Local leaders are reacting to reports of people displaying flags with swastikas over the I-75 overpass near Lincoln Heights.
"We are deeply disturbed by the reprehensible display of hate witnessed today at the Vision Way overpass on I-75, where individuals openly displayed Nazi symbols," reads a statement from Danielle V. Minson, CEO of the Jewish Federation of Cincinnati. "Such acts of antisemitism, racism, and bigotry are an affront to the values of inclusion, respect, and unity that define our community. Hate has no place in Cincinnati or anywhere in our society."
The statement adds the organization has not received any information about "an imminent, credible threat against local Jewish organizations or congregations."
Traffic camera images show people in all-black clothing with red face masks displaying flags with a red swastika in the middle, some carrying rifles.
"This is not normal and should not be accepted as such," reads a statement from the NAACP of Cincinnati. "We are stronger together and we are calling on all to unify against this behavior."
The population of Lincoln Height is 74% Black, according to Census data.
"This is not what we stand for and it will never be what we stand for," added Cincinnati Mayor Aftab Pureval in a statement posted to X.
Sheriff Charmaine McGuffey says Hamilton County deputies responded along with Evendale police.
"Lincoln Heights residents are understandably upset. We continue to work with the community, and emphasize that there is no place for hate in Hamilton County," she said in a statement.
"You will not win," Julian Cook, a pastor in Lincoln Heights, told our news partner WCPO. "You will not win. You may try, but we have a history of being able to push past these things, as difficult as they may be. You will not win."
