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Statement Regarding Joe E. Brown Park and the March 6, 2018
Toledo City Council Agenda Review Meeting
By Larry Sykes, Toledo
City Councilman
During the Tuesday, March
6, 2018 Toledo City Council Agenda Review meeting, the
Administration staff was making a presentation that included
discussion of the site plan for the redesigned Joe E. Brown
Park.
As has been widely
reported by now, during that discussion the question was
raised as to what amenities would be included in the park,
and in answering the question it was revealed that
basketball facilities are not in the plan developed as far
back as 2014 or earlier.
Councilwoman Cecelia Adams
then inquired as to the reason why basketball had not been
included in the plan, and the financial manager for the
Toledo Waterways Initiative, Joe Franckhauser, gave a
surprising and refreshingly honest answer by stating, with
apparent great apprehension, that “because basketball is
ugh, considered to be a sport that, ugh, draws the, the ugh,
[stammering]—I don’t know how to say it but ugh—draws a
crowd that’s not ugh, worthy of the park.”
Councilwoman Adams;
“Basketball is not worthy of this park?”
Mr. Franckhauser; “Yeah.”
Councilwoman Adams; “Says
who?”
Mr. Franckhauser; “Well,
the, the, the designers of the park, basically.”
Dr. Adams; “Pardon?”
Mr. Franckhauser; “The
designers of the park.”
The conversation evolved
into a lively and lengthy discussion which later included a
dialogue between Councilman Tyrone Riley and Mr.
Franckhauser that included Councilman Riley asking the
question, “So when you describe basketball as being
unworthy, is that something you heard or is that something
from your own personal beliefs?”
Mr. Franckhauser response
was, “I think that’s pretty much what I have heard.”
Upon hearing second hand
reports of this exchange, many misconstrued the statement as
racist, but in actuality, Mr. Franckhauser was merely
bringing to our attention the mindset and thought process of
other individuals who were overseeing the design of the park
a few years ago.
Personally, I sincerely
thank Mr. Franckhauser for his refreshing honesty which has
enlightened the larger community in the heretofore unknown
behind the scene reasoning that has ingrained itself into
the decision making process for designing and planning
public amenities, which have occurred without our knowledge.
I have spoken with several
of my Council colleagues, and have come to the consensus
that we hold no personal animosity or ill will toward him.
In fact, once again, we sincerely appreciate Mr.
Franckhauser’s refreshing honesty in merely responding to a
question that was put directly to him.
It should be remember,
that Mr. Franckhauser is the financial manager for all
Toledo Waterways Initiative projects. He in no way oversees
or has input in the project designs. Much to our regret, the
outrage that is being shown to Mr. Franckhauser is
misdirected.
Mr. Franckhauser is being
persecuted as a villain for merely being put on the spot as
the messenger who had the audacity to accidently speak the
truth as to the rationale that modern planners use in the
design of our public amenities—a rationale, the basis for
which, he had no part in forming.
A simple Google search on
this topic reveals a number of articles and studies the
subject of which involves, parks, basketball, public
nuisance complaints related to litter, offensive language,
noise, vandalism, physical violence, and crime.
In 1991, as chairman of
the Lucas Metropolitan Housing Authority (LMHA) Board of
Commissioners, I was able to secure a grant to fund a night
basketball program. Later, other similar programs were
introduced including one offered by the City of Toledo. My
colleagues and I want it to be known that Mr. Franckhauser
owes us no apology. Mr. Franckhauser responded to a question
put directly to him with refreshing honesty.
Quite to the contrary of
reprimanding him, we owe Mr. Franckhauser a debt of
gratitude for the service he has done for our community by
unmasking previously unknown factors that go into the
planning decisions of designers of our public spaces.
Thanks to Mr. Franckhauser
enlightening us, our community can now engage in a larger
conversation regarding parks, recreation, and land use in
our community. For my part, over the next two months, I
intend to plan a community wide dialogue to develop a better
understanding of how great the diversity of our city is.
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