A city of Cincinnati employee has been fired after an “aggressive, derogatory, and disparaging” interaction with pro-Palestinian demonstrators outside City Hall in August.
The action was little comfort to the demonstrators who are still asking City Council to take a stand on the war in Israel and Gaza. Some say City Council should take a stronger stand supporting civilians in Gaza and Palestinian residents of Cincinnati. Three City Council members tell WVXU there should be no tolerance for hateful behavior, but they do not believe Council needs to take further action regarding the conflict.
"As a city, we hold all of our public employees to high standards, especially when it comes to acting with civility and mutual respect when interacting with one another, and especially with those we have the privilege of serving,” said City Manager Sheryl Long in a statement to WVXU. “When it comes to these matters, we will continue to appreciate, and act within, the disciplinary process provided by our governing rules, regulations, and labor agreements."
NPR Coverage: Middle East crisis — explained
The incident happened on Aug. 7 on the sidewalk outside City Hall. WVXU has reviewed documents released after a public records request, including the employee’s personnel file and disciplinary documents, as well as video of the incident from three different angles.
About three dozen people had gathered outside City Hall after the summer session of City Council. They were collecting backpacks and school supplies for local children, and several people spoke to the crowd about the current conflict in Gaza, calling for a ceasefire and humanitarian aid.
As a Palestinian American woman wearing a keffiyeh — a traditional Arabic scarf — was speaking, a man exited City Hall through the main doors and walked down the steps; he spit on the ground in front of her three times, then walked away from the building through demonstrators. He waved both arms above his head, then pointed at a child and made “a motion as if slapping” her, according to the city’s disciplinary hearing officer.
The woman who was spit at declined an interview but provided a statement on condition of anonymity:
"We cannot let hate and ignorance prevail. We must continue to speak out, even when it’s difficult and others try to silence us, because that is how real change happens."Teacher
“As a proud Palestinian American teacher, I was deeply offended and stunned by his actions. To be attacked with such hatred while advocating for justice — both for students here and for children in Gaza — was hurtful and entirely unexpected in a space meant for public discourse and free speech. His attempt to silence me wasn’t just an attack on my message; it was an affront to the values of empathy, justice, and humanity that I hold dear, both as an educator and as a mother," she said.
Demonstrators showed the video to security officers, who recognized the man as a city employee and helped forward a complaint to the City Manager’s Office. He was charged with violating Administrative Regulation 55, which requires city employees to behave in a responsible and professional manner. The employee says he only spit to get rid of phlegm caused by allergies, but also apologized for how he handled himself, saying he "snapped under the pressure of the situation."
“His actions were clearly disrespectful and unprofessional. They were aggressive, derogatory, and disparaging. His gesture toward the child was violent. This behavior and these actions reflect poorly on the City and are egregious because they occurred in front of City Hall towards citizens peacefully assembled. They paint the City in a bad light with respect to the 1st Amendment rights of its citizens and could impair relations with the public."Disciplinary hearing officer
The hearing officer recommended discipline of 120 hours suspension; the employee’s department head recommended an 80-hour suspension. City Manager Sheryl Long decided to terminate the employee instead. He can appeal the termination and it’s possible he will get his job back.
Contact information for the employee was redacted from the public records released by the city; WVXU attempted to reach the employee for comment through the union, but a representative of AFSCME Ohio Council 8 Cincinnati Region declined to comment and declined to pass along a message to the employee.
Jonathan Nortman is a local resident who works in Cincinnati and has been coming to City Council nearly every week since January to speak at public comment. He witnessed the interaction between demonstrators and the city employee, and draws a direct connection between what happened and what he sees as City Council's failure to act.
"He felt so comfortable to do it where he works, in front of City Council," Nortman told WVXU. "And I think that speaks directly to what influenced his actions, is that he felt that comfort to do so."
What Council has done
A few days after Hamas attacked Israel in October 2023, Council passed a resolution to declare support for Israel.
Council then faced months of pressure from hundreds of Palestinian advocates to pass a resolution calling for a ceasefire, and from Israeli advocates asking Council not to take further action.
In March, Council voted 7-1-1 to pass a resolution that supports a temporary ceasefire in the war between Israel and Hamas, falling short of what hundreds of residents had been requesting for several weeks. Council member Anna Albi introduced the resolution, which supported a specific six-week ceasefire that was under negotiations at the time (but eventually fell through).
Albi tells WVXU her resolution had two goals: “First was the intent to show City Council's full support of an end to the war in Gaza; however the two parties came to a negotiation and a peace treaty or cease fire, whatever that looks like,” she said. “The second purpose — which actually took up more of the page, literally — was really reinforcing what we want to see from our community in terms of being a safe, welcoming community.”
The resolution included:
- "That this Council hereby expresses its deepest sympathy for the civilian victims and all those affected by the horrific violence of this war in Israel and Gaza."
- "That this Council condemns all acts of violence committed against civilians, in Gaza, in Israel, and around the world."
