White couple assaulted by Blacks at Cincinnati jazz festival? What we know

Hindustan Times

7 days ago

Violence reportedly erupted at the Cincinnati Music Festival, formerly known as the Cincinnati Jazz Fest, with videos showing a group beating a man and a woman. The attack in Cincinnati took place at the intersection of West Fourth Street and Elm Street. Image for representation(Unsplash)
The Cincinnati police have said they are investigating the violence that broke out downtown, leaving at least two injured.
While the race of the victims has not been disclosed outright, they appear to be white people, and the ones doling out the pain appear to be a group of Black people. Some posts on X have called the attack racially motivated.
Republicans have already raised concerns about law and order in the state over the assault. Here's all that happened.
What does the video show, where the attack took place?
The attack took place at the intersection of West Fourth Street and Elm Street.
In the footage, a man whose identity remains unknown, can be seen getting repeatedly hit and kicked in the head by many people. He goes to ground, but the assault continues. When he tries standing up, as the attacks appear to pause, he falls over in apparent disorientation.
Later in the video, a woman is seen sneaking up on another woman who had gone to check on the man. While she grabs at this person, another man punches the woman who had gone to check in on the fallen man. The punch seems to knock her unconscious as she falls on the street.
It remains unclear if the man and woman were related to each other, and the video does not show the events leading up to the fight. However, cops said that the incident began with a verbal altercation involving some of the people in the video.
What authorities said about the attack
Cincinnati police Chief Terri Theetge, in a statement to WLWT said, 'I am in complete disgust waking up to the viral video many of you have now seen. The behavior displayed is nothing short of cruel and absolutely unacceptable. Our investigative team is working diligently to identify every individual involved in causing harm. It's also important to clarify: this was a sudden dispute between individuals following a verbal altercation. It was not connected in any way to the Music Fest. If you have any information related to this incident, please contact Crime Stoppers immediately at 513-352-3042.'
The Cincinnati Fraternal Order of Police – the cops' union body – also condemned the incident, saying 'The violence this video shows downtown is disgusting. What's equally disgusting is those who chose to watch and record instead of calling 911, attempting to defuse the situation or render aid. I have full faith in the Central Business Section Investigators they will make arrests in the near future. It will then be the responsibility of the court system to hold these violent thugs accountable.'
What politicians are saying
State Rep. Cecil Thomas expressed disgust at the incident, and said to the publication, 'It turned my stomach and I was angry and totally embarrassed to see such behavior, especially, during the Music Festival weekend that's has been historically free of such horrifying violence, not to mention a Reds home game. There are so many visitors from around the country currently in our city.'
'It's this kind of behavior that makes me wish I was still on the force. It's unacceptable under any standard and those involved should be prosecuted to the full extent of the law. Therefore as your State Representative, I trust that there will be a full and complete investigation of this incident by the Cincinnati Police Department and to bring charges against all involved. There's enough cameras in the area as well as cellphone videos to clearly determine how it started and who all was involved. I'm asking for anyone who may have information , including, cellphone footage to please notify authorities or call my office. 614-466-1645. All involved should be held accountable,' he added.
Cory Bowman, JD Vance's half-brother and the Mayoral candidate for Cincinnati, shared a clip of the incident and highlighted the gaps in the police force's functioning, while laying out his own plans for governance, should he become mayor,
'This is trickle-down incompetence from the Mayor, City Manager, the majority of the City Council, the Police Chief, and their advisors. Good people in the city, government, and police department are demoralized, feeling there's no hope for change,' he said.
Meanwhile, Vivek Ramaswamy, who was the Republican Presidential candidate in the 2024 primaries, and is also candidate for Governor of Ohio, commented on the matter, saying 'Reckless violence has no place in Ohio. Restoring law & order on our streets shouldn't be a partisan issue.' He invited the state's Democrat leaders to condemn the issue.
Notably, WLWT reported that Cincinnati Mayor Aftab Pureval has not commented on the matter.