Crime, Business and Alchemy

Nick Spencer, now-and-then candidate for Cincinnati council, activist on behalf of creative professionals, concert promoter, and blogger has announced the possibility he may shutter the doors of his nightclub, Alchemize, within the next year. It's located in one of the most beautiful and historic neighborhoods in the Queen City, Over-the-Rhine. Despite repeated attempts at restoration, the area has become a crime battleground, with a murder rate far ahead of most other neighborhoods [PDF] and a gradually diminishing commercial district.

But Nick's weblog has been a chronicle of nothing but break-ins, assaults and harassment from criminals who live in the area. I have worked with several nonprofit organizations in Over-the-Rhine, and it's impossible to avoid the feeling that any individual or establishment with wealth in excess of the poverty line is a ripe target. And the police seem to have little impact. People argue about this issue constantly on Cincinnati weblogs; some claim we need almost paramilitary levels of law enforcement, while others seem to think that endlessly more government-led social programs will somehow (for the first time anywhere, I guess) break the cycle of poverty, despair, and family breakdown.

Obviously this is a thorny problem, and I don't have any answers. But I hear tale told of similar neighborhoods in Baltimore where the residents finally had enough, reached deep, and battled back against drug dealers, gang-bangers and degenerates. Once that happened the efforts of the police and the government began to finally gain traction. We can hope and pray that such a spirit takes root in Over-the-Rhine one day soon. Meanwhile the ex- and suburban people who bitch about the "dangerous city" should shut their cake holes and find some opportunity to help with the soup kitchens, non-profits, and church-driven charities that exist to serve the residents, whether it's a Big Brother program or writing a check.

It certainly shouldn't take the possible closing of a nightclub to remind anyone of their fundamental obligation to take care of the needy. Nevertheless, people like Nick - entrepreneurs who actually take a risk, and instead of offering "critique" actually work to generate a couple of jobs while putting their own safety and success on the line - they deserve some genuine appreciation.

If you're in Cincinnati stop by Alchemize, if you can, in it's waning days.

[Post revised slightly, since Spencer is tentative about closing or moving the club, and has some hope that larger crowds and nearby "anchor" businesses may help.]