By Dan Yount Cincinnatti Herald
The Village of Lincoln Heights and members of the Lincoln Heights Missionary Baptist Church have initiated a public boycott Evendale after their frustration with the Evendale Police Department and Evendale leaders regarding the neo-Nazi demonstration that occurred Feb. 7th.
The Evendale Police Department provides protection for the village, as well as the Hamilton County Sheriff’s Department.
The Rev. Dr. Julian Cook, pastor of the Lincoln Heights Missionary Baptist Church, said at a Feb. 24th press conference at the church that no arrests or citations have been made by the Evendale Police Department in connection with the incident. However, he expressed appreciation for Evendale officials’ decision to hire a third-party team to evaluate their handling of the demonstration. Lincoln Heights Mayor Ruby Kinsey-Mumphrey said she and other community members were upset that they were not invited to participate in that decision or in a decision about releasing the videos.
Lincoln Heights officials are asking the public not to spend a penny in Evendale and are asking the police and leaders of Evendale the following:
*A full investigation, including all unedited footage from Feb. 7th.
*Support those affected by hate, including counseling of students who were traumatized by seeing the hateful demonstration
*A comprehensive plan for safety and accountability
*Accountability and respect, including the use of the Evendale public pool by Lincoln Heights residents.
“This is a Hamilton County issue, this is an American issue. So, once again, choose what side of history you’re going to be on. Are you on the side of Nazis and hate or are you on the side of being an American,” activist and Lincoln Heights Councilman Daronce Daniels said.
On Friday, Evendale City officials said that Consulting firm 21 CP Solutions (21st Century Policing), headed by former Philadelphia Police Commissioner Charles H. Ramsey, will be conducting their review.
“We owe it to our community and all those affected by Feb. 7 to learn from that day and strengthen trust,” said Evendale Mayor Richard H. Finan. He added all 16 hours of bodycam video from the incident would be publicly available for the community to review, and Evendale officers who assisted the Nazis demonstrators would face consequences.
Based in Chicago, 21CP has a former Cincinnati assistant police chief, Jim Whalen, as part of their team. The cost of bringing the firm in is about $70,000, according to Evendale Councilman Chris Patterson.
A dozen men carrying guns and waving flags with swastikas on them spent about 45 minutes on the overpass. Their presence drew a rapid response from residents in historically Black Lincoln Heights, creating a very charged and potentially violent atmosphere.
The demonstration ended when the White supremacists got into the back of a U-Haul truck and drove away.
“Our focus and our strategies and our efforts were entirely on public safety,” Evendale Police Chief Tim Holloway said. “Making sure everybody was safe, from the original demonstrators to the counter protesters that showed up and every motorist who just happened to be driving by and every employee of every business nearby.”
Lincoln Heights spends about one million dollars annually for policing from the Evendale Police Department. Hamilton County Sheriff’s deputies also patrol the community. Lincoln Heights leaders say this may be an opportunity for the village leaders to reinstate its police department.
Lincoln Heights resident Jennifer Gray said in the 1960s she witnessed KKK members burn a cross in a demonstration in the village’s school yard. Carlton Collins, a leader in The Heights Movement, added that the village residents have been resilient in fighting abuses for many years, including enduring the constant noise from the adjacent law enforcement shooting range
