WEBVTT 1 00:00:07.440 --> 00:00:10.320 Bill cunning in the Great American Welcome this Wednesday afternoon 2 00:00:10.320 --> 00:00:12.279 of the tri State. The Bengals play a course on 3 00:00:12.359 --> 00:00:15.759 Monday night in Dallas. We'll see what happens there. Two 4 00:00:15.839 --> 00:00:18.280 bad teams fighting in a pillow fight. We'll see what occurs. 5 00:00:18.320 --> 00:00:21.120 I hope Joe Burrow will be okay. Is there his 6 00:00:21.239 --> 00:00:24.920 glance during the game Ince Pittsburgh wasn't good. Looked like 7 00:00:25.000 --> 00:00:28.719 Carson Palmer before he left. But nonetheless we keep hope alive. 8 00:00:28.760 --> 00:00:32.159 Of course, Ken Cober is the President and CEO of 9 00:00:32.200 --> 00:00:35.479 the FOP Unions at Lodge sixty nine here in Cincinnati, 10 00:00:35.840 --> 00:00:38.840 and he's at the forefront of guiding about a thousand 11 00:00:38.840 --> 00:00:41.200 men and women working for the city in the police department. 12 00:00:41.560 --> 00:00:43.960 Much has been written and reported by Channel nine and 13 00:00:44.000 --> 00:00:47.679 elsewhere about the city's incapability of enforcing law when it 14 00:00:47.719 --> 00:00:50.520 comes to criminal trespass. And I want to go right 15 00:00:50.560 --> 00:00:52.520 to the man in charge of the police in the 16 00:00:52.520 --> 00:00:54.960 city of Cincinnati, at least in the Union. That's Ken Cober. 17 00:00:55.240 --> 00:00:58.240 Ken Kober, Welcome again to the Bill Cunningham Show. And Ken, 18 00:00:58.280 --> 00:01:00.600 before we get to what occurred on the I four 19 00:01:00.719 --> 00:01:04.319 seventy one bridge underneath that and what could have happened. 20 00:01:04.480 --> 00:01:07.120 Can you tell us in general the last year or two, 21 00:01:07.400 --> 00:01:10.920 have there been any directives or procedures from the City 22 00:01:10.959 --> 00:01:15.959 of Cincinnati telling cops do not enforce criminal trespass statutes 23 00:01:16.239 --> 00:01:18.040 unless some other crime is being committed. 24 00:01:19.000 --> 00:01:19.120 Hi? 25 00:01:19.159 --> 00:01:21.680 Bill, Yeah, first, thanks for having me, And yeah, absolutely, 26 00:01:21.719 --> 00:01:24.840 there's a procedure that's been in place that says that 27 00:01:24.920 --> 00:01:28.519 if you have no other criminal offense than trespassing, that 28 00:01:28.640 --> 00:01:31.159 officers are not even to be dispatched in there to 29 00:01:31.200 --> 00:01:31.959 take no action. 30 00:01:32.680 --> 00:01:35.280 Why, because I know that I have to have pure 31 00:01:35.319 --> 00:01:38.000 of all city council, the city managers share along. I 32 00:01:38.000 --> 00:01:41.000 would assume you and all the cops raise their hand 33 00:01:41.159 --> 00:01:43.719 before the American flag and God Almighty, I'm going to 34 00:01:43.799 --> 00:01:46.079 enforce the law. And one of the laws to be 35 00:01:46.159 --> 00:01:49.519 enforced as criminal trespass. You can't be in the public thoroughfare, 36 00:01:49.719 --> 00:01:52.000 you can't be in the stoops of certain businesses. You 37 00:01:52.040 --> 00:01:55.840 can't do that. And cops, city managers, the mayor, city 38 00:01:55.879 --> 00:01:58.879 council takes an note to follow the law. They don't 39 00:01:58.879 --> 00:02:01.239 make law, they have to follow. Why is that the case? 40 00:02:01.280 --> 00:02:03.879 If you can't enforce a criminal statute in the state 41 00:02:03.920 --> 00:02:06.719 of Ohio, that's a good question. 42 00:02:06.760 --> 00:02:09.759 Hear, the high revised Code still has a statute for trespassing, 43 00:02:09.800 --> 00:02:11.400 but this is what cops are being told is to 44 00:02:11.520 --> 00:02:12.199 not enforce it. 45 00:02:12.800 --> 00:02:16.879 And and well, let's walk through this. Let's let's say 46 00:02:16.919 --> 00:02:19.960 there's a big event happening in downtown Cincinnati called Blink, 47 00:02:20.560 --> 00:02:22.199 and let's say there is I don't know, I was 48 00:02:22.199 --> 00:02:25.319 told hundreds of thousands or millions of people are coming downtown. 