Woke Dem lawmaker says victims of Cincinnati mass-brawl DESERVED to be beaten to a pulp

Daily Mail​

5 days ago

A Democrat member of the Cincinnati City Council is facing backlash after saying that the victims of a mass brawl in her city deserved to be beaten to a pulp.
Victoria Parks, 67, the President Pro Tem of the city council, sparked anger on social media after commenting on a story about a melee in the Ohio city's downtown area over the weekend.
The fight captured national headlines as a couple were set upon by a large group of people, with upwards of 100 witnesses gathering to watch the savage attack, but only one eventually calling 911.
In her comment on Facebook, Parks said: 'They begged for that beat down! I am grateful for the whole story.'
An outraged commenter responded to her: 'You are on the city council? And you make a statement like this?'
It is not clear what Parks meant by being 'grateful for the whole story', with officials yet to comment on what triggered the massive fight. Parks did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
The lawmaker has since faced calls for her resignation, although the 67-year-old said back in January that she would be retiring from the city council at the end of the year.
It comes as Cincinnati cops have arrested three people in connection with the brawl, and have issued two more arrest warrants as officials warn that more could be on the way for anyone involved.
Parks commented on a story about the viral fight, saying that the victims 'begged for that beat down' despite authorities providing no context on how the melee started
Parks has seen her social media flooded with outrage after sharing her remarks on the fight.
She has sat on the Cincinnati City Council since 2022, and previously sat on the Hamilton County Commission after taking over from Todd Portune, who she was chief of staff to before taking his seat.
In her County Commissioners role, Parks had what she called her 'proudest achievement' of officially declaring racism as a public health crisis, per USA Today.
Parks also led efforts by Ohio Democrats to exclude Donald Trump from the 2024 presidential election ballot in her state, saying he 'helped coordinate a violent attack on the United States Capitol building, hoping to overturn the results of a lawful presidential election.'
She presented the resolution to the Cincinnati City Council, which rejected her motion on a 7-2 vote.
Footage of the brawl Parks remarked upon quickly gained traction on social media as conservatives leapt on the attack on a white couple and an apparent lack of coverage from certain media outlets.
Cincinnati Chief of Police Teresa Theetge said during a press conference on Monday that she rejected the narrative and said some were only showing 'one version' of what occurred - but did not give any more context about the fight herself.
She said: 'Social media and journalism and the role it plays in this incident, the posts that we have seen does not depict the entire incident.
'That is one version of what occurred. At times social media and mainstream media and their commentaries are a misrepresentation of the circumstances surrounding any given event.
'That causes us some difficulties in thoroughly investigating the activity and enforcing the law. Social media posts and your coverage of it distort the context of what actually happened, and that makes it more difficult.'
Theetge also said that around 100 people descended on the brawl, but only one called 911.
'That is unacceptable to not call the police,' she said. 'Traffic was horrendous. People saw this. They were fighting in front of traffic. Why didn't people call us?'
Jermaine Matthews, 39, Montianez Merriweather, 34, and Dekyra Vernon, 24, were taken into custody this week in connection with the fight, and search warrants have also been issued for two other unidentified people accused of jumping into the shocking melee.
Matthews was charged with aggravated riot and assault, however charges against the other individuals are not immediately clear.
Daily Mail has contacted Cincinnati Police Department for more information on the charges, with Theetge adding that other arrests may come as cops continue investigating the clash.
'Anyone who put their hands on another individual during this incident in an attempt to cause harm will face consequences,' she said.
'I don't care which side of the incident or the fight they were on.'
Dekyra Vernon, 24, (left) and Montianez Merriweather, 34, (right) were also taken into custody in connection with the melee, with cops warning that more arrests could follow
In shocking footage of the fight, a man in a white t-shirt was shoved to the ground and beaten by two men as other members of the crowd jeered and joined in.
The gang beat the man for nearly a minute as he lay in the middle of the street, with the attackers appearing to step on his head multiple times.
When the barrage temporarily stopped, the man was seen attempting to stand - but immediately fell over in apparent disorientation. One attacker yelled out 'my man's drunk'.
A woman in a black dress rushed to his aid, but was attacked by the crowd, suffering two blows to the face.
The impact caused her to fall, with her head slamming onto the pavement. Blood spewed from her mouth.
The couple that were seen being attacked by the mob have not been named, although Ohio gubernatorial candidate Vivek Ramaswamy had identified the woman in the clip as 'Holly.'
He said on social media: 'I spoke to Holly earlier today (the woman tragically assaulted in Cincinnati this weekend).
'She's a single working mom who went to a friend's birthday party. It's unconscionable that there were no police present in that area of Cincinnati on a Friday night, or even an ambulance to take her to the hospital.'
Vice President JD Vance waded in on the clip captured in his home state on Monday, saying anybody involved should be thrown in prison.
He said: 'I don't know the full context, but the one part that I saw that was really gruesome is you had a grown man who sucker punched a middle-age woman.
'That person ought to go to jail for a very long time - and frankly, he's lucky there weren't some better people around because they would've handled it themselves.
'We have got to make great American cities safe again for families and children, the only way to destroy that street violence is to take the thugs who engage in that violence and throw their asses in prison.'