whom It May Concern, City Councilmembers, City Manager's Office, Mayor's Office, Police Department, This letter is to share with you that nothing has improved over the last couple of years on Main Street. WHY NOT? Quality of life infractions continue to escalate on a daily basis, beginning in the early afternoon into the evening, night and early morning hours. Open containers, pot and other smoking virtually on the doorsteps of our businesses make it impossible for business owners to cover the expenses of running the business, attracting customers, and retaining employees, WHY? Cars park for hours, often with people in the cars or clustered a short distance away, discussing and arguing above the din of music and city noise. None of this makes for an inviting business district, which was once the envy of the City. WHY? FYI: Yesterday (Thursday, 2/23/23) at 4:00 pm there were four distinct groups of people, between S and 12 people ‘each, gathered on the sidewalks of the 1300 block. One near 13th and Main up to 1309; one across the street around 1304-1308 Main; one at 1324-6 Main, and one at 1331-3 Main ‘Some of these groups have cars connected with them. Those who follow the rules pay high for parking and are more likely to be ticketed while those that don't follow the rules, linger to be cool, and have the run of the street, (and intimidate those who should be enforcing)...the street where they have no financial commitment, no vested interest, and no residency. WHY? Apparently @ new group has arrived in the last couple of days, selling drugs, crack and more, 'm told, on Thirteenth and Main. It is a new younger (thirty-something year olds) who are aggressively following people, even into the bars, trying to complete their sales. IS ANYONE QUT THERE THAT CAN NIP THIS IN THE BUD? | need help with a low-income tenant who will be dead soon if we can't intervene and get her off crack. WHO CAN HELP? WHO WILL HELP? Main Street businesses have removed all of the amenities that the Merchants of Main Street and the OTR Chamber have worked so hard to install for 30 years! This includes flower pots and street planters, beautification projects, a street tree. Outside drink rails, the outdoor dining parklets have all been removed at the behest of businesses in order to make it difficult to hide drugs in, hide behind or gather and lean on. Drug sales, drug use, panhandling for drug money, escalating arguments, and violence have caused our beloved businesses to close down and walk away. But other business districts can continue to enjoy these amenities and thrive. Our beloved businesses move to those Page 1 of2Jute Fy districts. WHY? HOW LONG WILL THIS BE TOLERATED? OR ENCOURAGED? As the evening progresses, the volume of voices and number of people hanging out on the street, primarily in the 1300 block, increases. On party nights a car or two will pull up and sell alcohol out of her trunk. | presume this is illegal. Fortunately in the current weather, February, there are no barbecue grills and non-board of health endorsed food sales. WHY PAY RENT? PAY FOR FOOD LICENSES? PAY FOR LIQUOR LICENSES? PAY TAXES? IF YOU ARE BOLD AND RIGHTOUS ENOUGH? YOU ARE ABOVE THE RULES AND LAWS! Residents who have lived in some of these buildings for 15 years are fed up as the noise from the sidewalk and their front stoops continues into the night, past midnight, past 2 am, even up to 4 am. WHY IS THIS PERMITTED? We are inviting you, Mayor, Councilmembers, Police officers, to spend a night or two in an air-bnb or apartment on Main Street. Experience what you have allowed urban living to become! COME ON DOWN AND EXPERIENCE MAIN ‘STREET FOR YOURSELF! Respectfully submitted, Julie Fay Merchants of Main Street OTR~(Central parkway to Rothenberg Schoo!) BookCafe and Gallery, 1331-33 Main Urban Eden, 1313 Main 513-260-8434 Page 2 of 2Sunday, March 5, 2023 at 20:11:09 Eastern Standard Time Subject: Main street Date: Saturday, February 25, 2023 at 3:11:19 PM Eastern Standard Time From: Otto Budig To: Greg Olson bu OD \¢ CC: [email protected] ‘Many thanks for the phone calll on Thursday regarding the situation on Main Street to discuss the difficulties wwe are experiencing. In plain language — Main Street is collapsing for the following reasons. ‘The departure of Cincinnati Shirts at the corner of 13°” and Main has led to a consolidation of young men who are selling drugs. Indeed, | must have looked like a buyer because | was offered some. ‘The double parking is rampant. Additionally, many cars are parked with loud boom boxes blaring ‘There is virtually no police presence which amplifies the opportunity for inappropriate and derogatory comments from those young people to shoppers who are passing them ‘When | approached the group the other day, one of the individuals (proudly) appeared to be covering a gun in his pants and it is so easy in those situations to elevate to a problem similar to the one on Main Street a few months ago. You can imagine how this made me feel when I saw it. Greg, because | have invested a