49 00:02:25.800 --> 00:02:29.039 A cop sent me a text, which I'll share with 50 00:02:29.080 --> 00:02:31.919 you if you require, saying that we've been told that 51 00:02:31.960 --> 00:02:34.639 with Blink and all these visitors coming to town, that 52 00:02:34.759 --> 00:02:36.719 the best thing we can do is gets the so 53 00:02:36.879 --> 00:02:40.240 called homeless population away from the core where Blink is 54 00:02:40.240 --> 00:02:42.199 taking place, kind of put them down on the river 55 00:02:42.319 --> 00:02:44.840 front and let them stay there for a while. Was 56 00:02:44.879 --> 00:02:47.560 there any official different action with Blink than any other 57 00:02:47.599 --> 00:02:49.639 time to your knowledge? 58 00:02:49.879 --> 00:02:52.319 You know, these things occur every time that there's some 59 00:02:52.439 --> 00:02:55.319 major event downtown that you know, they'll be an unofficial 60 00:02:55.360 --> 00:02:57.120 directive to hey, let's do something. 61 00:02:57.159 --> 00:03:00.240 I remember when the World Choir Games were here ten 62 00:03:00.319 --> 00:03:01.840 years ago, there. 63 00:03:01.719 --> 00:03:03.960 Was a directive to round up all the homeless people 64 00:03:03.960 --> 00:03:05.080 if they had warrants, take. 65 00:03:04.960 --> 00:03:06.680 Them to jail. The jail was going to hold them 66 00:03:06.680 --> 00:03:07.120 that way. 67 00:03:07.439 --> 00:03:11.479 Yeah, the city looked a whole lot cleaner than maybe 68 00:03:11.479 --> 00:03:13.599 sometimes it does during normal course of business. 69 00:03:14.080 --> 00:03:17.560 So this is not unusual. I assume the taste of Cincinnati. 70 00:03:17.560 --> 00:03:21.280 I assume Octoberfest, I assume that the film festival comes here, 71 00:03:21.319 --> 00:03:24.159 that we're in downtown Cincinnati. You want it to look good. 72 00:03:24.520 --> 00:03:26.360 So what happens? And I see this all the time 73 00:03:26.400 --> 00:03:29.319 I go downtown. I'm not afraid. Tony Bender is a 74 00:03:29.360 --> 00:03:31.719 little bit afraid, but I'm not afraid. I'm a proud American. 75 00:03:31.800 --> 00:03:35.000 I go to Washington Park where Old Cunny back in 76 00:03:35.039 --> 00:03:37.919 the eighteen seventies, my great great great grandfather was a 77 00:03:37.960 --> 00:03:41.000 grave digger in Washington Park. And I walk around and 78 00:03:41.039 --> 00:03:43.800 I see homeless and the stoops of businesses. I see 79 00:03:43.879 --> 00:03:47.080 them on park benches. I see them committing crimes such 80 00:03:47.080 --> 00:03:50.560 as intervenous drug use or prostitution. You might recall the 81 00:03:50.599 --> 00:03:54.159 Saint Francis Seraph Church on the steps there of Central Parkway, 82 00:03:54.199 --> 00:03:57.120 that there's large numbers of homeless on the steps committing 83 00:03:57.120 --> 00:04:03.199 illegal activities other than trespass. So why don't cops arrest someone, say, 84 00:04:03.280 --> 00:04:08.520 who is homeless committing a crime such as prostitution or 85 00:04:08.639 --> 00:04:12.000 defecation or urination in public. Are you kind of told 86 00:04:12.560 --> 00:04:14.039 to look the other way? 87 00:04:14.879 --> 00:04:17.959 Well, when things like that occur, especially if it's a 88 00:04:18.040 --> 00:04:20.240 doorstep of a business, please are going to take action. 89 00:04:21.040 --> 00:04:26.120 What this procedure primarily is referencing as parks public spaces 90 00:04:26.399 --> 00:04:30.040 in Cincinnati, but it becomes a quality of life issue, 91 00:04:30.240 --> 00:04:32.759 not only for the residents but also for the people 92 00:04:32.839 --> 00:04:34.560 that are visiting the city. They don't want to see 93 00:04:34.600 --> 00:04:37.720 these things, and this is something that should be enforced. 94 00:04:38.720 --> 00:04:41.480 But you're not enforcing it under the orders of the 95 00:04:41.480 --> 00:04:46.439 city unless some crime is taking place other than criminal trespass, 96 00:04:46.600 --> 00:04:48.160 which by the way, is the crime itself. 97 00:04:49.160 --> 00:04:51.040 That's correct. I mean, look at Stanbury Park up in 98 00:04:51.079 --> 00:04:53.360 Mount Washington. It's the same way. You have people that 99 00:04:53.439 --> 00:04:56.560 are there after hours of their trespassing. They're just there 100 00:04:56.920 --> 00:04:59.399 to hang out, and it's deterring people from wanting to 101 00:04:59.399 --> 00:05:01.839 go to these parks. And the police are told unless 102 00:05:01.879 --> 00:05:05.680 there's another law violation other than trespassing, you're not to 103 00:05:05.720 --> 00:05:07.959 take action. In fact, they're not even routing those calls 104 00:05:07.959 --> 00:05:08.519 of the police. 