Cincinnati City Council is set to vote today on legislation that would slow down the removal of a camp where about 40 people without other homes are living under Fort Washington Way near Plum Street downtown. But that vote won’t stop the city from clearing the camp, Mayor John Cranley says.
The standoff comes as the northern Over-the-Rhine church that initially said it would temporarily shelter the camp’s inhabitants now says it will not be able to do so.
“When we were asked to consider opening our shelter this summer we agreed in order to help the individuals at the camp,” Prince of Peace Lutheran Church Pastor Paul Sugutian said in a statement. “However, it appears that the current situation is not just a simple case of helping those in need. There are more complexities to this situation. We are a church simply trying to help those less fortunate. After understanding some of the issues involved, it appears that an alternative, well-thought out, long-term solution would be a better course of action instead of a 72 hour eviction process to a temporary shelter.”
The removal, ordered by acting Cincinnati City Manager Patrick Duhaney last week over what city officials say are public health and safety concerns, is set to take place by tomorrow morning. On Monday, Cincinnati Police handed out legally-required 72-hour notices asking residents of the camp to vacate.
But Councilwoman Tamaya Dennard wants the city to take its time, draw up a comprehensive solution and ask those living in the camp for their input. To that end, she’s drafted an order that would delay the removal of the camp. Council will vote on that order this afternoon.
Cranley says that vote won’t supersede Duhaney’s order, however. Today, the mayor’s office sent out an opinion by Cincinnati City Solicitor Paula Boggs-Muething citing a 2015 legal opinion on the city’s charter.
“The City Manager has the duty to enforce the laws and keep City streets free from nuisance,” Boggs-Muething writes in the opinion released by Cranley’s office. “While the City Council may pass legislation to fund or de-fund the operations of the City Administration, the Charter does not authorize the Council to constrain the City Manager’s exercise of executive authority to enforce the laws of the city and the state.”
This article appears in Jul 18-25, 2018.