A group of approximately a dozen white supremacists and Neo-Nazis were driven off on Feb. 7 by groups of Black residents after the former tried to encroach on a historically Black community with a history of fighting racism.
According to CNN, the white supremacists wore all-black clothing and red face masks and waved large swastika-emblazoned flags on a highway overpass between Lincoln Heights and Evendale, Ohio. Another sign in the possession of the Nazis read “America for the White Man,” which seems to merely say the quiet part of “Make America Great Again” out loud.
After residents confronted the white supremacists, they quickly backed up, jumped into a U-Haul truck and left. Notably, at the scene of the confrontation, police officers ushered the Neo-Nazis into the U-Haul track and motioned for them to leave.
According to the police, “The protest, while very offensive, was not unlawful. The protest was short lived in duration. The protestors left the area on their own. No further action was taken by the Evendale Police Department,” the police department said.
Local residents like Kachara Tolbert, however, were critical of the reaction of the police, and some residents indicated that the Nazis used anti-Black slurs, including the n-word.
“We are underestimating the dangers of the police not even attempting to identify them. Who are they trying to protect? Because it isn’t us,” Talbert, one of the residents who confronted the white supremacists, told CNN. “It could be another Hitler behind those masks. It could be a school shooter behind those masks.”
Talbert continued, “The sign they posted said ‘America for the White Man’ and it makes me ask, what makes this group, that literally originated in another country, think they are more entitled to America than me and my folks? This country was made of Black blood, sweat and tears, so why do these colonizers feel so comfortable?”
Cincinnati Mayor Aftab Pureval also released a statement condemning the incident, saying that it was “shocking and disgusting to see swastikas displayed in Evendale today.”
Talbert also called out the milquetoast reaction from law enforcement, saying that because their reaction was so weak, it could embolden another group of would-be terrorists to return.
“Their statements talk about how hate has no place here, but no justice was served. These are terrorists we’re talking about,” Talbert said. “Seeing the flag being represented here and seeing the police stand there in what looked like unity, not disgust, made us feel like they’re saying what the Nazis stand for is OK.”
Talbert also recounted what drove her and other community members to act and to set fire to the flags brandished by the white supremacists.
“Anger and rage just came over me. I literally got there in about 15 minutes,” Talbert told CNN. “The Nazis were disrespecting my family, my lineage, my heritage. I took it very much personally. I needed to be there to take that flag down, and I needed to push those people out of our community.”
She continued, “I’ve watched Black men all my life in this community being frisked and detained without probable cause. But I didn’t see any rubber bullets that day. I didn’t see anybody getting shot, like during Black Lives Matter protests. I didn’t see gas. The calmness of the police overall, the way they were standing in front of them, it made us very upset.”
Talbert concluded, “When you have years and years of oppression and you have Nazi supporters in office, as police officers, judges, that is what’s making these people feel confident to do something like that. America needs to stand up and stop this madness, because it’s only going to get worse and it’s going to get dangerous.”
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