BRONZEVILLE COMMUNICATIONS NETWORK

The Columbus LGBTQ+ Affairs Commission recently met to discuss goals, priorities, and the concerns of the community it represents. Good. That's what organized voices are supposed to do. But it raises a serious question. Where is the organized voice for Black Columbus? Not election season voices. Not press conference voices. Not Black History Month voices. A permanent voice. Who tracks whether Black children are reading at grade level? Who tracks Black homeownership? Who tracks Black business growth? Who tracks violence affecting Black neighborhoods? Who publishes a report card on promises made and results delivered? Who has the authority to walk into City Hall, Columbus City Schools, Franklin County, hospitals, developers, and major employers and demand answers? And if that organization already exists, where are the goals? Where are the measurements? Where are the scorecards? Where are the public meetings? Because every community deserves more than symbolic representation. Every community deserves…

Over the next several months, candidates will tell us why they deserve our vote. They'll talk about growth. They'll talk about economic development. They'll talk about progress. Before Columbus residents hand over another vote, let's talk about results. Columbus has grown. The question is: who has benefited? Why are housing costs climbing faster than wages? Why are schools cutting positions while students continue to struggle academically? Why are neighborhoods still fighting violence, youth disengagement, and lack of opportunity? Why do residents continue to feel disconnected from decisions that directly impact their communities? Why are homelessness, mental health, and basic city services constantly competing for funding in a city that keeps announcing record investments and new developments? Every candidate seeking the mayor's office should answer these questions. And if you're already holding office, you should answer them first. The Black Wall isn't interested in campaign slogans. We're interested in outcomes. We're…

Columbus City Schools is warning that a proposed state law could force the sale or lease of school buildings operating below 60% enrollment. Here's the question nobody seems to be asking. Why does every solution seem to move public assets away from public control? A school building is more than classrooms. It's often one of the largest public investments in a neighborhood. It's where community meetings happen. It's where youth programs operate. It's where families gather. Once those buildings are sold, leased, or transferred, communities may never get them back. Supporters say the bill will put underused buildings back into service. Maybe. But who gets first access? Charter schools? Private schools? Developers? Organizations receiving public incentives and tax abatements? Columbus residents have watched public schools lose funding, lose enrollment, close buildings, and then lose control of valuable community assets. At some point, people have a right to ask whether we're…

This is not a victim post. This is not an excuse post. This is a receipts post. Black Americans make up roughly 14% of the U.S. population, yet Black households hold only 4.7% of the nation's wealth. The median Black household has approximately $24,500 in wealth compared to approximately $250,000 for White households. That's about ten cents on the dollar. The median Black household today has roughly $44,000 in net worth compared to more than $284,000 for the median White household. In other words, the typical Black family possesses about 15 cents of wealth for every dollar held by the typical White family. Black homeownership remains around 44%, while White homeownership remains above 72%. More than seven out of ten White families own their homes. Fewer than five out of ten Black families do. Median Black household income was approximately $56,000 compared to approximately $88,000 for White households. So let's…

Governor Mike DeWine just announced a new $100 million program to help rural communities build the infrastructure needed for new single-family homes. Roads. Water lines. Sewer systems. Utilities. Everything developers need to build more houses. Sounds great until you ask a simple question: Who are these homes actually for? Because you can't solve a housing crisis by building houses people can't afford. You can't solve a wealth gap by helping developers while ignoring the families struggling to become homeowners. And you can't keep announcing housing programs while thousands of working Ohioans watch the dream of homeownership move further out of reach every year. The state says Ohio needs more housing because more jobs are coming. Fair enough. But if the jobs are coming, why aren't we talking about the people already here? The teacher. The bus driver. The healthcare worker. The warehouse employee. The retiree on a fixed income. Th…

Someone may be trying to steal homes without ever breaking in. Most people lock their doors. Most people install cameras. Most people worry about burglars. But what if someone could attempt to take your home without ever stepping foot on your property? It's called House Title Fraud. Criminals can use forged documents, stolen identities, fake signatures, and fraudulent deeds to make it appear they own property that belongs to someone else. Once those documents are filed, scammers may attempt to sell the property, take out loans against it, collect rent from it, or create legal battles that can take years to resolve. The frightening part is that many victims don't discover the fraud until they receive a foreclosure notice, a tax bill, a call from a title company, or learn that someone is attempting to sell their property. Franklin County officials have warned that title fraud is a growing problem.…

Every time a teen takeover happens, the same questions get asked. "Where were the parents?" "Why didn't the police stop it?" "Why didn't someone know this was going to happen?" But maybe we're asking the wrong question. Maybe the real question is: How can hundreds of young people know something is about to happen while the community remains completely unaware? Think about that for a moment. A fight breaks out. A shopping center is overwhelmed. Businesses lock their doors. Families leave early. Police rush to the scene. News cameras arrive. Yet somehow hundreds of young people knew where to be, what time to be there, and who was going. How? The answer is simple. They have a communication network. The community does not.

Teen takeovers rarely begin with an official announcement. There is no permit. There is no flyer. There is no press release. There is no city notification. There…

The Columbus Civilian Police Review Board was created to provide independent oversight of the Columbus Division of Police. The entire purpose was to restore public trust and ensure accountability.

So here's the question:

How can a member of the Civilian Police Review Board be paid nearly $50,000 by the Columbus Division of Police while serving on the board responsible for reviewing police conduct?

We're told there was no ethics violation.

We're told there was no legal violation.

Franklin County has released its 2026 property value update and the average residential property value increased approximately 9%. That is far below the shocking 41% increase many homeowners experienced during the 2023 reappraisal, but let's not pretend this is a small story. A 9% increase on a $200,000 home is $18,000. A 9% increase on a $300,000 home is $27,000. A 9% increase on a $400,000 home is $36,000. The numbers add up quickly.

What Franklin County has not clearly explained is where the biggest increases occurred and which communities are absorbing the largest impact. Did New Albany see the biggest jump? Dublin? Upper Arlington? Bexley? Gahanna? Whitehall? Reynoldsburg? South Linden? The Near East Side? King-Lincoln Bronzeville? The public deserves to know exactly where property values are rising the fastest and who is being affected the most.

This is where the conversation gets uncomfortable. If you own a home free…