February 13, 2025
Lincoln Heights Leaders And Residents Baffled After Neo-Nazis Receive Protection From Ohio Police
Hate has no place in Lincoln Heights....
Black leaders and residents have an issue with the way armed and masked neo-Nazis were permitted to come together on an Ohio freeway bridge without consequences in early February 2025, NBC News reported.
Officers of the Evendale police and Hamilton County Sheriff’s Departments were seen shielding the threatening group from a mob of Black residents who were outspokenly dismayed by their presence between the Village of Evendale and Lincoln Heights, historically predominantly Black neighborhoods. Ohio police lieutenant Michael Steers said the reason no arrests were made was due to lack of any violated laws. Steers was one of several officers who held members of the neighborhood back while the racist mob escaped in a Uhaul truck.
In a statement, Evendale police said officers were led to protect the First Amendment rights of demonstrators. Regardless of the demonstration being held without a permit, it was still legal. However, Lincoln Heights resident Eric Ruffin said the community was frightened and it’s the police’s job to protect and serve. “Do you want a community you don’t feel safe in?” he asked during a village meeting.
After state Rep. Cecil Thomas (D-Cincinnati) called for an investigation into the matter, County Commissioner Alicia Reece agreed, feeling that racist demonstrators have become too comfortable, leaving residents having to protect themselves. “They had to go into their own house, get their own guns, go out there, and risk their own life,” Reece said.
“And they felt the only thing that happened was a defense, in their mind, of the Nazis.”
Rev. Julian Armand Cook of Lincoln Heights Missionary Baptist Church shared similar sentiments, expressing how “shocked” and “hurt” he was by the incident, which went viral on social media. “To see it show up at the gateway to this historic community, the first, the oldest Black self-governed city north of the Mason-Dixon Line, it is very clear what message it is sending,” the pastor said.
“So it was — I was angry. I was hurt. I was shocked.”
The history behind Lincoln Heights goes back decades, which could give those outside of state lines context as to why residents jumped at the opportunity to protect the community. According to WCPO Cincinnati, Lincoln Heights was the first Black-led incorporated city above the Mason-Dixon line, founded in the 1920s. Native Carolyn Smith, whose roots run deep as her grandmother was one of the first Black residents in the area, said in a community built on hard work, faith, and self-sufficiency, hate has no place in Lincoln Heights. “Lincoln Heights is a family-oriented community that will help anybody, that loves anybody. But you’re not going to come in here and disrespect us,” Smith said.
“That’s a no-no.”
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