Update On: Tenants Fighting Displacement
May 30, 2019
Today, FightBack Cincinnati: Wade St. & Central Ave. Tenants United met inside city hall for eight hours, most of which was spent negotiating with FC Cincinnati. For the past two months, Tenants have fought FC Cincinnati’s attempts to displace them from their homes. Tenants have steadily strategized and acted to galvanize members of the general public to support their stand against gentrification and displacement. Tenants garnered the support of a majority of City Council and the support of the Planning Commission. In the face of enormous, life-altering pressure, Tenants refused to be quiet or stop working. This mounted in the leverage Tenants had today to bring FCC more seriously to the table.
As Tenants negotiated, it was of great importance that so many people were in Council chambers speaking boldly and calling for Council to not approve anything for FCC if no agreement was reached with Tenants. Because of the amazing strength of Tenants, the passionate pressure of supporters, the partnership with a majority of City Council Members and members of the Planning Commission, Tenants reached an agreement with FC Cincinnati. This agreement does not make everything FC Cincinnati has done okay and it does not make Tenants whole, but it is significantly beyond where we started. The details of this agreement are not ours to share, but nothing would have happened if we had not all stood strong together.
This is not over. We must hold FC Cincinnati accountable to uphold their end of the agreement and to develop replacement affordable housing. Residents of the West End and all of us must remain vigilant and ready to oppose the threat of displacement this stadium and FC Cincinnati pose. We must continue to implore City Council to pass legislation which prevents displacement for profit and prevents displacement when any city incentive is sought. This, and so many cases of displacement throughout our city could have been prevented and could be prevented in the future with this legislation. Displacement of this nature is occurring almost daily in our city, the Greater Cincinnati Homeless Coalition is constantly working with People fighting to save their homes and prevent homelessness. If you want to stay involved in this fight, please let us know.
FightBack Cincinnati:
Wade St. & Central Ave. Tenants United
As FC Cincinnati tries to kick people ages 5 to 99 years old out of their homes, they are also asking the City to give them yet another zoning benefit.
Come say “NO WAY! NO ZONING CHANGE ALLOWED WHILE YOU ARE TRYING TO STEAL PEOPLE’S HOMES!”
City Planning Commission Hearing
Friday, May 10th, 9am
Two Centennial Plaza, 805 Central Avenue, 7th Floor
Please send your opposition to FC Cincinnati Zoning Changes to the Planning Commission.
Jeff Berding and FC Cincinnati are asking our City to give them a zoning change for portions of Central Ave., Nome Alley and W. 15th St. Yes, you read correctly, not only do they want us to give them yet another zoning change, now they want to change the zoning of portions of three of our public roadways. Eventually they want to own these public right-of-ways. Click image to see map.
On Friday, May 10 at 9AM there will be a meeting of the City’s Planning Commission where they are scheduled to vote on this. We hope you can make it to this meeting to stand with Tenants. Whether you can or cannot make it, please take the time to send your thoughts on why we should not grant a zoning change to FC Cincinnati while they are still trying to force people out of their homes and have reached no agreement with FightBack Cincinnati: Wade Street & Central Avenue Tenants United. Please include any perspective you may have on why granting these zoning changes would negatively affect those nearby whom FCC is trying to displace, and any negative affect you might see on the community as a whole. We have been told that every communication sent about this will be given to the members of the Commission. You can send your position to: Stacey.Hoffman@cincinnati-oh.gov. Please let us know if you have sent your opposition. To see the current position of the Tenant group, click the image.
#NOfcczoningchange #ISTANDWITHWADECENTRALTENANTS
The meeting will be held at Two Centennial Plaza, Martin Griesel Conference Room, 805 Central Ave., 7th Floor.
Jeff Berding and FC Cincinnati say they purchased 421 Wade and 1559 Central Ave. because they want to control what kind of development happens around their stadium.
Why, in their attempt to control development around their stadium do they want to displace this group of people?
Please come out tomorrow night, April 30 at 6PM to the 2nd Planning Staff Conference. FC Cincinnati is asking our City for zoning changes. We have to continue to tell City Council and the Planning Commission to not vote for any FC Cincinnati zoning change while they are trying to put people out of their homes and have reached no resolution with Tenants.
FightBack Cincinnati: Wade Street and Central Avenue Tenants United, with the support of City Council have even offered FC Cincinnati a compromise: renovate 1559 Central Ave for the people who live there now and allow the folks at 421 Wade to move around the corner into 1559. This is certainly not where the Tenant Group started, but they are trying to get something done.
Please come stand with Tenants fighting save their homes! The meeting will be at Two Centennial Plaza, Martin Griesel Conference Room,805 Central Avenue, 7th Floor
Remember when Jeff Berding said “It doesn’t matter how you got there, when you get there, it’s just that you get there. You want to win!”
He is getting there through displacement but to him it “doesn’t matter”
Remember when he said “The notion that we’re somehow going to try to buy people’s homes out, move people out of the neighborhood, that’s just false. That’s just made up.”?
He Lied.
Do not give FC Cincinnati anything more until the wrongs have been righted. FightBack Cincinnati: Wade st. and Central Ave. wish to remain in their homes.
FC Cincinnati West End Stadium City Of Cincinnati Government Hamilton County, Ohio
FightBack Cincinnati: Wade Street & Central Avenue Tenants United, Issue New Statement.
Click the image of the statement to read what Tenant’s think of FC Cincinnati’s public comments thus far. But before you do, please consider the words of 16-year-old Amier Lane and his 9-year-old sister J’me Rogers at yesterday’s press conference:
“I’ve made a life in this area you know, with my mom and my sisters. I, you know, have a job here, I have friends here, I go to school here and I feel like I shouldn’t have to leave because a bunch of white men in suits with too much money wants us to.” – Amier Lane, age 16
“It’s not right for him [Jeff Berding] to take our homes and kick us out.” What would she tell Jeff Berding if he were there? “I would say, ‘You should go’.” -J’me Rogers, age 9
FC Cincinnati has been reported as stating “they are working with residents” being forced out and that they didn’t know they were displacing a 99 year old resident.
This is untrue. Jeff Berding and FC Cincinnati are not working with tenants to help them find new homes, as they have not reached out to the tenant group FightBack Cincinnati: Wade St. and Central Ave. Tenants United.
Tenants do not want help with displacement. Yesterday they demanded to remain in their homes.
Jeff Berding and FC Cincinnati knew the properties were occupied when purchasing them, as they left Historic LLC as manager until the 30th of April, even though FC owns the properties.
In the photos is the statement FB Cincinnati: Wade st. and Central Ave. Tenants United yesterday demanding their homes not be stolen and a meeting with Jeff Berding.
Greater Cincinnati Homeless Coalition
Many of you have been sharing this article regarding displacement of residents in the West End following the development of the FC Cincinnati Stadium. The folks in this article are not the only people being displaced, across the street at the future site of high end condos, people also received notice to leave by April 30th.
These sites are not in the footprint of the stadium and folks do not have to be displaced for the stadium to be completed.
The landlord is quoted in this article saying: “I was approached by a couple of people, and it became pretty obvious that the environment is changing entirely so that people can’t continue living there.”
Apparently the environment is changing such that People of Color paying with Section 8 vouchers cannot continue to live there, but people paying $220,000 to $300,000 for a condo across the street are more than welcome.
https://www.citybeat.com/…/as-stadium-work-intensifies-in-c…
Greater Cincinnati Homeless Coalition 
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