105 00:05:09.720 --> 00:05:12.360 What happens, let's say Stanbury Park. I had on Chris 106 00:05:12.399 --> 00:05:14.600 Finny about two weeks ago. He lives in the Mount 107 00:05:14.639 --> 00:05:16.720 Washington area, and he said kid used to play in 108 00:05:16.720 --> 00:05:19.720 the Stanbury Park. It's near a business or barbecue place 109 00:05:19.759 --> 00:05:23.480 having serious problems. The owner. She calls the police, which 110 00:05:23.519 --> 00:05:26.319 is the City of Cincinnati Mount Washington and saying, there's 111 00:05:26.319 --> 00:05:29.920 homeless individuals in my business. They're on my stoop and 112 00:05:30.079 --> 00:05:33.639 by the way, they're in the park, and then nothing happens. 113 00:05:34.879 --> 00:05:37.040 They refer them to their three to one one service, 114 00:05:37.040 --> 00:05:40.120 which are civilians that go out and not sure exactly 115 00:05:40.120 --> 00:05:43.120 what they do other than maybe drive by and see, yep, 116 00:05:43.160 --> 00:05:45.040 sure enough they're there, but we're not going to enforce 117 00:05:45.040 --> 00:05:46.720 this law, so they just drive away. 118 00:05:47.120 --> 00:05:50.439 So what happens, Let's say, and homelessness is a misnomer. 119 00:05:50.480 --> 00:05:54.920 It's mental illness, it's drug addiction, and it's alcoholism. And 120 00:05:55.000 --> 00:05:57.720 so if you or I would be arrested, it'd be 121 00:05:57.759 --> 00:06:01.839 a big deal. But if you're a homeless person and 122 00:06:01.879 --> 00:06:04.199 you're arrested, is that a big deal? 123 00:06:05.920 --> 00:06:08.120 Well, you'll see you around now, especially with the weather 124 00:06:08.160 --> 00:06:11.439 turning tomorrow it's going to be sub zero temperatures. You'll 125 00:06:11.480 --> 00:06:13.720 see homeless people go out and commit crimes because they 126 00:06:13.759 --> 00:06:15.879 want to go to jail. They want to find a 127 00:06:16.160 --> 00:06:18.079 warm place to stay and get a sandwich for the night. 128 00:06:19.079 --> 00:06:23.600 So that's not a deterned No, absolutely not. Well what's 129 00:06:23.639 --> 00:06:26.639 the solution. Then? I can recall Longview State Mental Hospital. 130 00:06:26.680 --> 00:06:28.439 I can refer that you have to you had to 131 00:06:28.480 --> 00:06:30.920 go there. There were about eight hundred individuals and Longview 132 00:06:30.920 --> 00:06:33.920 State Mental Hospital that was shut down, which was a 133 00:06:33.959 --> 00:06:37.319 serious mistake, and they would take homeless individuals at that 134 00:06:37.399 --> 00:06:40.199 point to And there was also something called the poorhouse. 135 00:06:40.839 --> 00:06:44.000 I have an Inquir article sent to me by one 136 00:06:44.040 --> 00:06:46.240 of the editors of the Inquir telling me we used 137 00:06:46.240 --> 00:06:48.839 to have the poorhouse in Cincinnati that if you were 138 00:06:48.879 --> 00:06:51.279 a quote, a vagrant, you went to the poorhouse, and 139 00:06:51.319 --> 00:06:54.279 if you left the poorhouse you got to rest and 140 00:06:54.560 --> 00:06:56.759 left jail, and then you put you back in the poorhouse, 141 00:06:56.800 --> 00:07:00.120 and that whole system is gone. Is that fair to say? 142 00:07:00.759 --> 00:07:03.160 Well, sure, and let's talk a minute about the you know, 143 00:07:03.199 --> 00:07:05.360 the Justice Center, and if we're not going to keep 144 00:07:05.399 --> 00:07:07.160 violent criminals locked up, do you think they're going to 145 00:07:07.279 --> 00:07:09.120 keep a homeless person trespassing locked up? 146 00:07:09.240 --> 00:07:13.160 No? So, in reality, let's say you commit a serious 147 00:07:13.199 --> 00:07:16.120 crime and that the bondser said, an oh, are or 148 00:07:16.160 --> 00:07:19.360 no bond at all. Let's say you commit a more 149 00:07:19.360 --> 00:07:22.120 serious crime than simply criminal trespass, you go into the 150 00:07:22.240 --> 00:07:26.120 justice center, what happens there? 151 00:07:26.160 --> 00:07:28.560 They're going to be right out to continue doing the 152 00:07:28.560 --> 00:07:29.439 same things. 