Following a neo-Nazi demonstration that took place on an overpass in Evendale in February, many residents of the village of Lincoln Heights say they have started to feel unsafe within their own community.Founded in the 1920s, Lincoln Heights was the first self-governing autonomous Black community outside of the South within the United States.Now, after the rally on the overpass last month, many residents say that they feel that sense of autonomy has been invaded and that local police did not do enough to maintain order at the time. No one was ultimately arrested or charged in the neo-Nazi rally that took place on Feb. 7, leading to a great sense of frustration among many Lincoln Heights residents.”Lincoln Heights is our home,” said Lincoln Heights Safety and Watch spokesman Daronce Daniels in an interview with NBC News. “If someone broke into your home and you call the police and the police says, ‘You know if they do it again, they haven’t broken any laws, so we’re just going to allow them to break into your home again.’ What would you do?”In response to community frustration over how Hamilton County police handled the situation, the Lincoln Heights Safety and Watch program was founded by Daniels and others to offer more physical protection to residents in a manner that goes outside of traditional policing.The village of Lincoln Heights does not have an independent police department and relies primarily on the Hamilton County Sheriff’s Office for its police presence.”(The police have) been more than silent. I don’t know what else to call that. Like, that can’t happen nowhere else,” Daniels said.This perceived inaction has led to a public blowup in relations over the past month between the village of Evendale, which managed a significant bulk of the police response on Feb. 7 on the overpass, as well as the village of Lincoln Heights, whose residents feel like they were the intended target of the rally. Lincoln Heights leaders have even gone so far as to proclaim an official boycott of the village of Evendale that they urge its residents to follow until certain demands from village leaders are met. The village of Evendale has strongly pushed back on criticisms of the police response from that day.”The officers of the Evendale Police Department, Hamilton County Sheriff’s Office, and other agencies were responding to a dangerous and dynamic situation in which the highest priority was the protection of life,” wrote the city of Evendale in a statement to NBC News. “Our emphasis on de-escalation and public safety resulted in the incident’s resolution without injuries to any of the persons involved, passerby or law enforcement officers. During this evolving scene, protecting life took priority over immediate identification. We have forwarded all body camera footage to the Hamilton County Prosecutor for review as part of their ongoing criminal investigation.”Over the past month, much of the body camera footage has since been publicly released by officials, further angering some Lincoln Heights residents who told WLWT that they felt that responding officers were overly accommodating to the neo-Nazi group on the overpass.Now, the Lincoln Heights Safety and Watch program have begun to take to the streets to patrol the community, regularly open carrying weapons while donning black clothing and black masks that hide the identities of individual members.”We’re business owners, we’re fathers, we’re sons, daughters,” said one member of the group to NBC News.”It’s a duty,” said another.Members of the group say that their appearances are meant to protect themselves and their neighbors.”What is so intimidating about a Black man with a gun saying that I’m not going to allow a terrorist to harm my family?” asked Daniels in his interview with NBC. “I’ve never felt safer as a Black man in my community than I have right now. These are my friends. These are my cousins, my brothers, my sisters, my aunties.”Ohio state law allows anyone legally allowed to own a gun to openly carry their weapons in public without a permit.Another unidentified member explained why the group masks their identities while out in public.”Those Nazis — we have reports of them finding our backgrounds, so we’re not hiding ourselves from the residents, but we’re protecting our family from what we’re doing out here,” the man said.One local business owner who was verbally harassed with racial slurs by the neo-Nazis on Feb. 7 says that while he supports the Lincoln Heights Neighborhood and Watch, he is saddened that there is a need for the group in Lincoln Heights.”We don’t want to become what we hate,” said Eric Ruffin. “You know, we don’t want to become a group of people that walk around feeling like we have a reason in America to have to protect ourselves.”Throughout the village of Lincoln Heights, many signs can be seen in yards that support and promote the group.This display of public support has led the county’s top law enforcement official, Sheriff Charmaine McGuffey, to walk a fine line in her public comments about the Lincoln Heights Neighborhood and Watch. McGuffey, in an interview with NBC, said that she empathizes with residents’ fears, but that the group’s habit of open carrying guns throughout the neighborhood could also unintentionally lead to more trouble.“They feel they need to arm their residents, and they’re allowed to,” McGuffey said to NBC. “At some point, we are going to likely face a very dangerous situation that we are trained to handle. But the unknown is, who else is armed? How many juveniles are standing around with a gun in their hand? I cannot be more emphatic that this issue that we’re embedded in, and the way that people are reacting and acting with guns with open carry is directly related to the inaction of legislators who say they support law enforcement, who say they support families and order, and they do not.”
