Mass Brawl in Cincinnati Sparks Outcry: ‘Insanity’

A mass brawl in Cincinnati, Ohio, has sparked outcry on social media and among local officials and politicians, with one Facebook page calling the fight “insanity.”

The brawl was posted to social media by a page called Signal 99, a Facebook page that describes itself as “spicy meme page for Cops, Firefighters, Medics and Dispatchers,” and which has also voiced support for Republican mayoral candidate Cory Bowman, Vice President JD Vance’s half brother.

The page posted several videos of the fight which show people roving the streets violently pushing and shoving individuals to the ground.

Newsweek has contacted Cincinnati Police Chief Theresa Theetge, Republican mayoral candidate Cory Bowman, as well as Democratic Mayor Aftab Pureval, who is running for reelection, via email for comment outside of regular office hours.

Why It Matters

The violent nature of the videos, as well as the presence of jeering onlookers, some of whom appear to try to intervene, has attracted significant attention online as well as among city officials. Cincinnati City Councilman Mark Jeffreys posted to Facebook saying footage of the fight was “incredibly disturbing and horrific.”

Several comments, below the videos, say the brawl was racially motivated. Newsweek could not confirm this, and it is not clear who or what started the fight.

What To Know

A police vehicle flashes its lights in Philadelphia, Monday, Jan. 17, 2022. This photo is unrelated to the brawl.

Matt Rourke, File/AP Photo

The fight, per Signal 99, occurred during the Cincinnati Jazz Fest and a Cincinnati Reds game, resulting in a large crowd downtown.

According to the videos posted by Signal 99, the fight broke out downtown on July 25 amid large Friday night crowds. Police Chief Teresa Theetge has said the fight had nothing to do with the Jazz Festival, per the Cincinnati Enquirer.

Theetge said in a statement that the fight began after a “verbal altercation.”

She said: “Our investigative team is working diligently to identify every individual involved in causing harm.”

Multiple videos posted online of Friday’s fight show a large group of young-looking men and women, picking on people seemingly at random and punching, kicking, and throwing them to the ground. Other people are seen trying to intervene to stop the violence.

One video shows a man in white trousers and a green shirt get attacked from behind and fall into the road. As he falls it looks, like he hits his head on a parked car. He then gets dragged by the leg into the middle of the road in front of a stationary car. The video shows passersby and onlookers filming on their phones and cheering.

Another video shows a middle-aged man getting his head kicked by people in the middle of the road.

Mayoral candidate Bowman reposted a video of the brawl put on Facebook by the Hamilton County Republican Party, which captioned the video: “This is why we need to elect Cory Bowman this November.”

What People Are Saying

Police Chief Teresa Theetge said in a statement per the Cincinnati Enquirer: “I am in complete disgust waking up to the viral video many of you have now seen. The behavior displayed is nothing short of cruel and absolutely unacceptable.”

Cincinnati City Councilman Mark Jeffreys said on Facebook: “This behavior cannot stand and will not represent our city. Those responsible must be held accountable and prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law.”

Ohio State Representative Cecil Thomas, a Democrat, told local outlets in a statement that he was “totally embarrassed to see such behavior…”

Signal 99 on Facebook: “More and more videos emerging…this is insanity.”