A neo-Nazi demonstration that took place Friday near Lincoln Heights is continuing to send shockwaves through the Cincinnati area.
The group of neo-Nazis, some of them armed, hung a racist banner and waved flags with swastikas on them over a bridge on I-75 between the predominantly Black communities of Lincoln Heights and Evendale. Later, counter-protestors arrived on the bridge leading to an exchange that caused the neo-Nazi group to flee.
Now some are calling into question the response from law enforcement at the scene. None of the members of the hate group were arrested, and according to Hamilton County Sheriff Charmaine McGuffey, an Evendale police officer gave one of the group's participants a ride to their vehicle after the hate group fled — though that vehicle was later impounded. Law enforcement claimed no arrests were made because the demonstration was considered lawful.
During a community town hall in Lincoln Heights Monday evening, residents expressed frustration with the police response. Hamilton County commissioners say those frustrations are justified and they want answers from law enforcement.
At a meeting Tuesday morning, commissioners said they'd be interested in investigating how Hamilton County deputies and Evendale Police officers responded to the incident.
Commissioner Alicia Reece says the optics around how police handled the situation and its fallout rubbed many in the community the wrong way by appearing to show preferential treatment to the neo-Nazis over their own residents.
"They stood up. They had to stand up for themselves. They had to protect their own family," Reece said about the counter-protestors. "And then all of sudden, I kept hearing 'Now, de-escalation.' There was no de-escalation talk when the Nazis set up shop. Uninvited. They weren't tax-paying citizens of Lincoln Heights and they were OK to set up, but when the community had to fight back and had no other choice, [police] focused on de-escalation."
Evendale did not send its police chief or a representative from the department to the Monday town hall in Lincoln Heights. Sheriff McGuffey defended Evendale Police Chief Tim Holloway's absence by saying the small department was reviewing body camera footage. The Village of Evendale's website says its police department employs 19 full-time officers and three non-sworn support personnel.
Following the incident over I-75, Evendale Police released a brief statement that read in part, "The protest was occurring on sidewalks designed for pedestrian travel. The protest, while very offensive, was not unlawful. The protest was short-lived in duration. The protestors left the area on their own. No further action was taken by the Evendale Police Department."
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Reece criticized the police department's statement on Tuesday, characterizing it as a hasty response that assumed the neo-Nazis didn't violate any laws and dismissed resident concerns.
"There was a press release by Evendale. Right away. It came out so fast, I said, 'Man, how did they type so quickly? It was after 5 o'clock. Most people left the office.' [The statement] already came out and said, 'Let me just say the neo-Nazis were peaceful protestors. The bad people were the citizens whose community was invaded.' They didn't say that part, but that's what they insinuated," she said.
County Commission Vice President Stephanie Summerow Dumas says Evendale Police need to answer the questions people in the community have. She told her fellow commissioners the department's inability to address the community's concerns is making an already ugly situation even worse.
"Evendale Police were nowhere around. They are the culprits in all of this," Summerow Dumas said.
Commissioners say they plan to bring the community's questions to law enforcement and put together a report. Commission meets again this Thursday evening, but said they would likely discuss their findings during one of their two morning meetings next week.
