U.S. Sen. Bernie Moreno was in Cincinnati Wednesday to meet with local leaders in the aftermath of a viral brawl Downtown last month. The meeting came roughly a week after Moreno staunchly criticized city officials and floated the possibility of withholding federal funding as a response.
The Republican met with Mayor Aftab Pureval, several Council members, and Police Chief Teresa Theetge, as well as county, state and federal law enforcement officials.
"Maybe that meeting started a little rough," Moreno said. "But it ended in a pretty good place. What we've committed to do is to work together."
Critics of Moreno accused him of politicizing the fight. During a news conference at the Cincinnati Fraternal Order of Police after Wednesday's meeting, Moreno struck a more conciliatory tone, praising the city even as he said Ohio needs to get tougher on crime.
He suggested longer mandatory sentences for violent crime, more efforts to increase the number of police on Cincinnati streets and more oversight of local judges who decide sentences.
When one reporter asked about studies suggesting mandatory minimum sentences don't seem to deter crime, Moreno waved the idea off and said his proposal was "common sense."
Moreno was joined by a woman injured in the now-infamous July 26 fight Downtown. She gave only her first name, Holly, citing concerns about her safety. She said the injuries to her head and neck could be permanent.
Video footage shows first a woman and then a man punch Holly. After the second punch, she crumples to the ground. At the news conference, she said she was distressed few people tried to help.
"The biggest thing that I think really upsets me is the desensitization of humans," she said. "There's a brutal attack, attempted murder, in front of you and people think, 'oh cool, let me get my phone and record it.' "
The man suspected of punching Holly, Patrick Rosemond, was apprehended in Atlanta Monday. He faces felonious assault and aggravated riot charges.
Moreno said his earlier threat of cutting off federal funding was a "blunt instrument" and one of the "few tools I have available."
He suggested Cincinnati isn't the only city that needs to get tougher on crime and that he didn't want to single the Queen City out.
"I hope we have record turnout for every single, solitary event that happens in Cincinnati for the rest of the year," Moreno said. "That's how we rise up as a community."
A statement from the mayor's office Wednesday called the meeting with Moreno "productive." Pureval and other city officials have defended their efforts on public safety.
"Throughout this entire summer, this administration, this Council, has been very clear and intentional about the challenges we face," he said Wednesday during Council's regular meeting. "We've acted quickly and proactively, and we will continue to do so."
You can find data from Cincinnati Police on crime levels at this page. Read this story for more about how to understand this data.
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