Cincinnati councilwoman stands by her remarks that white couple ‘begged' for ‘beat down' in viral brawl amid backlash
A Cincinnati City Council member is standing by her remarks about a viral brawl involving a white couple, despite outrage and calls for her to resign from community leadership.
'They begged for that beat down! I am grateful for the whole story,' Councilwoman Victoria Parks commented on a video of the violent incident posted on Facebook.
The brawl, captured by a camera phone, occurred on July 26 and involved a group of Black people, including men and women, having a dispute with a white man and a white woman who eventually came to his aid. The details of the dispute are not clear; however, the viral brawl ended with the white couple being punched and kicked to the ground. The pair reportedly suffered multiple injuries and a concussion.
Parks, a Democrat who has served in office since 2022, sparked public backlash from elected officials and a police union chief–some of whom called for her resignation. Her comments swiftly drew the attention of right-leaning and conservative outlets, with critics airing their grievances.
'It's unconscionable that an elected official would be celebrating violence in the very city she was voted to serve,' Cincinnati Fraternal Order of Police President Ken Kober told Fox News Digital. 'This highlights the poor political environment that police officers, residents, and visitors are currently enduring. Thankfully, there's an election in November. I urge voters to vote for change!'
Republican State Rep. Phil Plummer also called for Park's resignation, writing, 'Defending violent criminals who viciously beat innocent people is disgusting.' Plummer also appeared to point to the racial aspects of the incident by urging prosecutors to charge the suspects involved with a hate crime.
Councilwoman Parks was even criticized by a fellow Democratic Councilwoman, Meeka Owens.
'Making comments that inflame a violent incident is never acceptable,' Owens said in a statement. She said council members should not speculate on the motives of the fight and that Parks' remarks did not reflect the council's sentiments.
'The Councilmember is entitled to her opinion; however, it is not beneficial to the city nor the region when she advocates for violence as a means of retribution,' said Owens.
Parks, who had already announced in January that she was not running for re-election, did not appear to be phased by public criticism. She told Cincinnati's The Enquirer, 'In this country, we have freedom of speech; however, you may not run into a crowded theater and scream fire.'
The councilwoman told the outlet that someone in the brawl said something akin to screaming fire in a crowded theater. She did not specify what exactly was said, which caused her to say the brawl was justified.
'There are unintended consequences, but that's what happened,' said Parks. 'I'm just going to let people draw their own conclusion.'
According to reports, five people were charged in the incident for crimes including felonious assault and aggravated rioting.
During a trip to Ohio to promote President Donald Trump's 'Big, Beautiful Bill,' U.S. Vice President JD Vance called the suspects 'lawless thugs.'
'Take the thugs who engaged in that violence and throw their asses in prison,' said Vance, who once refused to acknowledge Donald Trump lost the 2020 election, and downplayed violent threats against Mike Pence during the January 6th insurrection.
Harmeet Dhillon, Trump's Assistant Attorney General of the DOJ's Civil Rights Division, suggested the assault on the white couple may have been motivated by race, and that suspects could also be charged with federal hate crimes.
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