Template:Did you know nominations/Saint John the Evangelist Church (Columbus, Ohio): Difference between revisions

Saint John the Evangelist Church (Columbus, Ohio), Hassan Jeru-Ahmed

Maximilian775 (talk) 02:45, 30 October 2025 (UTC).

• Both articles are long enough and new enough, and QPQs have been done. Earwig doesn’t show any issues, and my spot checks didn’t turn up any close paraphrasing or source-text integrity issues. The articles are both fully cited and all sources appear appropriate. The hook fact appears in the first article and is cited at the end of the sentence. The only tweak I would suggest to the hook would be to uncapitalise “Paramilitary”, since unless I’m missing something I don’t believe “Black Paramilitary” is being used as a proper noun here. If you can just provide a quote from the Columbus Dispatch article to support the hook fact then this should be good to go. MCE89 (talk) 07:18, 31 October 2025 (UTC)

Good catch, thank you.

“Few people would expect social problems to be created by the occupants of a convent, but neighbors of St. John the Evangelist Church, 630S. Ohio Ave., are concerned about the habits future tenants there might dis-play.The church’s convent is no longer used as a nunnery, and church officials are seeking a zoning
variance to allow it to become a rooming house for staff members of a black anti-drug program.

THE PROBLEM is that many of those workers will be former addicts – and some area residents are uneasy about how firmly those workers are reformed. The group seeking lodging is the Blackman’s Development Center (BDC) whose members are characterized by green combat fatigue uniforms and military titles usually of sufficient rank to insinuate former service in the Pentagon. There seem to be no privates in the Blackman’s army. The paramilitary nature of the black organiation has caused white distrust in many quarters, perhaps from conjured mental comparisons with openly militant groups such as the Black Panthers”

BDC’S NATIONAL leader, General Hassan, has been accused by the Jewish Anti-Defamation League of being anti-Semitic.”

(There might be some typos in here I didn’t catch from my computer’s OCR, sorry.)
Maximilian775 (talk) 11:51, 31 October 2025 (UTC)

@Maximilian775 Thank you! Are you able to also provide a quote from a source that confirms the proposed rehabilitation centre ever opened? I’m sure it did, but the quote above only confirms that they were seeking a zoning variance to allow for its use as a rehabilitation centre, not that it actually ended up being used for that purpose. MCE89 (talk) 06:51, 1 November 2025 (UTC)

“…Suleiman said the office equipment in dispute is “here with us” at 630 S.Ohio Ave., but would make no further comment. Program officers obtained a zoning variance in February 1972, to allow them to use the Ohio Ave. building, former convent of St. John the Evangelist Church…” “Officials say BDC Building Goods Taken”. The Columbus Dispatch. 28 June 1973. Maximilian775 (talk) 03:00, 2 November 2025 (UTC)

@Maximilian775 Thanks. Sorry to be a pain, but that quote still only confirms that they received the zoning variance right? I think we still need a source that confirms they actually ended up using the facility for the intended purpose as a rehab centre. Unless there’s some context to the office equipment dispute in the quote above that I’m missing? MCE89 (talk) 03:15, 2 November 2025 (UTC)

Good clarification, it seems the building primarily served as a dormitory for staff. How’s

** ALT1: … that * … that a convent at St. John Church was used as part of the heroin recovery center run by Hassan Jeru-Ahmed’s Blackman’s Development Center, a Black paramilitary group? Switzer, John (1 July 1972). “Addict Tells Court About BDC Incident”. The Columbus Dispatch. A Columbus drug addict told a US District Court magistrate Friday that he was beaten, imprisoned and driven to Washington DC by officers of the Black-man’s Development Center (BDC) at 1100 E. Main St. The victim told the court that Col. Danyil Sulieman, 40, director of the BDC, began the beatings when he hit him over the head with a blackjack … He was living at the center and was visiting his wife at 1066 Oak St. on June 15 when he received a phone call from the center and was told to return to work on a reception desk. WHEN HE arrived at the center he was taken into an ofiice and questioned about the theft of $10 of the center’s money. He said Suleman hit him with a blackjack and Kemo hit him with an axe handle. He said he admitted taking the money Then he was taken to a residence at 630 S. Ohio Ave. that he said was provided by St John’s Church. He said BDC single women and married couples lived there.

(Sorry for the long off-topic quote, I thought there could be another interesting alt hook until I saw that the charges discussed here were later dropped.) Maximilian775 (talk) 03:24, 2 November 2025 (UTC)

@Maximilian775 That works, but can I suggest potentially simplifying the hook to:

In my view that’s both a bit more punchy, and it gets around the issue of there not really being a source that explicitly says the convent was part of a heroin recovery center. MCE89 (talk) 04:35, 2 November 2025 (UTC)

works for me!Maximilian775 (talk) 12:18, 2 November 2025 (UTC)

ALT2 good to go. Also noting for the record that I’ve confirmed the descriptor of “Black paramilitary group” is contained in the article Hassan Jeru-Ahmed and is supported by p.51 of this source. MCE89 (talk) 12:24, 2 November 2025 (UTC)

The above still works for me, but here’s a source definitively stating that the 630 Ohio property / the convent was used for addiction treatment: “THE APPROPRIATION is sponsored by the Moody administration and councilman James Roseboro.The center at 630 S. Ohio Ave. has been beset with numerous financial and legal problems over the last two years. According to Roseboro, the center now treats only 33 drug addicts and does not have enough funds to take on new patients.” (Funds Uncertain for Drug Center, the Columbus Dispatch, 27 Juky 1973). Maximilian775 (talk) 13:10, 3 November 2025 (UTC)