- "That this Council condemns the many dehumanizing incidents of antisemitism and Islamophobia that have taken place, and also condemns the violence and rhetoric directed against Jews, Palestinians, and Arabs of both Christian and Muslim faiths."
- "That this Council hereby affirms Cincinnati’s status as a welcoming community for those of the Jewish and Muslim faiths, and all other religions, and encourages Cincinnati residents to offer support and condolences to members of these communities."
The measure passed with seven votes in favor. Council member Scotty Johnson opposed the resolution and Council member Jeff Cramerding abstained.
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A separate resolution authored by Meeka Owens called for a permanent ceasefire, citing the United Nations General Assembly’s resolution, "which called for an immediate humanitarian ceasefire, the protection of civilians, the immediate and unconditional release of all hostages, ensuring humanitarian access, and that all parties comply with their obligations under international law, including international humanitarian law."
This much longer resolution also laid out a series of events that includes polling and statements from federal officials supporting a ceasefire. It also included:
- "Whereas, the Council of the City of Cincinnati calls for a humanitarian ceasefire by both Israel and Hamas to find larger solutions for prolonged peace between the Israelis and the Palestinians so that innocent life may be spared."
- "That this Council affirms its condemnation of the attack on Israel on October 7, 2023, which was perpetuated by Hamas."
- "That this Council urgently calls for the immediate establishment of unrestricted humanitarian aid corridors to the Gaza Strip in order to preserve innocent human life."
Owens' resolution failed with four supporting votes (Owens, Johnson, Victoria Parks, and Jan-Michele Lemon Kearney), three opposing votes (Reggie Harris, Mark Jeffreys, and Seth Walsh) and two abstentions (Albi and Cramerding).
The resolution that passed got a mixed response from the public. The interfaith group Coalition for Gaza praised both resolutions with particular appreciation for Council member Owens; the Jewish Federation of Cincinnati released a statement praising Albi’s resolution.
Some pro-Palestinian protestors at the time decried Albi’s resolution, calling it a "mockery."
That includes Nortman, who witnessed the spitting incident and is one of a handful of people consistently urging City Council to do more.
"I've had Palestinian friends that have come to me and said that they have never felt a sense of community outside of their home in Cincinnati before," Nortman said. "And I guess that's one bit of like, silver lining here, is that enough of us screaming for the killing to stop has brought them some connectedness in a home where they had felt abandoned for so long. So, I'm happy about that, but I'll be even happier once our city and our country can stand on the right side of history."
What should Council do next, if anything?
Nortman says many more Palestinians have been killed since Council passed the resolution seven months ago, and Council should now pass a resolution calling for an arms embargo.
There has been no ceasefire agreement between Israel and Gaza for nearly a year. A top United Nations official said last week the entire population of north Gaza is at risk of dying; Israel's offensive — in retaliation for the Oct. 7, 2023, Hamas attack that killed around 1,200 people — has killed more than 42,000 Palestinians, according to Gaza's Health Ministry as cited by the Associated Press.
Council member Owens says her position has not changed: she believes that although the conflict is far away, the implications are felt locally and should therefore be addressed by local officials.
"I believe this Council has done what it could do in this moment, but I also think that there is more conversation that we need to have around being anti-hate in this community,” Owens told WVXU. “We unfortunately can't make the decision to end the war, but we certainly can model the behavior and the commitment to lasting peace that we want to see in other parts of this nation and the world."
Council member Mark Jeffreys provided the following statement to WVXU: "I am 100% supportive of the City Manager’s decision to terminate the employee. A city employee spitting at any type of peaceful demonstration in front of City Hall is unacceptable and will not be tolerated. However, I do not believe that the actions of this employee were prompted by previous City Council dialogue regarding the conflict in the Middle East, therefore, I do not believe any further action is necessary."
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Council member Albi says she does not think there’s a connection between the fired city employee’s actions and anything City Council has — or has not — said.
"I think the fact that the city took this so seriously so quickly, actually shows that that type of behavior does not have a place here in City Hall," she said.
Albi says Council’s role is to combat extremism and hate crimes/incidents across the city.
"The residents of Cincinnati are feeling the pain of the war in different ways, in their own ways, on both sides," Albi said. "How can we make sure that everyone here locally feels supported and not being targeted based on their identity?"
Albi says she and her staff will soon participate in a program through the National League of Cities called "Prevention Academy: Training City Leaders and Officials on Addressing Hate, Extremism, and Polarization." A representative of the Cincinnati Police Department will also participate. Albi says she hopes to learn from other cities and how they deal with hate incidents.
"And two, what are those strategies where we can, in a constitutional way, try to reel in the extremism we're seeing at the local level?" Albi said. "Because at the end of the day, all of us elected here in Cincinnati, and I'm sure I can speak for nationally as well, we want our residents to feel safe."
The program is partially in-person and partially virtual over the course of 10 months, starting in November.
