August 13, 2025
Since the viral incident, six people — all Black — have been charged so far in the street fight.
Black community leaders in Cincinnati are weighing in on why Black participants of the massive July 2025 brawl were arrested over white individuals, demanding that action be taken, WCPO 9 reports.
Rep. Cecil Thomas (D-Ohio) called on Black community leaders to join him for a meeting at New Prospect Baptist Church to discuss growing concerns related to the viral brawl in the downtown area. For the leaders that were there, Thomas said Cincinnati Police Chief Teresa Theetge’s failure to press charges on the white man who appeared to have slapped a Black man, allegedly starting the altercation, “raises serious questions on whether there is bias involved in the investigation.” “The Black community of this city demands to be respected, and until justice is fully served, this city can not and will not move forward,” Thomas said, met with applause.
Most of the speakers — including former juvenile Judge Tracie Hunter, Council Member Scotty Johnson, Vice Mayor Jan-Michele Lemon Kearney, and Pastors Damon Lynch and Leslie Jones — and members of the audience shared similar sentiments to Thomas. Lynch questioned why the person who allegedly instigated the brawl hasn’t been held accountable. “So, what incited and who incited the riot?” Lynch asked.
“If the riot is because of the slap, who incited the riot? And how are the only people charged — I’ll say it again — the ones who look like me?”
The Vice Mayor claims it shouldn’t be so hard to charge all persons involved. “It’s been over two weeks,” Lemon Kearney said, according to The Cincinnati Enquirer. “We saw that video. We saw who incited the violence.”
Since the viral incident, six people — all Black — have been charged so far in the street fight. In addition to the conversations about growing crime in the downtown area, the fight started discussions about the racial divide not only in Cincinnati but also within the country. Lemon Kearney bought it up, pushing a narrative that all persons involved should be arrested and charged, regardless of their skin color. “Everybody involved in that violence needs to be charged,” she said.
“And we cannot divide by race and say only the Black people are going to be charged, but we’re not going to charge the white people who incited the violence.”
Instead of being charged, white participants like Holly, a woman allegedly injured in the fight, were given the opportunity to speak out during a press conference hosted by Ohio Sen. Bernie Moreno. Moreno released photos of Holly’s injuries and spoke out about the incident, saying, “When I saw the video, I thought that woman had died.”
Other leaders, such as Vice President and former state Sen. JD Vance, and gubernatorial hopeful Vivek Ramaswamy, also spoke out against the violence. But Pastor Jones said now is not the time to use issues of the Black community against them for political gain, as Vance’s half-brother, Cory Bowman, is in the running for Cincinnati mayor. “Do not politicize our pain. Our communities are not battlegrounds for political agendas,” the pastor said.
“Our young people are restless and they’re watching,” said Jones. “Our community is restless, and they’re watching.”
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