Following a neo-Nazi demonstration that took place on an overpass in Evendale in February, many residents of the village of Lincoln Heights say they have started to feel unsafe within their own community.
Founded in the 1920s, Lincoln Heights was the first self-governing autonomous Black community outside of the South within the United States.
Now, after the rally on the overpass last month, many residents say that they feel that sense of autonomy has been invaded and that local police did not do enough to maintain order at the time. No one was ultimately arrested or charged in the neo-Nazi rally that took place on Feb. 7, leading to a great sense of frustration among many Lincoln Heights residents.
“Lincoln Heights is our home,” said Lincoln Heights Safety and Watch spokesman Daronce Daniels in an interview with NBC News. “If someone broke into your home and you call the police and the police says, ‘You know if they do it again, they haven’t broken any laws, so we’re just going to allow them to break into your home again.’ What would you do?”
In response to community frustration over how Hamilton County police handled the situation, the Lincoln Heights Safety and Watch program was founded by Daniels and others to offer more physical protection to residents in a manner that goes outside of traditional policing.
The village of Lincoln Heights does not have an independent police department and relies primarily on the Hamilton County Sheriff’s Office for its police presence.
“(The police have) been more than silent. I don’t know what else to call that. Like, that can’t happen nowhere else,” Daniels said.
This perceived inaction has led to a public blowup in relations over the past month between the village of Evendale, which managed a significant bulk of the police response on Feb. 7 on the overpass, as well as the village of Lincoln Heights, whose residents feel like they were the intended target of the rally. Lincoln Heights leaders have even gone so far as to proclaim an official boycott of the village of Evendale that they urge its residents to follow until certain demands from village leaders are met.
The village of Evendale has strongly pushed back on criticisms of the police response from that day.
“The officers of the Evendale Police Department, Hamilton County Sheriff’s Office, and other agencies were responding to a dangerous and dynamic situation in which the highest priority was the protection of life,” wrote the city of Evendale in a statement to NBC News. “Our emphasis on de-escalation and public safety resulted in the incident’s resolution without injuries to any of the persons involved, passerby or law enforcement officers. During this evolving scene, protecting life took priority over immediate identification. We have forwarded all body camera footage to the Hamilton County Prosecutor for review as part of their ongoing criminal investigation.”
Over the past month, much of the body camera footage has since been publicly released by officials, further angering some Lincoln Heights residents who told WLWT that they felt that responding officers were overly accommodating to the neo-Nazi group on the overpass.
Now, the Lincoln Heights Safety and Watch program have begun to take to the streets to patrol the community, regularly open carrying weapons while donning black clothing and black masks that hide the identities of individual members.
“We’re business owners, we’re fathers, we’re sons, daughters,” said one member of the group to NBC News.
“It’s a duty,” said another.
Members of the group say that their appearances are meant to protect themselves and their neighbors.
“What is so intimidating about a Black man with a gun saying that I’m not going to allow a terrorist to harm my family?” asked Daniels in his interview with NBC. “I’ve never felt safer as a Black man in my community than I have right now. These are my friends. These are my cousins, my brothers, my sisters, my aunties.”
Ohio state law allows anyone legally allowed to own a gun to openly carry their weapons in public without a permit.
Another unidentified member explained why the group masks their identities while out in public.
“Those Nazis — we have reports of them finding our backgrounds, so we’re not hiding ourselves from the residents, but we’re protecting our family from what we’re doing out here,” the man said.
One local business owner who was verbally harassed with racial slurs by the neo-Nazis on Feb. 7 says that while he supports the Lincoln Heights Neighborhood and Watch, he is saddened that there is a need for the group in Lincoln Heights.
“We don’t want to become what we hate,” said Eric Ruffin. “You know, we don’t want to become a group of people that walk around feeling like we have a reason in America to have to protect ourselves.”
Throughout the village of Lincoln Heights, many signs can be seen in yards that support and promote the group.
This display of public support has led the county’s top law enforcement official, Sheriff Charmaine McGuffey, to walk a fine line in her public comments about the Lincoln Heights Neighborhood and Watch. McGuffey, in an interview with NBC, said that she empathizes with residents’ fears, but that the group’s habit of open carrying guns throughout the neighborhood could also unintentionally lead to more trouble.
“They feel they need to arm their residents, and they’re allowed to,” McGuffey said to NBC. “At some point, we are going to likely face a very dangerous situation that we are trained to handle. But the unknown is, who else is armed? How many juveniles are standing around with a gun in their hand? I cannot be more emphatic that this issue that we’re embedded in, and the way that people are reacting and acting with guns with open carry is directly related to the inaction of legislators who say they support law enforcement, who say they support families and order, and they do not.”
