On December 24, 2009, the Enquirer ran a story entitled “The Metropole Needs Work,” focusing on the building’s poor condition and history of crime. One of the protagonists of this story is Eddie Beamon, a former resident of the Metropole that is content with relocation. He states, “I appreciate everything (Brickstone) is doing for me. I've made a lot of friends here, but I'm going to a place with people more my age. I'll have a one-bedroom apartment of my own. That's going to give me a lot of peace of mind.” The article also features Cincinnati police chief Tom Streicher who calls the Metropole “an epicenter for the problems we have downtown.”
This article is clearly intended to undermine the efforts of the Homeless Coalition and the Metropole Tenant Association, by portraying the building as a deplorable residence. The Enquirer does not mention in this story that it has a vested interest in Cincinnati’s gentrification, as its president, Margaret E. Buchanan sits on the board of directors of 3CDC. The portrayal of the Metropole as an ‘epicenter of crime’ seems to fulfill Neil Smith’s ‘revanchist city’ thesis by suggesting that the space needs to be cleansed and returned to its rightful owners, the middle-class.
No comments:
Post a Comment