CLEVELAND — Billboards stating, “Yes! I buy crack houses” and “Your house is trash? I’ll pay cash” have been getting backlash from some community members.
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Some neighbors told CBS-affiliate WOIO that the billboards spotted around Cleveland are offensive.
“Why he picked, ‘Yes, I buy crack houses,’ We don’t know. But it’s in poor taste,” a neighbor to the billboard near West 78th Street and Lorain Avenue said.
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“What we do is buy homes, generally, that are dilapidated, abandoned, they are not occupied. No one is living in them,” Williams told WOIO. “What we do is we buy these properties; we fix up these homes and they’re affordable housing.”
Cleveland City Council President Blaine Griffin said the billboards are not a good way to do business in the community.
“Maybe it should be with some people that are reputable, but not with somebody like this coming to clearly make a mockery of our neighborhood,” Griffin said.
WOIO asked Williams about the backlash toward his billboards.
“When you mention crack houses or abandoned houses, it gets attention. It brings attention to the issue, and it also brings in leads, which we could acquire these properties that are just sitting there. It’s a big win for everyone,” Williams said. “Some people may say using that specific word is not good, but the properties do exist. We all see them. We all either choose to accept that it is that or ignore it. It looks like it’s been a problem that’s been ignored for decades.”
Griffin said he feels these billboards are disrespectful and should be taken down immediately.
“Whenever you talk about, ‘Your house is trash, we pay cash,’ and whenever you talk about, ‘We buy crack houses,’ and you come into a predominantly poor, African American community — you’re sending a clear message,” Griffin said. “You’re being condescending, you’re being demeaning, and you’re being disrespectful.”
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