Federal Civil Rights Division steps in after violent downtown assault sparks national outrage and criticism of city leadership.
The U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) has announced it will closely monitor the local investigation into a violent assault on a white man and woman by a group of black individuals in downtown Cincinnati on Friday night.
The incident, captured on video and widely circulated on social media, has ignited national attention and prompted sharp criticism of Cincinnati’s local leadership.
“This happened last night, at 4th & Elm during the Cincinnati Jazz Festival. How can this go on for so long, and there be zero police presence? Towards the end of the video, a grown man punches a woman in the face and knocks her out,” said Adam Koehler on X, sharing a video of a Black man knocking out a white woman on the street.
Harmeet Dhillon, Assistant Attorney General for Civil Rights, confirmed the DOJ’s involvement on Sunday, stating via X, “Our federal hate crimes laws apply to ALL Americans. We @CivilRights will monitor closely how local authorities handle this attack. Nobody in our great nation should be the victim of such a crime, and where race is a motivation, federal law may apply.”…