Cleveland billboard reading ‘I buy crack houses’ removed after backlash

CLEVELAND, Ohio — A billboard that read “Yes! I buy crack houses” on Cleveland’s East Side has been taken down after drawing swift backlash from residents and City Council President Blaine Griffin.

The billboard is one of dozens advertising John Williams, a self-proclaimed investor who has been asking residents across Greater Cleveland to sell their homes.

But while billboards on the West Side and suburbs say things like “Most Trusted Home Buyer in America” or “I’m Him,” billboards on the city’s predominantly Black East Side mention “crack houses’ or say “Your House Is Trash? I’ll Pay Cash.”

The “trash” billboard at E. 79th and Woodland Avenue was still up Monday morning, while the “crack house” billboard at E. 79th and Carnegie Avenue had already been taken down. It isn’t clear how long the billboards were up.

Griffin said he believes Williams intentionally chose these neighborhoods for these kinds of messages. He called the billboards “unacceptable.”

“Basically, he wanted to come and target poor, African-American neighborhoods in order to try and send this demeaning message,” Griffin said.

Griffin credits Keturah Lenora Thompson, a community activist in his Ward 6, with originally calling out the billboards online. She and others posted photos and asked people to call Lamar Advertising, which leases out the billboards.

“Let’s be clear: these are homes in our community,” Thompson wrote online. “Homes filled with history, resilience, and the legacy of Black Clevelanders who built Ward 6 with pride.”

Thompson told cleveland.com that investors buying up homes in her neighborhood are hurting the area, and said her parents are constantly getting phone calls about selling.

“This is personal for me,” she said. “This is my neighborhood.”

After calls from residents and Griffin on Thursday, Lamar had agreed to take down the billboards, Griffin said. He said he wants Williams billboards all over the city to be taken down.

A cleveland.com reporter has reached out to Lamar and Williams for comment.

Williams’ face started appearing on billboards across the area in the last few months, drawing comparisons to the other common face on Cleveland’s billboards — lawyer Tim Misny.

While Misny’s billboards are mostly beloved, Williams has not been as well received. Many on social media have criticized the advertisements and Williams’ business practices.

One Reddit post recently posted a photo of a Williams’ billboard, asking “who…is this loser wannabe trying to take our boy Misny’s place?”

In videos posted on Instagram, Williams said he buys “the cheapest homes in America” and then rents them to “Section 8.” Officially known as the Housing Choice Voucher Program, the federal government program helps residents who are low-income, elderly or live with disabilities pay rent.

He’s written online that he relocated to Ohio, saying the area has opportunities for investors like himself.

Williams also says online that he helps “beginner” or “entry-level” investors learn how to use the same strategy.