Leaders of the Progressive National Baptist Convention are considering whether to move the group's 8,000-delegate annual conference from Cincinnati because of reports of the city's racial troubles.

        Two of the national group's officials met for three hours Monday with members of the Cincinnati Black United Front, which sent a letter urging boycotts of Cincinnati.

        The convention, set for Aug. 5-8, is the largest of the 121 meetings booked for the downtown Albert B. Sabin Cincinnati Convention Center this year.

        The group, also known as National Baptist Convention USA Inc., encompasses more than 1,800 churches and 2.5 million people.

        “We received a letter asking us to boycott Cincinnati, so we came in response to the letter,” said the Rev. Dr. Tyrone S. Pitts, the Baptist group's general secretary.

        The BUF's concerns will be discussed at the Baptist organization's mid-winter conference, Monday , in Myrtle Beach, Fla., said the Rev. James H. Cantrell, pastor of Zion Baptist Church in Avondale and Cincinnati's “host pastor” for the event.

        The Rev. Dr. Pitts added, “we are still in dialogue with the Black United Front and in dialogue with ... Rev. Cantrell. We will also be coming back sometime in February to meet with the Greater Cincinnati Convention and Visitors Bureau.”

        Julie Harrison, a spokeswoman for the bureau, said Wednesday that the Progressive Baptists have not informed the bureau of any change of plans, nor has any other convention scheduled for 2002 or beyond.

        “It would be disappointing to hear that (the boycott) effort is still being aggressively pursued,” she said.

        In July, the BUF promised to ask the planners of every scheduled convention to avoid the city unless aggressive steps are taken to address police, racial and economic issues.

        “If they pulled out of Cincinnati, it would be bad for the city; there's no doubt about that,” said Jim Clingman, a BUF member. “But I just can't see black people continuing to pour money into cities and efforts in which we are not being treated fairly.”

        The convention and visitors bureau has said that several groups have canceled conventions here because of the riots or the Sept. 11 attacks.

        The 1,200-member Organization of Black Airline Pilots Inc. moved its August 2002 convention to Atlanta.

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