LINCOLN HEIGHTS, Ohio — Village of Lincoln Heights Mayor Ruby Kinsey-Mumphrey says she is disappointed in — but not surprised by — Hamilton County Prosecutor Connie Pillich's determination that no charges will be filed against neo-Nazis who demonstrated on an overpass connecting Evendale and Lincoln Heights in February.
Despite that, Kinsey-Mumphrey said Lincoln Heights continues to grapple with the hate speech that was able to be spread so close to a historically Black neighborhood.
The mayor released a written statement Thursday, one week after Pillich announced her office could not find any "appropriate" charges to file against any of the neo-Nazi demonstrators.
It's been roughly three weeks since the Village of Evendale released the results of a third-party investigation that did find possible violations of the Ohio Revised Code; however, the press conference presenting the findings of 21CP Solutions, hired to complete the investigation, was cut short after Lincoln Heights residents began asking questions of Evendale officials.
"I am not at all surprised by it or by the response from the Village of Evendale," Kinsey-Mumphrey's statement reads. "In fact, both announcements were remarkably similar in their findings and tone. No mention of the Nazis not being identified? Did lawmakers really do their job? We don't see it."
The statement goes on to say that the presence of the neo-Nazis so near Lincoln Heights has impacted the predominantly Black community in a way residents don't feel has been fully understood by officials in the region.
Kinsey Mumphrey said the demonstration "was nothing short of ethnic intimidation," but no fault has been assigned to the neo-Nazis.
"Had this been an issue of property destruction, the outcome would have been much different," reads Kinsey-Mumphrey's statement. "But mental destruction doesn't even warrant a citation. Lincoln Heights may not have lost property, but we lost our sense of safety. This has set our community back decades. And still, there are no ramifications. From this outcome, what do we tell our children? How do we deal with their mental health in a world that is not like us? These are questions that we need answered."
She said the Lincoln Heights community is still terrified by what they experienced in February, but the law does not address those fears.
"The bottom line is we need laws that address racism when it creates fear," wrote Kinsey-Mumphrey. "As we celebrate today's 160th anniversary of Juneteenth, the residents of the Village of Lincoln Heights are asking themselves what, exactly, has changed for them. Are we really free? Has slavery really ended?"
Kinsey-Mumphrey isn't the only one who has called on lawmakers to impose legal repercussions for those like the neo-Nazis, who seek to spread hatred while wearing masks and openly carrying guns.
Hamilton County Sheriff Charmaine McGuffey called on Ohio lawmakers to implement harsher legislation for "hate speech" and to make it a crime to wear a mask while carrying a firearm for purposes of intimidation. Democratic Rep. Cecil Thomas also proposed an investigation into all police actions around the event, a review of all facts, and potential new laws if there weren't enough legal ways for police to disrupt the neo-Nazi gathering before people from the area could confront them.
"What we're going to do is look at all of that," Thomas said. "If there are some tweaks that need to be made, if there's language to make sure we don't allow this situation in the whim of a blink of an eye you've got a blood bath."
Pillich said last week that her office looked at multiple statutes, including disorderly conduct, ethnic intimidation, anti-mask laws, riding in the cargo storage area and unlawful congregation on sidewalks and public grounds. Her office could not find any prosecutable offenses, she said.
Pillich said while the rally led to traffic issues due to closed streets, "these resulted from actions taken by law enforcement" and therefore could not be considered disorderly conduct. She said there was one moment caught on camera that could be applied — video of an unidentified, masked neo-Nazi hurling insults to a Black man in a truck that pulled up next to them — however, Pillich said her office determined they do not believe "a successful prosecution" could have occurred.
Her office also determined that ethnic intimidation and anti-mask laws could not be applied because both require a predicate offense like aggravated menacing, criminal endangerment or criminal mischief or more — none of which the evidence they received could support.
