Firm backs up police's response, de-escalation to neo-Nazi demonstration near Cincinnati

Yahoo

28-05-2025

A consulting firm hired to review Evendale's response to a neo-Nazi demonstration near Cincinnati earlier this year widely backed up their officer's actions, saying police did the most they could to keep the situation from turning violent.
In a report from Illinois-based 21CP Solutions, released to media ahead of a 1 p.m. news conference May 28, the firm praised Evendale officers for making a number of in-the-moment decisions that "displayed excellent de-escalation skills."
"Without threats or harsh words, and without weapons or force, the officers quelled the chaotic situation by ordering the demonstrators to leave and asking, almost pleading with the community to retreat," the firm wrote in the report.
On Feb. 7, swastika-waving, armed demonstrators set up on an overpass on the border of Evendale and neighboring Lincoln Heights, yelling racial slurs at passerbys. A group of people, including Lincoln Heights residents, confronted the demonstrators, prompting them to flee in the back of a U-Haul.
Evendale faced sharp criticism from Hamilton County commissioners and Lincoln Heights residents following the demonstration. Concerns were raised over why the white supremacists were allowed to leave without any citations or arrests by police.
The firm generally supported what Evendale police and Hamilton County Sheriff Charmaine McGuffey have said since the demonstration: The demonstrators were exercising their free speech and acting within the bounds of the law.
An Ohio law that prohibits passengers from riding in the back of a truck does not appear to apply to this situation, the firm said. One section of the law prohibits riding in unenclosed cargo areas, while the U-Haul demonstrators left in was enclosed. Another section of the law prohibits riding in an enclosed cargo area if the tailgate is unlatched, but the demonstrators were seen closing the door when leaving the overpass, the firm said.
Still, the firm recommended Hamilton County Prosecutor Connie Pillich review the actions of the demonstrators for possible charges. Pillich said in February an internal task force of attorneys were reviewing the incident. The Enquirer has reached out to Pillich's office to ask about the status of her investigation.
The firm did fault a few of the department's actions, notably an Evendale supervisor's decision to pull into the parking lot of a Lockland school building within minutes of elementary school students being dismissed. The 10-year supervisor told the firm he thought the building was a church and was not aware it had been repurposed as a school.
"He indicated then that stopping there was a mistake, and he expressed extreme regret in making this mistake," the firm wrote.
More: Body cam shows how Evendale police reacted to white supremacist protest
Nearly all of the firm's eight recommendations for improvement to Evendale centered around getting more experience and training for the 19-officer department.
Body camera footage released after the demonstration showed police disagreed about the tactics and people were immediately frustrated with the response. It also showed what led to an Evendale police officer driving a demonstrator back to the site in an attempt to retrieve his "service animal," a dog, from a nearby car.
In the wake of the protest, Lincoln Heights residents took arms to defend their neighborhood, establishing their own armed neighborhood watch. The watch caught an infamous Kentucky Klansman who police said was littering "hate flyers" throughout the neighborhood.
More: Armed men are guarding the streets of Lincoln Heights, stopping cars and vetting passersby
The man, later found guilty during an outlandish trial, was ordered to pay a $149 fine. As of May 27, he has not paid and has been referred to collections, according to court records.
Lincoln Heights' neighborhood watch is still active, but the encounters with Klansmen and other concerns have died down, said Daronce Daniels, neighborhood watch spokesman and community activist.
21CP Solutions--Independent Investigation After-Action Review of Police Response to Events of February 7 20... by dferrara on Scribd
This article originally appeared on Cincinnati Enquirer: Report backs up Evendale police response to neo-Nazis near Cincinnati