Cincinnati officials discuss city crime and widespread response to video of violent fight
Days after a brawl that injured six people in Cincinnati, the mayor and other city leaders said Friday they would beef up law enforcement patrols but criticized how the much-shared video of the fight had portrayed the city in what they see as an unfair and cynical light.
“Let me be clear, there is no place for violent crime in Cincinnati, whether it’s a fight or gun violence,” Mayor Aftab Pureval said. “We will pursue those responsible and we will hold them accountable no matter who they are.”
Video of the fight quickly went viral, and conservatives leaders and influencers seized on the brawl to point out what they see as lawless urban areas in America. Those voices included Vice President JD Vance, Ohio gubernatorial candidate Vivek Ramaswamy and the vice president’s half brother, Cory Bowman, who is running to be mayor of Cincinnati.
A video of the fight shows a crowd milling about before several people start throwing punches. One man falls to the ground and is repeatedly punched and kicked by bystanders. Another woman is punched in the face and falls to the ground, lying motionless before another woman helps her. She can be seeing bleeding from the mouth.
The mayor acknowledged on Friday the perception remained that the city was dangerous, but he pointed out that data showed the violent crime was declining in the city. Pureval also said “there’s a concerning increase in burglaries and breaking and entering, and shootings in some specific areas” without providing the data.
“Currently too many Cincinnatians don’t feel safe,” he said. “All of us, especially me, are clear-eyed and working urgently to fix that.”
Pureval said he was working with Republican Gov. Mike DeWine to deploy state highway patrol to work highways into the city, which should free up more police officers. He also said police units like SWAT and the Civil Disturbance Response Team will expand their reach in the city.
Cincinnati Police Chief Teresa Theetge said five men and one woman “were subjected to unimaginable physical violence” in the brawl. She didn’t identify them. She also said six people have been charged with assault and rioting for playing a role in the brawl, three of whom are in custody.
“This remains an open investigation, and I want to assure you, we will not stop until justice is finally served,” she told reporters, adding that they plan to release footage of the brawl, including body camera footage next week.
But several speakers, including a pastor and a council member, talked about how the fight had been racialized and several blamed conservative Republicans for fueling that narrative.
“We would not be here and this will not be national news if this was a group of Black people that jumped on other Black people,” Pastor Damon Lynch, III told reporters. “Obviously it’s national news because it’s been racialized.”
Lynch said critics were focused on the Black participants but haven’t mentioned a white man who, he says, could be seen in a video of the brawl slapping a Black man during the fight.
“Nobody’s asking why didn’t he just walk away?” Lynch said.
Council Member Scotty Johnson also criticized the media for playing the brawl on a loop all week.
“What role do you play in quoting misdirected national leaders talking about a city that is on the right track, but they are doing everything they can to try take us off that track,” Johnson said.
Toward the end of the press conference, a reporter asked Pureval how he would deal with the racial tensions in the city that have been exacerbated by this brawl.
“It’s overt racial tensions that have been claimed by irresponsible leaders, who have unfortunately cynically tried to take advantage of this awful fight and try and divide us,” he said, noting that Cincinnati “has a long history of being, on the on the very front foot of racial justice” including as a stop on the Underground Railroad.