CINCINNATI — Clifton Council President Gerald Checco reversed course and dropped plans to send a letter to the Cincinnati Parks Department requesting they walk with officers through Burnet Woods Park on a regular basis to give homeless people 72-hour notice that their encampments would be cleared out if they didn't move at a meeting Monday.
Checco instead called for a work group to be formed under former Trustee Peter Block to find solutions to homelessness in the Clifton area.
The pivot came as dozens of homeless rights advocates and several unhoused people themselves prepared to speak on the issue.
Christopher Blair, who spoke during the meeting, said he was recently unhoused.
"If you feel uncomfortable walking in the park, that's not necessarily our fault," he said.
Blair said Checco's call for homeless encampments to be dismantled by force was deeply hurtful and rejected claims that there was a significant number of encampments at Burnet Woods Park.
"There aren't 22 homeless encampments at that park," he yelled to council members.
Checco dropped a motion to send the letter to Cincinnati Parks and later said he didn't see why people wanted to continue addressing the issue once it was dropped. When asked why he drafted the letter at all, he said it was to begin a conversation.
"So the issue was to provoke a conversation and remind everybody that we have a problem," Checco said.
The trustees voted unanimously to create the committee under Block's control, and Block pledged to focus the committee's efforts on equitable solutions for the homeless population.
"Around the country, all you see is people complaining about what are we going to do about those people? Well, we're the people that are going to do something about it," he said.
Block said more than 20 people signed up at the meeting to help find the solution to homelessness and provide services to those in need. He said it was important that members of the unhoused community be involved in the committee's discussions.
"Their voices matter as much as the professionals," he said. "My main point is you can't criminalize people who're so vulnerable even if they're frightening."
Kevin Finn, executive director of Strategies to End Homelessness, said any police intervention in a homeless encampment needs to be coupled with efforts from community outreach services to guide displaced individuals to the correct resources and housing supplies.
"Frequently the knowledge that they will have to move in the near future or soon is what makes them willing to consider other options," Finn said.
Finn said anyone who wanted to direct homeless individuals to services or learn more about what is available can call (513)381-SAFE or download the Street Reach Application to give social workers exact location data and information about where to locate people in need.
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