153 00:07:29.480 --> 00:07:31.279 Same thing, and then they go back in, they come 154 00:07:31.319 --> 00:07:34.600 back out, and there's no So the punishment doesn't exist 155 00:07:34.720 --> 00:07:39.000 for someone in that category. It doesn't exist. No, it doesn't. 156 00:07:39.000 --> 00:07:41.279 And I can only assume that's why the city is saying, 157 00:07:41.279 --> 00:07:43.399 we're not even going to enforce it. There's no penalty, 158 00:07:43.399 --> 00:07:44.360 we're not going to waste their time. 159 00:07:44.360 --> 00:07:45.680 We're not going to do this. And if you're a 160 00:07:45.680 --> 00:07:48.319 police officer, cops that told me this is tough duty. 161 00:07:48.839 --> 00:07:52.120 In other words, Saint Francis, Sarah, if you go there, 162 00:07:52.199 --> 00:07:54.399 maybe not tonight because it's so cold, but there'll be 163 00:07:54.439 --> 00:07:59.879 dozens of people involved drinking, open drinking prostitutions being practiced, 164 00:08:00.040 --> 00:08:02.319 rug use is being used. And for a cop or 165 00:08:02.319 --> 00:08:05.600 a police officer, a unit to be dispatched, they're saying, Okay, 166 00:08:05.639 --> 00:08:09.000 clear out the steps of Saint Francis. Isn't that tough duty? 167 00:08:10.040 --> 00:08:12.279 It's frustrating. You know, these officers want to go out, 168 00:08:12.319 --> 00:08:14.720 they want to serve their communities. They want to make 169 00:08:14.759 --> 00:08:18.319 their community safer, and the reality is all they're doing 170 00:08:18.319 --> 00:08:20.360 to spin in their wheels, and now we've got procedures 171 00:08:20.360 --> 00:08:20.720 coming out. 172 00:08:20.800 --> 00:08:22.680 They don't even address this. Just leave it alone. 173 00:08:23.000 --> 00:08:24.879 It's not fair to the cops, it's not fair to 174 00:08:24.920 --> 00:08:27.680 the citizens, it's not fair to these business owners, these churches. 175 00:08:28.480 --> 00:08:31.439 Something's just going to have to give. I spoke to 176 00:08:32.159 --> 00:08:35.240 Brian Combs of our news department. He's getting pushed back 177 00:08:35.279 --> 00:08:38.039 from the city that that's not the case. There's a 178 00:08:38.039 --> 00:08:40.240 woman named Molly Lair, who was Channel five for a 179 00:08:40.279 --> 00:08:42.320 long time, is saying, we're not telling cops not to 180 00:08:42.440 --> 00:08:45.200 enforce the law. I'm looking in black and white. I'm 181 00:08:45.240 --> 00:08:47.960 looking at the memo that says don't do it. And 182 00:08:48.039 --> 00:08:50.039 so on one hand, you have the mayor's office, Cheryl 183 00:08:50.080 --> 00:08:52.960 Long and after Pierival is saying that's not the case. 184 00:08:53.279 --> 00:08:55.519 Then I have the head of the FOP saying it 185 00:08:55.639 --> 00:08:57.840 is the case. And I got the memo, which is true. 186 00:08:59.000 --> 00:09:01.000 Well, I would say it's there in black and white 187 00:09:01.000 --> 00:09:02.960 of what the policy procedure is, and that's what the 188 00:09:03.000 --> 00:09:05.679 police officers and since that police department have to abide by. 189 00:09:06.600 --> 00:09:10.440 And so the written word takes the place over. Let 190 00:09:10.440 --> 00:09:13.519 me read to the American people what this says. Homeless 191 00:09:13.639 --> 00:09:21.080 encampments definitions of physical location where individuals experiencing homelessness temporarily reside. Encampments, 192 00:09:21.080 --> 00:09:24.240 can take away, can take away can take many forms, 193 00:09:24.360 --> 00:09:26.919 but often include some type of shelter like a tent 194 00:09:27.080 --> 00:09:29.720 or a lean to to be made of cardboard. An 195 00:09:29.799 --> 00:09:34.600 encampment may be located under existing shelter like a bridge 196 00:09:35.519 --> 00:09:40.000 or a highway overpass, and consists primarily of personal property. 