Until Tuesday night, Tim Kearns of Woodlawn had quietly boycotted the boycott of Cincinnati.

        He'd denounced it privately among friends. He even tried countering it by spending his money downtown.

        But Mr. Kearns, 23, knew that unless he and others opposed to the boycott spoke out publicly, the effort would continue to gain momentum.

        “It's destroying our city, plain and simple,” Mr. Kearns said. “I'd hate to see Cincinnati become a ghost town because of the misguided efforts of Rev. Damon Lynch III and his followers.”

        Mr. Kearns was one of about 40 people — mostly white — who attended an anti-boycott forum at Memorial Hall. The event was hosted by the Rev. Raymond Jones and Linda Berger, two community activists who work with Vision is Now, a Norwood-based group working for interracial harmony while helping the poor.

        The Rev. Mr. Jones, an African-American, said he hopes to gather more than 5,000 signatures on petitions denouncing the boycott. Copies would be mailed to entertainers, conventions and other potential visitors to Cincinnati to show that a majority of the community — black and white — are against the boycott.

        During the forum, representatives from the downtown business community talked about the negative impact of the boycott.

        In addition to signing petitions, the Rev. Mr. Jones asked audience members to brainstorm on three to four recommendations that could be taken to City Council to help diffuse the boycott situation.

        Jeff Ruby, owner of Jeff Ruby's Steakhouse downtown, said many businesses won't survive if the boycott persists for an extended period.

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