considerable amount of funding to support Mannequin on Main, itis not only disquieting but disappointing to see the deterioration of that shopping area giving way to a segment of the populus that acts on intimidation, and | am certain | speak for virtuously all of the stores that are losing sales and customers because of it. At one time, | recall that a business meeting was held to consider the use of a private police presence and | don’t know what happened to that idea, but if the Cincinnati police are understaffed so they cannot monitor the situation, particularly from noon to the closing of the vendor shops, then an alternative must be found. I know you are attempting to provide some “pop up” stores to soften the empty premises, but that is only a Page 1 of 2temporary situation. What is needed is a more permanent solution so the vendors can conduct their business in peace and shoppers don’t have to be frightened to even walk on the street. Respectfully Otto Budig I Chairman Budco Group and Parsec, Inc Otto M. Budig Family foundation Page 2 of 2Miecanl RIGAUD GALLERY |lam a Main Street storefront tenant and downtown resident writing to express my support for two-way ttaffic, more parking options, increased presence of public safety officers and social workers, and reinvestment in the arts district on Main Street in the Over-the-Rhine. A multipronged approach that includes these elements is a prudent step forward in improving the safety and business climate for small street-level retailers, who have suffered from low foot traffic since the beginning of the pandemic. Dear Sir/Madam, Pedestrian safety is paramount to encouraging foot traffic to visit Main Street retailers. The crime in the neighborhood is 2 major concern, Speed-related violence is becoming more common on Main Street, a8 is un violence, Loitering persists. Drug dealers and users participate openly inilicit activities. Mentally unwell people sleep in our doorway. | am regularly harassed by men on the street walking in front of the carryout. (ther businesses have reported incidents of theft and vandalism, which is putting a strain on their resources and causing them to lose profits, The situation has become so severe that some business owners are ‘considering closing down their shops altogether. Other businesses have already come and gone. ‘The lack of nearby parking options also hurts out foot traffic on Main Street Itis becoming increasingly dificult for customers to find parking spaces near the businesses, which is discouraging them from visting. This has resulted in decreased foot traffic, which is negatively affecting the businesses’ revenue. A business district parking lot or merchant-designated spaces would provide the additional parking needed for clients and customers. f ‘Ample research demonstrates that speed violence and other types of criminal activity is reduced where there is two-way traffic flow, which would be a tremendous benefit to Main Street, A greater focus on public safety and social services outreach would aid the folks sleeping on the street and help combat the drug problems ‘we face on Main Street Public art has been shown to slow traffic, reduce crime, promote reinvestment, and encourage civic pride | {and stewardship. Atist-led communities attract tourism and arts and culture tourists spend more and stay longer. Investing in the arts on Main Street will keep it on the map 2s a downtown destination. |urge you to take action ta support the small businesses on Main Street in the Over-the-Rhine. Converting Main Street to two-way trafic, providing more parking options, increasing public safety presence, and investing in the artist-led community on Main Street could make a significant difference in helping small retailers survive and thrive. Together the small businesses on Main Steet create a truly special district, and it is important that we support them through these challenges. Thank you for your attention to this matter. Sincerely, Morgan Rigaud- C ColeMAn REVEL ‘Asa business owner, resident and OTR Chamber member | write this letter with the understanding that living, working and playing in any city has its challenges. For the most part these challenges present themselves as minor nuisances. However, recently those nuisances have escalated to issues that stem from craps games on the corner of 13 and Main, loitering with loud music and blocking the entrances to our rental property at 110 E 13%, drug usage in the alley behind Revel, defecation and urination in the alley as well asin front of our business, vandalism of cars in the Salvation Army parking lot and my home (on Boal and we've had bartenders accosted and harassed by individuals. Again, none of these acts individually would be cause for a letter of action, but the culmination in such a short period of time has prompted this letter ‘We all love this community and want it to thrive, but something needs to be done. I've asked residents, businesses owners and community members to also express their grievances as we need a true