197 00:09:40.000 --> 00:09:43.080 And some encampments exist without shelter. So going to four 198 00:09:43.159 --> 00:09:47.039 seventy one, I've gotten several texts and cops saying that 199 00:09:47.080 --> 00:09:50.639 there was a homeless encampment under four seventy one that 200 00:09:50.960 --> 00:09:54.360 caught fire with the rubberized tire. What can you tell 201 00:09:54.360 --> 00:09:57.039 the American people about four to seventy one specifically? And 202 00:09:57.080 --> 00:09:59.600 I'm looking at black and white from the city saying 203 00:09:59.679 --> 00:10:02.559 let them be under a bridge. Now, the city says 204 00:10:02.600 --> 00:10:05.159 that's not the case. ODD says it is the case. 205 00:10:05.519 --> 00:10:07.679 The city says it's not the case. What is the 206 00:10:07.879 --> 00:10:11.120 head of the FOP say. 207 00:10:10.399 --> 00:10:12.159 Well, I can tell you, having worked in the central 208 00:10:12.159 --> 00:10:15.000 business section prior to getting elected, I saw it every 209 00:10:15.080 --> 00:10:17.480 day you couldn't go on You couldn't go under a 210 00:10:17.480 --> 00:10:20.480 bridge in Cincinnati without seeing a homeless camp. So I 211 00:10:20.519 --> 00:10:23.519 think it's probably safe to say that there were homeless camps. 212 00:10:23.279 --> 00:10:26.039 There and on the four seventy one. So why went 213 00:10:26.120 --> 00:10:28.039 to city? It's been more than a month. Is November 214 00:10:28.120 --> 00:10:31.879 the first, and you might recall October thirty first, Halloween. 215 00:10:33.000 --> 00:10:35.919 It was a cold, rainy night and it had been 216 00:10:35.960 --> 00:10:38.720 warm for a long time, but Halloween itself for all 217 00:10:38.759 --> 00:10:41.919 the media, Tanya Rourke saying, it's going to be tough 218 00:10:41.919 --> 00:10:43.120 to guy. It's going to be cold, it's going to 219 00:10:43.120 --> 00:10:46.240 be rainy, and so is it fair to say that 220 00:10:46.440 --> 00:10:50.000 police knew there was a homeless encampment under four seventy 221 00:10:50.000 --> 00:10:52.960 one on November first and the early morning hours. Is 222 00:10:52.960 --> 00:10:53.720 that fair to say? 223 00:10:54.759 --> 00:10:57.679 Yeah, we actually have a unit of neighborhood Liaison unit 224 00:10:57.720 --> 00:11:00.840 officers that regularly check on these homeless camp So yeah, 225 00:11:00.840 --> 00:11:02.639 I would say that if there was one there, it 226 00:11:02.679 --> 00:11:04.240 is safe to say that the police knew about it. 227 00:11:04.519 --> 00:11:06.279 And is it fair to say that if it's cold 228 00:11:06.279 --> 00:11:09.879 and rainy under a bridge overpass, a person is likely 229 00:11:09.919 --> 00:11:13.879 to start a fire, either using apparas around or maybe 230 00:11:14.200 --> 00:11:16.279 a barrel and they're going to start a fire to 231 00:11:16.320 --> 00:11:20.679 stay warm, correct. I think that's safe to say. So 232 00:11:20.759 --> 00:11:24.159 we're talking now about millions of man hours of lost time, 233 00:11:24.600 --> 00:11:27.600 hundreds of millions of dollars because the City of Cincinnati 234 00:11:28.000 --> 00:11:31.320 does not enforce criminal trest. Best statues in fact, tell 235 00:11:31.440 --> 00:11:33.679 the police do not enforce the statues if they do 236 00:11:33.759 --> 00:11:36.600 nothing else wrong that's acceptable by the city. Is that 237 00:11:36.639 --> 00:11:39.919 what you're saying, That's what the procedure says. 238 00:11:40.159 --> 00:11:42.759 These officers are merely doing what they've been told to 239 00:11:42.799 --> 00:11:43.279 do by. 240 00:11:43.120 --> 00:11:45.080 The police department. How frustrating is this. 241 00:11:46.759 --> 00:11:49.559 They're beyond frustrated. I mean, it's like I said, these 242 00:11:49.600 --> 00:11:51.279 officers they want to go out, they want to serve 243 00:11:51.279 --> 00:11:53.759 their communities, they want to protect people, they want to 244 00:11:53.759 --> 00:11:57.600 get got bad guys off the street, and they're routinely 245 00:11:57.639 --> 00:11:59.720 being told by these procedures that, well, there's certain things 246 00:11:59.720 --> 00:12:04.159 you can't laws that you can't you're allowed to arrest 247 00:12:04.159 --> 00:12:04.480 people for. 248 00:12:04.600 --> 00:12:07.399 And that's frustrating. Well, the other thing is that there's 249 00:12:07.440 --> 00:12:09.799 no sheriff in town in the sense that the City 250 00:12:09.799 --> 00:12:12.519 of Cincinnati has could be governed I guess by the 251 00:12:12.600 --> 00:12:16.440 US Attorney's Office in the US attorney here is Kenneth Parker. 