Two months after Mayor Charlie Luken formed Cincinnati CAN in response to racial unrest in the city, the group has issued its first progress report.

        The six-page report, released to the Enquirer Thursday, outlines Cincinnati Community Action Now's plans to host a series of public forums next month in an effort to determine the roots of Cincinnati's worst racially motivated uprising since 1968, and to guard against such conflicts in the future.

ACTION TEAMS

These are the leaders for the Cincinnati CAN action teams: Economic Inclusion     Clifford Bailey, TechSoft Systems     Joe Pichler, Kroger     Janet Reid, Global Lead     John Taylor, PNC Bank     Morris Williams, Coalition of Neighborhoods Education And Youth Development     Sheila Adams, Urban League     Steven Adamowski, Cincinnati Public Schools     Anees Fardan, Collective Learning Center     John Pepper, Procter & Gamble     Eileen Cooper Reed, Children's Defense Fund Police & Justice System     Michael Barrett, Barrett & Weber     Tim Burke of Manley, Burke     Norma Holt Davis, NAACP     Michael Graham, SJ, Xavier University     Rt. Rev. Herbert Thompson, Episcopal Diocese Housing & Neighborhood Development     Harold Cleveland, Cincinnati Empowerment Corp.     Richard Davis, Firstar     Michael Keating, Fifth Third Bank     Renee M. Harris, Local Initiative Support Corp.     Karla Irvine, HOME (Housing Opportunities Made Equal)     Jim King, Avondale Redevelopment Health & Human Services     Jim Anderson, Children's Hospital Medical Center     Dr. Yvette Casey Hunter, Pediatric Associates     Rob Reifsnyder, United Way     Gwen Robinson, CAA Media & Image     Susan Howarth, WCET-TV48     Damon Jones, Procter & Gamble     Jan-Michele L. Kearney, Sesh Communications     Mark Serrianne, Northlich

        The report also shows an immediate need for volunteers for six teams that will examine issues such as education, housing and economic inclusion.

        “We want to begin to answer the question of what we need to do to make this city better for all its people and the question of how people who live here can help,” said Ross Love, president of Blue Chip Broadcasting and one of three commission co-chairmen.

        “People need to find out more about what Cincinnati CAN is doing and plans to do.”

        The privately funded task force was formed by Mr. Luken in response to the outbreak of violence and protest over the April 7 shooting death of Timothy Thomas, 19.

        The mayor charged the commission with identifying and driving actions to provide greater opportunity, equity and inclusion for everyone.

        When Mr. Luken announced the appointment of the commission's co-chairmen May 1, he said he wanted each team to identify initial action steps within 45 days and the co-chairmen to report to the city every 90 days thereafter.

        In addition to the town meetings, the three chairmen — Mr. Love; the Rev. Damon Lynch III, leader of the Cincinnati Black United Front; and Federated Department Stores Inc. executive Tom Cody — wrote in the report that Cincinnati CAN has a team from Cinergy analyzing the recommendations of past task forces and commissions on race.

        Mr. Love said he expects to receive a summary report of their findings by next week.

        “I think what they have found will be a good jump-start for the action teams because there are a lot of good recommendations and plans in those reports that have never been enacted,” Mr. Love said.

        The commission is expected to announce the remainder of its action-team membership by the end of next week.

        Cincinnati CAN has taken some criticism in recent weeks for its lack of quick action and has already drawn some comparisons to previous commissions that were mostly discussion-oriented.

        “I think this is all just a front to quell the hunger for real change that so many people want here in Cincinnati,” said Lucreatia Cole, a Cincinnati resident who was running errands downtown on Race Street last week. “I don't think a lot of people really expect this commission to do much.”

        But Mr. Luken said he is pleased with the group's pace and called the release of the report, which was two days late, “a positive step forward.”

        “The co-chairs and the action- team leaders have spent a great amount of time and hard work to establish a foundation for an organization that can make significant changes in Cincinnati.”

        Mr. Love said Cincinnati CAN is making solid progress and that some significant changes and announcements will take place in the next two to three months.

        He said a good measuring stick for success of the commission will be to see what it has accomplished by September.
       
   
   

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