partnership between the City of Cincinnati, its residents and business to come together and formulate a plan of action. am also seeing a rise in youths that seem to have nothing to do daily especially during school breaks as well as @ lack of work and recreational options which is leading to these teens hanging out and deconstructive behavior. | do not wish this letter to come through as grievance only as well are well aware of constrained budgets, shortage of qualified resources and a general lack of willingness to work towards a solution, but we are here, we are available, and we do want to see change. Please let me know when we can meet to discuss steps towards a resolution for safer OTR. Sincerely, John “JC” Coleman {[email protected] 513.706.2364 Resident and Business OwnerCincinnati, OH 45202 513.287.7700 « GRAY° PAPE 1318 Main Street See 1987 March 6, 2023 Greg Olson, CEO Urban Sites Cincinnofi, OH 45202 Re: Main and Woodword Safety Issues Dear Greg, ‘Aso neighbor and fellow business owner in Over-the-Rhine, Id like to share my observations regarding the significant increase in criminal activity and deterioration in quality-of-life issues around Main and Woodward streets. | renovated my building at 1318 Main Street in 1988 and moved my office there in 1989. | was an early community revitalization champion and followed in the footsteps ‘of my grandfather ond great grandfather who lived and owned a business in the neighborhood. In those early days, we dealt with incidental crime in the area. Criminal actvily wos largely incidental ‘and intermittent, and my employees and I felt that being situationally aware was the best defense. As revitalization took root, we came to value the positive outcomes of community policing and regular walking patrols through the neighborhood. Fast forward fo the present and safely issues have deteriorated to a level that surpasses anything | witnessed decades ago. For the past three years the crea around Main and Woodward has become the daily epicenter of loud music, constant partying and sidewalk BBQs, throngs of people blocking sidewolks, cors parked everywhere blocking the street, drug use, public intoxication, etc. | had endeavored to bring these issues to the attention of the City but no action was taken, As a result, the City’s nonresponse sent o signal to bad actors that this was an “anything goes” zone. So then came the drug dealing, prosiitution, and periodic gun violence. Sill no response. Those aciivties became more blatant and now we have had prostitutes doing the deed openly on the sidewalk next to my back gate. Those behaviors are awful and disruptive, but they ore no! life-threatening and nothing compared to the escalation of gun violence we saw regularly in mid to late 2022: shots fired in Goetz Allley; a running gun bate, 16 shots fired, clong Woodward between the pork and Main Street, one bullet shattering a nearby condo window. The situation has gotten out of control and people fear for their lives. For the first time since | moved to Main and Woodward, | no longer feel safe and am considering relocating. | support investing in place, with civic infrastructure and placemaking, to create o safe community space. But if we're going fo turn thigs around, it’s also critical that the police hold bad actors accountable for nuisance violations to send a clear message that the community will not tolerate their bad behavior. Thanks for all you do, a | fa KK Q W. Kevin Pape, President GRAY & PAPE Atlanta * Cincinnati * Frederick * Houston * Indianapolis * Port Charlotte * Providence * Richmond www.graypape.comTuesday, March 7, 2023 at 15:22:34 Eastern Standard Time Subject: FW: Introducing Orion Pape Date: Tuesday, March 7, 2023 at 3:22:29 PM Eastern Standard Time From: Greg Olson (4) [Attachments:image003.png, image004,jpg,imageo05.png 4A From: Orion Pape Date: Tuesday, March 7, 2023 at 3:00 PM To: Greg Olson Subject: Re: Introducing Orion Pape ee To whom it may concern: 1am a property owner at 1324 Main Street, at the corner of Main Street and Woodward. | have lived there since 2019 and prior to that lived at 1737 Elm Street for several years. | love OTR but in recent years Main Street has become chaotic and unruly. When | first moved in prior to the pandemic there was a good amount of activity, most of it civil and what ‘you would expect for a busy entertainment district. Since 2020 all that has changed. On a daily basis | have to ask people loitering/blocking the sidewalk to move, | have to ask people to stop drinking and smoking weed ‘on my doorstep, I see people urinate on the sides of buildings on Main Street and on Woodward Ave, and deal with illegally parked cars bringing in groups of people to hang out, sell drugs and engaging in other unwanted behavior in front of my home. Last summer 3CDC employed of duty police to sit on Woodward and Hanover Street to patrol Ziegler Park. | had hoped they would patrol areas near the park but unfortunately they did not. Every Friday, Saturday and Sunday a man would drive up, park in