252 00:12:16.879 --> 00:12:19.200 In about six weeks he's gone. It's going to be 253 00:12:19.200 --> 00:12:22.919 a new US attorney. And I've had conversations with certain 254 00:12:23.000 --> 00:12:26.480 individuals that say if cities are not enforcing federal law, 255 00:12:27.360 --> 00:12:29.919 if cities do not enforce the law and civil rights 256 00:12:30.440 --> 00:12:34.320 violations take place, the US Attorney's Office will act. It'd 257 00:12:34.399 --> 00:12:37.039 be interesting if share a long and after have pureval 258 00:12:37.120 --> 00:12:39.960 in about six months from now, receive a subpoena from 259 00:12:39.960 --> 00:12:44.440 a federal criminal grand jury that you're impeding the administration 260 00:12:44.519 --> 00:12:47.720 of justice in the city of Cincinnati. And a cop 261 00:12:47.879 --> 00:12:50.960 like you was going to say, look, we're we're agencies 262 00:12:51.000 --> 00:12:55.360 of this the city of Cincinnati. We cannot violate the law. 263 00:12:55.440 --> 00:12:57.639 So on one hand, you're being told by your oath 264 00:12:58.200 --> 00:13:01.320 you've got to enforce the law of crimeal trespass. On 265 00:13:01.360 --> 00:13:04.320 the other hand, you being told by your employer, do 266 00:13:04.440 --> 00:13:07.480 not enforce the law. Are you between a rock and 267 00:13:07.519 --> 00:13:08.120 a hard place? 268 00:13:09.720 --> 00:13:12.080 You're absolutely right, these officers are and it's a place 269 00:13:12.080 --> 00:13:12.799 that they shouldn't be. 270 00:13:13.360 --> 00:13:17.159 Yeah, Ken Cobra, thank you very much. And it continues. 271 00:13:17.840 --> 00:13:19.919 I have a report here that a few hours ago 272 00:13:20.039 --> 00:13:22.879 under I seventy one and an overpass. There was a 273 00:13:22.919 --> 00:13:26.759 homeless person who's set a fire that was arrested. That's 274 00:13:26.799 --> 00:13:29.840 to be determined. I know you can't comment on that case, 275 00:13:29.879 --> 00:13:32.159 but it's a serious problem that's been building for a 276 00:13:32.159 --> 00:13:36.919 long time and nothing occurs until there's a catastrophe. And 277 00:13:36.960 --> 00:13:39.679 this is a friggin catastrophe and it's got to be 278 00:13:40.039 --> 00:13:42.039 got to be corrected. Ken Cober, thank you for your 279 00:13:42.080 --> 00:13:44.799 comments and God bless you. Thank you very much. Thanks 280 00:13:44.840 --> 00:13:46.600 for having me. Bill. All right, let's continue with more 281 00:13:46.600 --> 00:13:48.840 and if a line becomes available five pine three seven 282 00:13:48.879 --> 00:13:51.440 four nine, seven thousand pounds seven hundred the new at 283 00:13:51.519 --> 00:13:53.759 and T. If you're a police officer in the city 284 00:13:53.759 --> 00:13:56.720 of Cincinnati, you take an oath to follow the law. 285 00:13:57.039 --> 00:14:00.480 You have a director from the city to avoid following 286 00:14:00.519 --> 00:14:03.159 the law. That's where the federal authorities have got to 287 00:14:03.159 --> 00:14:05.720 step in. Bill Cunningham with you every day your Home 288 00:14:05.720 --> 00:14:09.759 of the Bengals News Radio seven hundred Wow. You know, 289 00:14:09.799 --> 00:14:12.879 there's a classic steen of cool Hand Luke when the 290 00:14:12.879 --> 00:14:16.080 Big boss Man slaps Paul Newman about the face and 291 00:14:16.080 --> 00:14:17.639 the head. He slides down a little hill and the 292 00:14:17.799 --> 00:14:20.840 Big boss Man says, what we have here is failure 293 00:14:20.879 --> 00:14:24.440 to communicate. In other words, in the city of Cincinnati, 294 00:14:24.559 --> 00:14:28.879 we have failure to communicate because the city manager's office 295 00:14:28.879 --> 00:14:31.960 srel long and the mayor says they're not telling police 296 00:14:32.000 --> 00:14:34.399 not to enforce the law. But then I'm looking at 297 00:14:34.399 --> 00:14:36.919 a memo which we will put up on the website 298 00:14:37.279 --> 00:14:41.840 that says, do not arrest homeless individuals for criminal trespass 299 00:14:42.240 --> 00:14:44.519 unless they're committing some other offense. In other words, there's 300 00:14:44.519 --> 00:14:48.080 this one statute that we're telling our law enforcement officials 301 00:14:48.120 --> 00:14:50.600 not to enforce the law, which all of them have 302 00:14:50.639 --> 00:14:52.799 taken a note to do so with their hand on 303 00:14:52.840 --> 00:14:55.080 the Bible looking up a God Almighty, I will enforce 304 00:14:55.120 --> 00:14:57.960 the law. But the City of Cincinnati says we're not 305 00:14:58.000 --> 