April 7 - 13, 2001
Saturday, April 7 -
Early in the morning when it was still dark, nineteen-year old Timothy Thomas was shot and killed by Cincinnati Police Officer Roache in Over-the-Rhine. He was being pursued for several misdemeanors, most of which were traffic violations (not wearing a seat belt was one of them). He was unarmed, and it looks like he had his arms up when he was shot, although the officer reported "it looked like he might have been reaching for a weapon."
Monday, April 9 - City Council meeting in downtown Cincinnati where Thomas' mother, people from Over-The-Rhine and other areas, members of Refuse and Resist!, the Black United Front, Anti-Racist Action, Citizens for a Humane Economy, and the New Back Panther Party were all present. There were over 200 protesters total. Mayor Charlie Luken, Police Chief Streiker, and City Council members were not adequately addressing the murder and the crowd was enraged. That night many people stayed outside of District One Police Station.
Tuesday, April 10 - Groups of people were congregating downtown, hanging out and talking with each other. There were several impromptu demonstrations, marches, and confrontations with the police. The police have used chemicals to suppress the people, rubber bullets, and bean bag pellets. A pregnant woman, a five year old child, and a ten year old have all been shot with either bullets or pellets along with many other people, both protesters and people going about their daily business. That night there was vandalism and some looting in Over-the-Rhine, the West End, basically only in downtown Cincinnati. The fires that were set were small, mostly dumpsters and garbage fires. One building was set on fire.
Wednesday, April 11 -
Similar to Tuesday, but tensions seemed to escalate. Mayor Luken mentions calling in the National Guard if the problem is not solved. He claims Cincinnati's 1,030 police officers are having a difficult time reaching all of the areas where incidents are being reported. The police are working 12 hour shifts rotated with 12 hours off. By Wednesday night and Thursday morning the looting and vandalism had extended past Over-the-Rhine and the West End to Kennedy Heights, Walnut Hills, Peebles Corner, Bond Hill, Madisonville, Norwood, Price Hill, and possibly more areas. Fires became more intense. One police officer and a Black man were shot. While there have been many updates on the officer's condition, there have been no further reports on the Black man's condition.
Thursday, April 12 -
There was not much action on the street during the day. The night before was full of shots and sirens. Mayor Luken brings in 75 members of the state highway patrol to help enforce the 8:00 pm to 6:00 am curfew in all of the city of Cincinnati, Norwood, and Cheviot (two smaller independent cities within Cincinnati). The National Guard is on call and is in negotiations with Governor Taft. President Bush has asked Attorney General Ashcroft to "look into the matter." The curfew is in place indefinitely, every night until they decide to lift it. Anyone found on the street that is not on his or her way to or from work is subject to arrest. There was looting in Western Hills Plaza during the middle of the day today but it has not been on the evening news. Mfume, the President of the NAACP came to Cincinnati, toured Over-the-Rhine, and declared that the city had ignored many of the faces in that community and they were demanding the city's immediate attention towards the issues of police brutality and police racism in Cincinnati. The police have murdered fifteen black men since 1995 in Cincinnati, six men since September of 2000! This is the highest murder rate by the police, per capita, in the country. Mfume compared the brutality in Cincinnati to that in Oakland. Officer Roache (the man who murdered Thomas) is currently on suspended leave with pay.
Friday, April 13 - Last night was quiet, although 200 people were arrested for curfew violations. There is an interfaith rally at Fountain Square. Curfew has not been lifted, although the National Guard was not called in. Eerily quiet last night. The mayor doesn't know what to expect. These events have become international news in Asia and Europe, and an action in solidarity is planned at the American Embassy in Germany.
[posted 4/15/01]
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