Goetz Alley and light a charcoal grill. He would then sell burgers and hot dogs, attracting people to the area to loiter, eat this food and litter | asked the police by Ziegler Park to ask him to pack up and go, they never did. | called the police, nothing happened, When he was done he would dump his burnt charcoal in the alley and leave. This is just one scale of the police neglect in this area. | have dozens of more examples where police would not respond to my calls when there were parties on the street with boom boxes, 20+ people driving and smoking, etc. After the shootings in the area | would expect patrols to increase but they seem to ignore this, hotspot on Main St. For a couple weeks after the mass shooting on Main | had to endure living in what liked like a police state out of soviet Russia, Only for several more weeks to go by and the police to again forget about patrolling this area. Page 1 of 2| am tired of repeatedly calling the police, asking them to do their basic duty and patrol this area, only to have my calls go unanswered. | am tired of talk and no change in this area. There have been many days that my wife and | contemplate moving out of OTR because we cannot stand the loitering, noise, litter, and worry about our safety just outside of our front door. | hope that things change in the near future to make OTR a place hospitable and welcome to all. ‘Thanks, Orion Pape. Get Outlook for Android information, please review Insight Global's Privacy Policy Page 2 of 2Wed eA BA oe Ae DUDEAK To Whom It May Concer, ‘My name is Sarah, and | own and operate Wodka Bar at the corner of 12th and Main St in OtR. I'm writing this letter today to express my concerns for the safety and long-term success of our community and surrounding businesses in this location. Wocka Bar opened in 2019, and | was excited to operate as a bar and restaurant at this visible corner location. It was clear, however, after several months, that taking on a late-night crowd in this particular location brought challenges that other bars in OIR, west or east of this location, did not need to consider. Some of these challenges include: - Large crowds congregating and blocking sidewalks and streets to foot and car trafic on weekend nights. = Many nights of police vehicles parked in front of our establishment with their lights flashing for long periods of time, blinding our patrons. = Gun violence, and the significant dip in business traffic following gun violence incidents. After the August 2022 mass shooting, our business declined drastically. Wodka Bar did not fully recover until three-to-four ‘months later, whan the holiday season was driving reservation bookings. = Mobelike violence where one or two people are being severely beaten by a group of about eight-to-ten ‘people in front of, or on the side of, our establishment. Our patio furniture has been used as a weapon on ‘more than one occasion, where our staffs cleaning off biood on chairs, signs, etc, after an altercation ‘occurs. = Outdoor planters, plants, and outdoor furniture being destroyed repeatedly. Had | known the large ‘amount of money and time required to replace plants and flowers over the last four years, | would not have ‘addled patio seating to the restaurant, even with the need during the pandemic. i's simply a losing battle. = Dangerous driving habits: even with the raised crosswalks (which have helped slow cars somewhat) speeding, ilegal parking in driving lanes, and racing, stil occurs daily on Main St, - Patrons and stat, including myself, being verbally accosted and threatened by panhandlers while on the patio. - Operating with reduced hours since returning to a full-time schedule post-pandemic. Wodka Bar now closes at midnight versus 2am on Friday and Saturday nights, in order to protect our mostly-female front- of-house staff, protect our property, and avoid the chaos that ensues right outside of our front door during ‘those late-night hours. Dus to the continued issues experienced over the last four years, | strongly considered moving Wodka Bar to another location. This, however, was not financially feasible for me to accomplish, after so much of an investment was made in our current location. ‘As our lease comes to an end in December 2023, | will need to strongly consider all of these factors, and whether 'm capable of continuing to operate my business under these extremely trying circumstances. | want nothing more than for Wodka Bar and the surrounding businesses to be a success and thrive. itis not clear that is possible while many of these factors continue to exist simultaneously. Sincerely, 0 ‘Sarah Dworak, Owner Wodka BarWednesday, March 29, 2023 at 08:56:53 Eastern Daylight Time Subject: Re: Letters Date: Wednesday, March 28, 2023 at 8:56:25 AM Eastern Daylight Time MrgoeLy ie From: Greg Olson To: Greg Olson ‘Attachments: image002,png, image003.png weypTION (4 From: Timothy Lyle Date: Monday, March 20, 2023 at 1:58 PM To: Greg Olson Subject: RE: Letters Greg, |/am writing to you on behalf of The Salvation