00:15:00.240 going to enforce the law when it comes to the 306 00:15:00.279 --> 00:15:04.000 criminal trespass unless there's some of the offense being committed, 307 00:15:04.080 --> 00:15:07.120 such as setting a fire under a bridge. But even 308 00:15:07.120 --> 00:15:10.480 if those events take place, let's face it, it's not 309 00:15:10.559 --> 00:15:14.039 one of those circumstances with the cops are incentivized by 310 00:15:14.080 --> 00:15:17.200 the homeless coalitions and the city to take action because 311 00:15:17.240 --> 00:15:20.919 it's not fair, it's not right, because after all, they're homeless. Well, 312 00:15:21.080 --> 00:15:25.960 homelessness is a symptom but the reality is it's about 313 00:15:26.000 --> 00:15:29.960 mental illness, it's about drug addiction, and it's about alcoholism. 314 00:15:30.320 --> 00:15:32.519 And in the good old days, what happened is that 315 00:15:32.799 --> 00:15:35.799 if you fail to comport yourself with violey, with the 316 00:15:35.960 --> 00:15:39.120 requirements of statutes, eventually you went to jail. Now, if 317 00:15:39.159 --> 00:15:41.440 going in jail is not a problem, and many people 318 00:15:41.519 --> 00:15:42.919 is not much of a problem, if you and I 319 00:15:42.919 --> 00:15:46.399 got to had been arrested, it'd be a big deal. 320 00:15:46.840 --> 00:15:49.159 But if you've been arrested fifty to one hundred times 321 00:15:49.159 --> 00:15:51.559 and it's cold, you want to be arrested. Just heard 322 00:15:51.639 --> 00:15:54.279 Ken Kober say. They want to be arrested to go 323 00:15:54.320 --> 00:15:56.879 into the justice center and stay there to be warm, 324 00:15:57.240 --> 00:15:59.120 and also they have three square meals a day and 325 00:15:59.279 --> 00:16:02.759 some free medical care. So the system has got to 326 00:16:02.840 --> 00:16:05.360 go back to a different approach. We'll talk about it 327 00:16:05.399 --> 00:16:08.000 on the other side. And the solutions are obvious, but 328 00:16:08.320 --> 00:16:11.279 civil leadership doesn't want to take the solutions because it 329 00:16:11.320 --> 00:16:13.440 doesn't play with one of their themes of life, of 330 00:16:13.720 --> 00:16:16.440 homelessness being like a mascot condition that any of us 331 00:16:16.480 --> 00:16:18.919 can find ourselves in, which, by the way, is accurate 332 00:16:19.240 --> 00:16:24.440 because homelessness is caused by mental illness, and drug addiction. 333 00:16:24.600 --> 00:16:27.399 That's the problem. Let's continue with more. Twelve thirty one 334 00:16:27.399 --> 00:16:34.279 Home Year, Bengals News Radio, seven hundred Wow Cincinnati, and 335 00:16:34.360 --> 00:16:38.360 of course, the Great American loves McKinley morgage seven seven 336 00:16:38.440 --> 00:16:41.799 hundred Night or day walk ins are welcome five point 337 00:16:41.879 --> 00:16:46.240 three seven seven hundred. Yours truly has spent most of 338 00:16:46.279 --> 00:16:49.360 my adult life as an attorney, representing in the Public 339 00:16:49.360 --> 00:16:53.639 Defender's Office numerous individuals, and having also spent many years 340 00:16:53.960 --> 00:16:56.399 representing the state of Ohio when it came to civil 341 00:16:56.440 --> 00:17:00.120 commitment hearings of those that are mentally ill, and the 342 00:17:00.200 --> 00:17:04.200 Americans and other times and the tri State have dealt 343 00:17:04.240 --> 00:17:07.519 completely differently with homelessness than we're dealing with it right now. 344 00:17:07.920 --> 00:17:12.039 And it's metastasized to the near destruction of public travel 345 00:17:12.079 --> 00:17:14.079 in I four seventy one, at least till March. I 346 00:17:14.119 --> 00:17:17.359 predict it won't be till April. As a consequence, the 347 00:17:17.559 --> 00:17:20.359 so called city leaders in the city of Cincinnati are 348 00:17:20.400 --> 00:17:24.400 porting fingers to fingers thither and fro, but never it themselves. 349 00:17:24.799 --> 00:17:29.200 You just heard Ken Kober say, with a definitive purpose, 350 00:17:29.279 --> 00:17:32.839 we're told not to enforce criminal statutes in the City 351 00:17:32.839 --> 00:17:37.279 of Cincinnati called criminal trespass. I'm holding this in my hand. Quote. 