My grandfather helped build Lincoln Heights. Now it's our turn to protect it.
My grandfather, Elbert Lee Daniels, was a builder − not just of homes or roads, but of a legacy. He was born in Lincoln Heights in 1927, but his story, our story, started long before that − back in Gainesville, Georgia, in the early 1900s, when white mobs drove out Black men.
They fled for their lives, boarding a train in the middle of the night, and heading north. And when they got here? They did something incredible: They built the first Black self-governed town in Ohio − Lincoln Heights. A city where the police chief was Black, the fire chief was Black, the government, the businesses, the schools. Black men and women built every inch of it. My grandfather was part of that.
And now? A hundred years later? Nazis came marching onto that very town − and the Evendale Police helped them.
My grandfather always said, "Lincoln Heights was built for the Black man, by the Black man. And if y'all don't get your (expletive) together, you will kill it."
That wasn't just talk. That was a challenge. A warning. A call to action.
More: Armed men are guarding the streets of Lincoln Heights, stopping cars and vetting passersby
Because the neo-Nazi demonstration that happened here isn't just about one hate group showing up with swastikas. It's about a system that lets them in. The Evendale Police didn't stop them − they escorted them. The Hamilton County Sheriff's Department − the one we pay for − stood by. Meanwhile, Lincoln Heights residents were stopped, threatened, and blocked.
They didn't defend us. They defended them.
And my grandfather? He would not have tolerated that. He would have been out there, front and center, recording, organizing, demanding justice. And if he could speak now, I know exactly what he'd say: "What are y'all gonna do about it?"
Opinion: Neo-Nazi hate came to Lincoln Heights and left scars we can't ignore
We're not just talking about boycotting Evendale. That's not enough. We bring our businesses, our power, and our money back to Lincoln Heights. We fight to reclaim our land − the land they stole in 1938. We demand answers and accountability from the Evendale Police. We make sure this never happens again.
'They are the culprits': Commissioners slam village's response to swastika demonstration
Lincoln Heights is still the only place where a Black man can be anything he wants to be − as long as he is willing to fight for it. And we're going to fight. This isn't just history. This is now. And Lincoln Heights will not fall.
Join the movement. Demand answers. Bring business back. Protect Lincoln Heights. Visit theheightsmovement.org to donate and get involved.
Daronce Daniels is a councilman in Lincoln Heights, Ohio, who is committed to justice, economic empowerment, and preserving the history and future of Lincoln Heights.
This article originally appeared on Cincinnati Enquirer: Lincoln Heights was built for us. We're not letting it fall | Opinion
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