Army located at 114 East Central Parkway. We have entrances to our property off East Central Parkway, Clay Street, and 12" Street. We have been in operation at this location since 1966. While this is the right location for The Salvation Army, we have noticed an increase in crime and related activity over the last couple of years. Most days our maintenance crew does a sweep of the property to clean up litter, wash away urine, and scoop human feces from the perimeter of our property. Drug paraphernalia is picked up and disposed of on a regular basis. For a number of years we have staffed @ male maintenance worker outside when our staff leave for the day. The staff member is present to make sure our employees get into their cars without incident and to keep panhandlers at a distance. In recent months there was an active shooter on Main St and local authorities requested access to our security CCTV to identify suspects. Most recently a car was parked in front of the 114 East Central doors and our CCTV picked up a break-in and gun theft from the car. And since March 19", we've had catalytic converters stolen from two of our box trucks and now these assets need to be moved off site to a more secure location. One can ‘generally notice gatherings along Main Street which can be intimidated for foot traffic to local establishments. There occurrences are increasing and causing more concerns for our staff and those who frequent our facility for services and support. Donors are less eager to stop by and drop support off due to the reputation of the neighborhood. All this is very unfortunate because OTR has made great strides in the neighborhood and region. While OTR has done great work, there is still a perception of risk as one comes into the neighborhood. Stronger Police presence and enforcement of existing law and ordinances would be greatly appreciated. ‘Anything you can do to voice our concerns would be greatly appreciated. ‘Thank you for voicing our concerns. You are appreciated. May God bless you and your efforts! Page 1 of 2LHEIS HM RER oe Lidetty Hiroe MCh ‘The street activity on and near Main Street OTR makes it very dificult to live and operate a business here. | have lived or worked on and around Main Street for 6 years. | own @ condo there, which | previously lived in, and now rent to long-term tenants. The business that | operate, Liberty Hill Management, operates 6 short term rentals near Main St and 134 St. ‘To cut to the chase, we are not able to provide our tenants, guests, or employees with a safe and comfortable experience because of the near-constant issues on the street. We often receive calls and messages about drug TENANT Date: June 2, 2023 at 11:44:08 PM EDT To: Kim Starbuck Ce: Kimberly Starbuck (1g- (320 Min ‘Subject: 1320 Main Street #4 Dear Kim, Ihave been a resident of your apartment located at 1318/1320 Main Street Apt 4 since 2017, and initially, it provided a pleasant living environment. However, the situation took a turn for the worse in 2020. The presence of drug trafficking, street gambling, prostitution, and frequent shootings, some resulting in fatalities, has made living conditions unbearable. Considering the deteriorating environment, | contemplated relocating last year and even went on a two-month trip to Europe, hoping for a decline in criminal activities. We discussed this matter on July 7, 2022. As expected, a shooting incident occurred near my doorstep, causing injuries to nine individuals. Consequently, the city authorities decided to impose car traffic restrictions on Woodward Street. | had hoped that this measure would lead to a reduction in both noise levels and the crime rate, prompting ime to give the living situation another chance. | even rearranged my office and bedroom, aiming to minimize disturbances during nighttime hours. Unfortunately, the situation has not improved. Street ‘gambling, excessive noise, and disruptive vibrations have now shifted from Woodward Street to Main Street. Keeping a record of all incidents, | maintained a spreadsheet documenting numerous police calls ‘over the past few months. Astonishingly, | have contacted the police over 40 times in May 2023 alone, averaging more than one call per night, yet their response has been lacking, The continuous crime, music, noise, and vibrations persist throughout the night, making sleep impossible. Despite my active engagement in various initiatives aimed at improving the neighborhood, such as personal correspondence with Mayor Aftab, participation in improvement sessions, and even providing a television interview, these endeavors have yielded no positive outcomes. Prioritizing my mental well-being and my personal safety, | can no longer endure this situation, Regrettably, | am compelled to seek alternative accommodations. Thus, | will be vacating apartment 4 located at 1318/1320 Main Street by July 10%, 2023. | kindly request your understanding in returning my security deposit of $1500 upon vacating the property, no later than July 31, 2023. Thank you, Michel Portmann