There are calls for more charges in a Downtown brawl that went viral. On july 26, a fight between a white man and a Black man triggered violence that was recorded and shared online.
Six people have been charged so far. City Council member Scotty Johnson says he's among those wondering why there haven't been more people charged.
“I think you heard the police chief say originally ‘everybody that perpetrated violence needs to be charged,’ ” he says. “I clearly saw a slap. That’s assault to me. I was an investigator for 13 years. That’s assault to me. And why that hasn’t taken place, that lies with the investigators.”
Video that appears to be early in the confrontation shows a white man and a Black man square off, and then back down. But then the white man slaps the Black man, triggering a melee.
Reverend Damon Lynch wants to know why all of the accused are Black.
“I can only surmise maybe the early narrative of it was just Black people beating up on white people, which is the video that has looped. Never showing what incited it. I don’t know if anybody knows yet. But those are the answers we are looking forward to getting.”
At a Monday morning meeting at New Prospect Baptist Church in Roseland, Lynch was among those asking for either charges against the white man who first slapped the Black man, or an explanation.
He points to videos of other fights at The Banks between white people, and says they don't get the same attention. He says race plays a big part of that.
“It’s played a long time in Cincinnati. It’s played in this country forever,” he says. “And it’s political season.”
Johnson, a former Cincinnati Police officer, says he’s heard from hundreds of constituents wondering about the lack of charges for the man they see as the instigator.
“Only those investigators in the police department can answer that,” he says. “It’s kind of baffling, but that’s where the answers lie: with them.”
The Hamilton County Prosecutor's Office says the investigation is continuing. The Cincinnati Police Department did not respond to a request for more information.
Mayor Aftab Pureval provided a statement saying he agrees with public frustration.
"I have been clear about my expectations that, in order to preserve both public safety and fairness, anyone involved in perpetrating the violence should be charged. Until all participants are held accountable, justice hasn't been fully served. And I'm grateful that community leaders and residents are continuing to come together to make their expectations clear. Our investigators have been working around the clock to deliver justice, and I appreciate their ongoing hard work. It is my expectation that additional charging decisions should be made as soon as possible, and that the public is fully briefed on all the ifnormation currently available."
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