‘This is not what we stand for;' Community responds after group displays swastikas on overpass
Roughly a dozen people put flags with swastikas on them on display over Interstate-75 near Lincoln Heights and Evendale. Local residents spoke with our news partner WCPO Cincinnati, saying hate doesn't have a place in their communities.
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'You will not win,' said Lincoln Heights Pastor Julian Cook to WCPO. 'You will not win. You may try, but we have a history of being able to push past these things, as difficult as they may be. You will not win.'
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Pictures from the scene show around six black flags with red swastikas in the middle. The people appeared to be dressed in all black, including black balaclavas and red face masks, according to WCPO.
'My message to the people that's spreading hate, what do you get out of it because God said love all,' said Charlene Evans, who lives nearby, to WCPO. 'Love all. In this community, we got every race. So we love all.'
Many of the people with the flags were also carrying rifles, WCPO says.
The group also displayed a banner with white supremacy messaging and symbols often used by white supremacist groups and the Nazi party, according to WCPO.
Cincinnati Mayor Aftab Pureval posted a statement on social media.
'Messages of hate like this have now place in our region,' Pureval said. 'It was shocking and disgusting to see swastikas displayed in Evandale today. This is not what we stand for, and it will never be what we stand for.'
Police were on the scene to keep the peace, according to WCPO.
'The protest, while very offensive, was not unlawful,' Evansdale police said in a press release to WCPO.
Officers were seen blocking traffic on the overpass' traffic cameras. Around 3 p.m. the people with the flags began packing their items into a UHaul. As this happened, a group of around 20 people broke past the police barrier and rushed the group with the flags, WCPO says.
We do not know if there were any altercations or if anyone was injured, WCPO says.
The Jewish Federation of Cincinnati issued a statement Friday afternoon.
'We are deeply disturbed by the reprehensible display of hate witnessed today at the Vision Way overpass on I-75, where individuals openly displayed Nazi symbols,' reads the statement from Danielle Minson, CEO of the Jewish Federation of Cincinnati. 'Such acts of antisemitism, racism and bigotry are an affront to the values of inclusion, respect and unity that define our community. Hate has no place in Cincinnati or anywhere in our society.'
The Cincinnati NAACP also responded to the incident.
'We will hold strong in our commitment to the unity and respect for people of all ethnicities, religion, gender, age and sexual orientation,' reads the statement from Cincinnati NAACP. 'It is well known that people receive messages and actions in different manners. The current executive orders and actions have angered many and emboldened others. This is not normal and should not be accepted as such. We are stronger together and we are calling on all to unify against this behavior.'
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