CINCINNATI — The woman who was injured in a violent fight in Cincinnati is speaking for the first time about both her injuries and her pleas for change.
Multiple videos captured the moment Holly was punched in the face, knocked unconscious in the middle of the road at the intersection of 4th and Elm streets in downtown Cincinnati on July 26.
Since then, politicians like Ohio Sen. Bernie Moreno and gubernatorial candidate Vivek Ramaswamy have shared some of Holly's messages. However, she said she was not able to do an on-camera interview due to her injuries.
On Wednesday, Holly joined Moreno after his meeting with local officials to discuss her injuries and what she wishes to see changed.
Watch Holly's initial statement here:
Holly said she believed she was going to die in the moments after she was punched in the face by a man.
"I still am just shocked that I didn't, and so are my doctors," Holly said.
She said she's been to multiple specialists as she continues to learn more about her injuries, noting that her aunt is currently her caretaker as her brain "comes and goes."
"I'm in excruciating pain all the time," Holly said. "If it wasn't so important to be here today to ... be the voice for preventing this for the future, I wouldn't have left my aunt's basement in a dark bed with a blanket over my head. It's been horrible."
Holly said the worst thing for her has been seeing the punch recorded and shared repeatedly across social media.
"The biggest thing that I think really upsets me is the desensitization of humans where there’s a brutal attack, attempted murder, in front of you and they all think, 'Oh cool, let me get my phone and record it,'" she said.
She specifically said she hopes there will be a bill created that would penalize people who do not call 911 to save someone's life. Cincinnati Police Chief Teresa Theetge spoke previously about how CPD received only one 911 call related to the fight despite the large crowd.
"For us to get only one phone call of this incident is unacceptable in this city," Theetge said in her press conference in the days after the fight.
Holly also called for more police presence, something many local officials have discussed following the fight.
Mayor Aftab Pureval said last week Cincinnati's CDRT and SWAT, which have been deployed every single weekend, to expand through 4th Street, where the violence occurred. Additionally, a new bike patrol will monitor the Fountain District to increase visibility.
Moreno, who previously threatened to suspend federal funding for Cincinnati if local leaders did not "put together an action plan ... to protect the civil rights of their citizens," said his meeting with local officials — despite starting "a little rough" — ended "in a good place." He said Pureval, Theetge, Hamilton County Prosecutor Connie Pillich and more were all in attendance to discuss efforts on the local, state and federal levels.
One thing both Holly and Moreno spoke about was how one of the men charged in the fight, whom Holly identified as the man who punched her, had been out on bail at the time of the incident. Both said judges should make stronger bail requirements for specific crimes.
"Nobody who has that rap street should be walking the streets of any Ohio city free," said Moreno. "And we're gonna make certain that something like that does not happen again."
Moreno said he will be talking to state legislators about "Holly's Act," which will focus on raising minimum bail requirements for specific crimes.
