Acknowledging that a boycott of downtown Cincinnati has started to hurt, business and civic leaders are talking about how to blunt its impact.

        A group of influential African-Americans is being organized in hopes of holding a series of meetings in the black community. A separate group of corporate leaders also is meeting regularly.

        The aim of both groups: Force talks between city officials and boycott leaders, and reinforce the message that the situation has improved since last April's riots.

        “There is a sense that things are headed in the wrong direction,” said retiring federal Judge Nathaniel Jones, a participant in the talks and long one of Cincinnati's African-American voices on civic issues.

        The two sets of discussions signal that the corporate and civic powerhouses that often drive change in Cincinnati are paying full attention to a boycott they were determined to ignore when it started last summer.

        They are in a hurry to show progess, because the anniversary of the killing of Timothy Thomas and the resulting riots is only a month away, sure to result in a flood of publicity that could further bruise the city's image.

        “This month is very important,” said Eric Kearney, president of Sesh Communications, publisher of the Cincinnati Herald and chairman of the Greater Cincinnati Convention and Visitors Bureau. “There's already a lot of bad blood.”

        Boycott leaders could not be reached for comment Monday.

        “Nate Jones has a record on civil rights that exceeds just about everyone else's in town,” said Mayor Charlie Luken. “I think everyone will pause and take note of whatever his suggestion might be.”

        There are at least two parallel efforts:

        • Business leaders: Last Tuesday, a group of business and civic leaders met at the Greater Cincinnati Chamber of Commerce. According to several participants, they are acknowledging some demands of the boycott and encouraging a meeting between boycott leaders and city officials.

        The meeting included officials from the chamber, Cincinnati Business Committee, Urban League, Downtown Cincinnati Inc., the Convention and Visitors Bureau, African-American Chamber of Commerce and Cincinnati CAN.

        “Many businesses realize that the boycott is not reflecting well on our community in terms of being an inclusive place to do business,” chamber president Michael Fisher said.

        “There are a lot of people who are paying attention to it, and its longer-term impact, beyond just a concert cancellation.”

        • African-American leaders: Judge Jones, a former legal counsel to the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People, said he has been talking to local African-American leaders about possible solutions to the boycott and race-related conflicts. He declined to identify those leaders until they committed to the discussions.

        Others involved said they hope to find African-Americans in prominent positions in local companies, hospitals and nonprofit groups who will help ease racial tensions.

        Both groups insist that some of the boycott leaders' demands already are on the way to being met. For example, a demand to end racial profiling is in the hands of a federal court.

        And other demands, such as minority contracts for The Banks riverfront project and “amnesty” for curfew violators after the April 2001 riots, could be negotiated, they said.

        They recognize the boycott has hurt the city's image.

        “As far as raising attention and focusing the business and civic leadership on this issue, the boycott has worked,” Mr. Kearney said.

       Gregory Korte contributed to this report.

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