Though the neo-Nazi's appearance was on Vision Way overpass, which connects Evendale and Lincoln Heights — and Evendale's police force responded — Kinsey-Mumphrey has said Lincoln Heights has not been brought to the table for discussion as often as community members feel is necessary.
In the weeks after the demonstration and amid doubts in the Evendale Police Department and the Hamilton County Sheriff's Office, Lincoln Heights residents chose to patrol their community themselves. Masked, armed men were seen patrolling the village, including the Vision Way overpass.
During a Hamilton County Commissioners meeting at the end of February, the Lincoln Heights mayor said her village did not have a say in which third-party firm handled the external investigation.
"We were not included," she told commissioners on February 25. "We're uncomfortable with who they chose; not to be in the room is truly the utmost disrespect. When (you) say you’re picking an independent investigator, you can pick who is going to weigh in your favor.”
The full 21CP Solutions investigation, which spanned 39 pages, did recommend Evendale and other nearby law enforcement make eight changes for the future:
- All Evendale police officers should undergo available OPOTA training in protest management and crowd control. Additionally, some members of the Evendale Police Department are members of the Hamilton County Police Associations Mobile Field Force team and SWAT team. Both of these teams receive ongoing specialized training in protest management and crowd control, therefore Evendale should designate these officers as internal trainers to share their knowledge and understanding of these important police activities.
- All Evendale police officers should undergo available OPOTA training as well as available specialized training in the constitutional issues police officers face in performing their duty. In this instance, the Evendale officers did perform well in recognizing and understanding the constitutional rights of all parties involved, but in interviews the officers stated they had not had any specialized training in these important topics other than the few listed above.
- The Evendale Police Department should draft and enforce a policy requiring members to be trained and tested on new equipment before it is permitted for use in the field. The confusion around the operation of the new BWCs fortunately did not hamper the recording of important portions of the incident, but the lack of understanding of the equipment caused some embarrassment and public criticism that could be avoided by better preparation in the future.
- The Evendale Police Department should amend their Body Worn Camera policy to forbid any item from being placed as an obstruction to the BWC’s view while recording is taking place. In this instance, a seatbelt obscured potentially important portions of the events that occurred. This policy revision should address seatbelts, clothing, and any other item that may obstruct the BWC. 21CP is not advocating the disuse of the seatbelt, but rather a placement of the camera so it is not obstructed while the seatbelt is worn.
- The Evendale Police Department should initiate a practice, governed by policy, of routine training refreshers on both agency policy as well as other key law enforcement topics, to ensure its members remain up-to-date and aware of critical issues that may arise. Although no notable policy violations were observed in this incident, the supervisors 21CP spoke with indicated they knew of the existence of policies but had not reviewed them recently and were generally unaware of what they contained.
- The Evendale Police Department should draft and enforce a policy requiring officers to notify neighboring jurisdictions any time an Evendale officer will take action or attend to an official law enforcement matter in a jurisdiction outside the Village of Evendale. Incorporating such a practice will enhance safety for the Evendale officers as well as provide immediate notification to the affected jurisdiction, thus enabling them to assist or intervene as necessary.
- The Hamilton County Emergency Communications Center, in concert with the Hamilton County Emergency Management and Homeland Security Agency, should consider developing and implementing a notification protocol for all schools in Hamilton County to be made aware of dangerous situations occurring that may present elevated risks for school populations. Such a notification protocol would empower school officials to make timely decisions regarding canceling classes, delaying dismissal times, rerouting of school buses, or other adjustments that would benefit school children in the area.
- The Hamilton County Prosecutor’s Office should review all conduct by the demonstrators while they were in Hamilton County, Ohio. Their conduct caused great upset as well as discord amongst and between communities. The rule of law must prevail, and persons who engage in outrageous but lawful behavior are protected from governmental action or retaliation. Conversely, persons that engage in outrageous behavior that causes the risks and chaos that ensured on February 7, 2025, deserve to have their actions reviewed and they deserve to be held accountable under the law if any violations are noted.
