Dozens of Cincinnati officials attended a press conference Friday with a united message: the city is on the right track in addressing violent crime, and the viral fight that got national attention does not define Cincinnati.
Mayor Aftab Pureval denounced the politicization of the fight. Posts on social media first suggested the altercation was a random attack with potential racial motivations, leading to a political firestorm around the incident.
“We are a proudly diverse city with a large and vibrant Black community that is rich in tradition and in history,” Pureval said. “The racial dynamics of this fight are unavoidable, and some have cynically used the opportunity to try and divide us along racial lines. That is a choice we must firmly reject.”…