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Residents of a historic Black community confronted a group of neo-Nazis waving swastika flags and brandishing a sign that read "America for the White Man."
According to CNN, roughly a dozen neo-Nazis wore all-black clothing and red face masks as they waved swastika flags on Friday (February 7) along a highway overpass between Evendale and Lincoln Heights, known as the first all-Black, self-governing city north of the Mason-Dixon Line. The group pinned red swastika banners on the fence overpass along with the "America for the White Man" sign.
Residents of the historic Black community approached the neo-Nazis as police officers stood in between them. The confrontation prompted the white supremacist group to back up and flee the scene.
“The protest, while very offensive, was not unlawful,” police said in a statement. “The protest was short lived in duration. The protestors left the area on their own. No further action was taken by the Evendale Police Department.”
Sunday's demonstration comes as white nationalist groups are becoming increasingly brazen with their hateful rhetoric and racist ideologies in Ohio. Last November, the White supremacist organization Hate Club waved swastika flags and shouted racial slurs through a Columbus neighborhood.
“We are underestimating the dangers of the police not even attempting to identify them. Who are they trying to protect? Because it isn’t us,” Kachara Talbert, one of the residents who confronted the neo-Nazis, said. “It could be another Hitler behind those masks. It could be a school shooter behind those masks.”
“The sign they posted said ‘America for the White Man’ and it makes me ask, what makes this group, that literally originated in another country, think they are more entitled to America than me and my folks?” she added. “This country was made of Black blood, sweat and tears, so why do these colonizers feel so comfortable?”
The Hamilton County Sheriff’s Office said officers responded to the scene and helped deescalate the situation, ensuring no one was hurt.
“Lincoln Heights residents are understandably upset,” a statement from the sheriff's office reads. “We continue to work with the community, and emphasize that there is no place for hate in Hamilton County.”
“This is not what we stand for, and it will never be what we stand for,” Cincinnati Mayor Aftab Pureval said in a statement. “Messages of hate like this have no place in our region.”
However, residents said they want more than just statements and are seeking accountability.
“Their statements talk about how hate has no place here, but no justice was served. These are terrorists we’re talking about,” Talbert said. “Seeing the flag being represented here and seeing the police stand there in what looked like unity, not disgust, made us feel like they’re saying what the Nazis stand for is OK.”
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