CINCINNATI — Ohio gubernatorial candidate and Cincinnati native Vivek Ramaswamy is hosting a town hall Monday to discuss crime in the city.
The biotech billionaire announced on social media that former Bengals star Anthony Munoz and local business owner Sarah Heringer, whose husband was murdered in their Over-the-Rhine home earlier this summer, would be "special guests" at the event at Jim & Jack's hosted by Ramaswamy and former Vice Mayor Christopher Smitherman.
Ramaswamy first announced the town hall on July 30, days after a violent fight in downtown Cincinnati garnered national attention.
Police have arrested four people and charged two others after viral videos showed people punching and stomping on others at the intersection of 4th and Elm streets at around 3 a.m. Saturday, July 26. Officers have identified six victims, stating that their investigation remains ongoing.
Since the fight occurred, Ramaswamy and fellow Republican Sen. Bernie Moreno have made multiple posts and cable news appearances discussing the victims of the fight and claiming local leaders are "failing" the city.
"Leftists like to lecture about 'systemic injustice' while thugs turn our turn (sic) cities into war zones. I’m done with their excuses," Ramaswamy said in part while discussing the fight on X.
The 39-year-old was specifically called out for "politicizing and racializing" the fight by one local faith leader during the city's press conference late last week.
"The JD Vances and the Vivek Ramaswamys and the Bernie Morenos and the Christopher Smithermans and the many others who want to politicize it," Rev. Damon Lynch said.
Lynch said he believes the fight would not be national news if it included people of only the same race, "but obviously, it's national news because it's been racialized."
A counterprotest has been announced at the same time as the rally across the street at the Daniel J. Gilday Rec Center. In a flyer, the group Indivisible said the rally will "tell Vivek Ramaswamy Cincinnati doesn't want his divisive politics."
