Local NAACP votes no on FC Cincinnati stadium in West End

No soccer stadium in the West End, say members of the Cincinnati NAACP chapter.

The local civil rights organization voted Thursday night at its monthly membership meeting to take a "no" position on the proposed Futbol Club Cincinnati stadium behind Taft IT High School on Ezzard Charles Drive.

"We believe a soccer stadium in the West End would expedite the further gentrification of another black neighborhood," the organization stated in a text message to The Enquirer. "We want to make it clear we are not against progress, nor are we against soccer.

"We understand there are others in this process yet to take a position, but as for our organization, when our current leadership was assembled and upon taking our oath of office, we stated that one of the priorities of our branch would be to fight against the further gentrification of the black neighborhoods as best we could."

FC Cincinnati wants to build a stadium on the current site of Stargel Stadium behind Taft. FC Cincinnati President and General Manager Jeff Berding said the club would build Cincinnati Public Schools a new Stargel across the street from Taft and develop affordable housing elsewhere in the neighborhood.

Berding presented at the NAACP's monthly membership meeting Thursday night at Cincinnati-Hamilton County Community Action Agency in Bond Hill. Berding left after making his presentation. The NAACP had a Black History Month program and then entertained new business.

A motion was made from the floor to vote on the soccer stadium. A debate took place. The vote was overwhelmingly against the proposal.

The local NAACP is the first organization to take a public stand on the West End stadium proposal. The West End Community Council has held a series of meetings about the stadium but has not taken a vote.

FC Cincinnati is waiting to hear whether Major League Soccer is going to award it an expansion franchise, a decision could come next week.

The West End is a historically significant African-American neighborhood that previously lost thousands of homes to the construction of Interstate 75 and the Queensgate industrial park.