More than 90,000 people poured into Cincinnati last weekend for a multitude of fun events that enhanced the Cincinnati Music Festival weekend: a night of hip-hop at the Andrew Brady, two nights of music at Paycor Stadium, the Black Music Walk of Fame Inductees Ceremony, the 513 Festival, the Queen City 5K, the Cincinnati Reds, and so much more. Hotels, restaurants, clubs, bars, and shops were overflowing with folks having a grand time. The CMF brings in more than $107 million in economic impact every year, and is one of the largest festivals in the United States. This year, there was one spoiler: a massive fight on 4th Street and Elm a little after 3 a.m. on Saturday, July 26.
Cincinnati Chief of Police Theresa Theetge said the mixture of alcohol and late night did not mix well when one man slapped another man, causing their verbal altercation to snowball into a massive streetfight. Five people have been charged, and the investigation is ongoing.
Cincinnati Mayor Aftab Pureval said in a statement July 28 that he is “outraged” by the viral clips showing a violent fight in downtown Cincinnati over the weekend of July 26-27.
“I am outraged by the vicious fight that occurred downtown,” Pureval said. “It is horrifying to watch, and this unacceptable and disgusting behavior is intolerable in any part of our community. That’s not who we are as a city.”
Cincinnati Police Chief Teresa Theetge said approximately 100 people were involved in the fight in downtown Cincinnati early Saturday morning. An anonymous witness reported that the situation actually started before the fight shown in the videos. The footage captured a White man, who, according to the witness, seemed to be intoxicated. Videos show that same White man arguing with a Black man, and then slapping him. The group fight then seemed to erupt.
Cincinnati NAACP President David Whitehead said, “A great weekend of events was be tainted by actions of a few. Our city is coming off an amazing collection of people for all ethnic, social, geographic, and economic backgrounds converging on one area..”
He commented on the viral social media posts saying, “There is a lot of information being shared online and within street conversations while the totality of the incident is being investigated. It is dishonest to make this incident into a political ploy. Based solely on the video, it appears that a lot of bad decisions were made. We ask that our law enforcement community do a full investigation and ensure that those involved are given their day in court.
“As is our duty, we want to make sure that who is perceived as the victim and who is the perpetrator is not predetermined. We also do not under any circumstances condone any violence as a solution, especially the type that occurred this past weekend. People must be better as citizens. You can’t policy or legislate stupid actions.”
Pureval said officials believe the incident was not connected to any of the major events downtown, including the Cincinnati Music Festival.
“Let me be clear: Cincinnati is an inclusive city where all can come together to enjoy major events in our urban core. … I want to thank our law enforcement for their thorough work, both to investigate this incident and to keep folks safe throughout our city this weekend,” Pureval said.
Whitehead emphasized, “We are one community.”
The brawl is all over the national news! Cincinnati has become extremely disturbing and violent.
This is why I don’t attend open events anymore. Hey Mr. Mayor clean up our city fast.
A lot of entertainment is in Cincinnati, Ohio.
Unfortunately a lot of violence too.
Our entire country is suffering g*n violence and random attacks
I glad no one was deleted in this situation.
SMH
Not a fight. A couple being attacked by multiple people .if the white guy started it with a slap then he deserved a punch back but not an attack by 10 people.
If you started a fight you aren’t able to determine the outcome.
Perhaps a lesson was learned?
Keeping it real