99% Invisible

560- Home on the Range

Nov 15, 2023

39:00

Snipd AI

Explore the impact of a nearby gun range owned by the Cincinnati Police Department on the quiet town of Lincoln Heights, Ohio, causing constant gunfire that disrupts the peace and affects residents' wellbeing. The episode highlights the struggles faced by residents, their efforts to find allies, and the closure of the gun range.

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Podcast summary created with Snipd AI

Quick takeaways

The gun range in Lincoln Heights has caused ongoing disruption, impacting residents' ability to focus, relax, and sleep.

There is skepticism and a demand for reparations from the Cincinnati Police Department for the enduring trauma and suffering caused by the gun range in Lincoln Heights.

Deep dives

Hope and Uncertainty: Path to Closure for Lincoln Heights

While plans are now in motion to relocate the gun range away from Lincoln Heights, residents remain cautiously optimistic. Cincinnati has expressed willingness to move the range, but skepticism lingers due to previous broken promises. The projected closure provides a glimmer of hope for a community that has endured the gun range's disruption for generations. However, some residents argue that moving the range is not enough and demand reparations from Cincinnati for the enduring trauma and suffering inflicted upon Lincoln Heights. The battle for closure is seen as an important step towards achieving the founders' vision of a self-governed town in control of its own destiny.

Introduction

3min

The Constant Sound of Gunfire in Lincoln Heights

22min

The Struggle to Control Space

4min

Design, Customer Care, and Gun Range Threats

2min

Challenging the Impact of a Nearby Gun Range

9min

The Closure of the Gun Range and the Community's Efforts

5min

In a lot of ways, Lincoln Heights, Ohio, sounds just like any other suburb. If you walk around town, you’ll hear kids playing outside the local elementary school. You’ll hear the highway that takes commuters down to Cincinnati. At the woods on the edge of town, the birdsong is delightful. The town feels calm and peaceful - at least, until the gunfire starts. Most weekdays, it begins in the morning, and lasts through the afternoon. Sometimes it goes past sundown, and occasionally into the weekends. Once the shooting begins, it comes in rapid-fire waves throughout the day. People say it makes it hard to focus or relax, and those who work the night shift say they can’t sleep.

The noise of gunfire isn’t from street violence. It all comes from an open-air gun range that’s owned by the Cincinnati Police Department.

Home on the Range