352 00:17:37.319 --> 00:17:40.400 No person without privilege to do so, shall do any 353 00:17:40.440 --> 00:17:44.079 of the following one knowingly enter or remain on the 354 00:17:44.160 --> 00:17:47.599 land or premises of another. That's an M four carries 355 00:17:47.640 --> 00:17:49.799 thirty days in jail, and every time you do it, 356 00:17:49.799 --> 00:17:53.279 it's ratcheted up and can become a felony down the road. 357 00:17:53.519 --> 00:17:58.519 And it's because a person that the crime is not homelessness. 358 00:17:58.960 --> 00:18:04.079 The crime is behavior resulting from homelessness caused by drug addiction, 359 00:18:04.519 --> 00:18:09.400 mental illness, and alcoholism. You're not criminalizing homelessness. It is 360 00:18:09.440 --> 00:18:11.799 not a crime to be homeless. It is a crime 361 00:18:11.839 --> 00:18:14.039 to set fire to the I four seventy one bridge 362 00:18:14.279 --> 00:18:16.599 causing one hundreds of millions of dollars worth of damage. 363 00:18:16.680 --> 00:18:20.359 Would you agree homeless or not? If you burn down 364 00:18:20.400 --> 00:18:23.839 a bridge, that is a crime. It's a serious crime. Now, 365 00:18:24.079 --> 00:18:26.680 when the person or persons that did this are apprehended 366 00:18:27.000 --> 00:18:29.640 and may never be caught because of the quality and 367 00:18:29.720 --> 00:18:32.839 care of the person's committing these offenses, which is very 368 00:18:32.880 --> 00:18:36.759 hard to identify, there won't be a recompense anyway. Who 369 00:18:36.839 --> 00:18:38.799 can say, Okay, this person's got to pay back. Two 370 00:18:38.880 --> 00:18:42.200 hundred million dollars for the four seventy one bridge. This 371 00:18:42.279 --> 00:18:45.720 person might be convicted of a felony, absolutely, but then 372 00:18:45.759 --> 00:18:48.119 you go to state prison, then you get out in one, 373 00:18:48.160 --> 00:18:50.880 two or three years, back at it again. There's only 374 00:18:50.920 --> 00:18:54.799 one way to solve the problem, which no American city 375 00:18:55.720 --> 00:18:58.920 is willing to undertake, because it doesn't fit with the liberalism, 376 00:18:59.039 --> 00:19:01.720 it doesn't fit with aggressivism, it doesn't fit with the 377 00:19:01.759 --> 00:19:06.039 idea that you're responsible for your own conduct. Homelessness is 378 00:19:06.079 --> 00:19:08.880 not a crime, but burning down a bridge, damn, it 379 00:19:08.960 --> 00:19:11.519 is a crime. In fact, it's a serious crime, and 380 00:19:11.559 --> 00:19:13.720 we should treat it as such. Or setting a fire 381 00:19:14.119 --> 00:19:17.440 underneath I seventy one that happened about an hour and 382 00:19:17.480 --> 00:19:20.359 a half ago and someone was arrested. To me, it's 383 00:19:20.400 --> 00:19:23.759 amazing that you have city police officers. Ken Kober is 384 00:19:23.799 --> 00:19:27.480 a good example who raised his hand to God Almighty 385 00:19:27.519 --> 00:19:30.279 and said I'm going to enforce criminal statutes. Then you 386 00:19:30.319 --> 00:19:34.039 have the city of Cincinnati, specifically after Puival and share 387 00:19:34.079 --> 00:19:37.039 along telling you you know what, we're not going to 388 00:19:37.119 --> 00:19:40.599 enforce criminal statues. We will pick and choose which ones 389 00:19:40.680 --> 00:19:43.720 we will comply with and which ones we will ignore. 390 00:19:44.519 --> 00:19:50.480 This memo that was referenced by ken Kober just lays 391 00:19:50.519 --> 00:19:52.920 it up pretty clearly where we are and where we're not, 392 00:19:53.319 --> 00:19:55.079 and we're not in a good position. In fact, it 393 00:19:55.119 --> 00:19:59.519 is likely to become worse, the statue essentially says, and 394 00:19:59.640 --> 00:20:02.519 not reading from it directly, let me make it much larger, 395 00:20:02.640 --> 00:20:06.000 is very small homeless. This is a directive of called 396 00:20:06.359 --> 00:20:11.759 police interaction with homeless encampments. Now, this is a crime 397 00:20:12.240 --> 00:20:15.480 because to sleep when someone stoop to be in a 398 00:20:15.519 --> 00:20:19.519 public sidewalk under a bridge, that is called criminal trespass. 399 00:20:19.839 --> 00:20:23.200 But the city's told the cops quote a physical location 400 00:20:23.319 --> 00:20:29.279 where individual experiencing homelessness temporarily resides. Encampments can take many forms, 401 00:20:29.440 --> 00:20:32.599