The Daily Populous Sunday February 9th, 2025 evening edition
Authored by local12.com and submitted by AravRAndG

LINCOLN HEIGHTS, Ohio (WKRC) - A group of neo-Nazis was seen on Friday hanging a banner and flags off the overpass between Evendale and Lincoln Heights.

With Lincoln Heights being a historically Black community, their demonstration drew counter-protests. It was shocking for people coming home from work or school to see 13 men dressed in black waving white supremacist flags.

Lincoln Heights residents yelled for them to leave and set fire to one of their flags. They took a stand against white supremacists. While the neo-Nazis were there to spread hate, Jamaal Howard says he had his own message.

"They jumped into U-Haul [and] we pulled up on the bridge and grabbed a flag. As the people here, we burned the flag right over there," said Howard.

Howard was coming home from school and said that he couldn't believe what he was seeing. He's feeling intimidated.

"I'm like, 'Wow, are we still doing that in 2025?'" Howard said. "We just have to have some meetings about it because I'm fearing for my life, like I walk outside all the time, and now I have to be in fear just in case anything could happen."

Other local leaders received the same reaction from residents.

"This is a historic community as well, and these were people who had marched. Some of them had been with King and had been in that movement, and now they're seniors, and they're like, 'We can't believe that we're back at this point,'" said Hamilton County Commissioner Alicia Reece.

Lincoln Heights Council Member Deronce Daniels said that this protest will be top of mind at the next council meeting.

"I'm more proud than our residents for showing up and saying that, 'Hey, we're not going to allow anybody to come in and bully us in any type of way, especially in this moment,'" Daniels said.

He also wants to talk to the Hamilton County Sheriff's Office and Evendale Police for not breaking up the neo-Nazis' protest sooner. Evendale police said that although it was an "ugly display," it wasn't unlawful, and no arrests were made. Reece said that the only way to stop it is to take a stand against it.

"This isn't going to be the place where you're going to set up shop here, and I think we've got enough people that are willing to say, 'Hey, I'm going to speak out, and I'm not going to let this happen on our watch.'" Reece said.

A group called The Hate Club is taking credit for the demonstration. They were also behind the march in November in Columbus. The Anti-Defamation League Center on Extremism is tracking the group known for its black and red face masks.

The Cincinnati NAACP issued a statement that reads:

"Recently, in the area, there was a group of individuals waving a symbol of hate. We are aware of the presence, and based on the location they chose to display their message of hate, we question their residency in the City of Cincinnati. We will hold strong in our commitment to the unity and respect for people of all ethnicities, religion, gender, age, and sexual orientation. 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."

The Jewish Federation of Cincinnati said:

"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. 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," said the Jewish Federation of Cincinnati in a release. "We will not be intimidated. Our response to hate is to reaffirm our commitment to strengthening community bonds, advancing education, and advocating for a society free of antisemitism and all forms of hate and bigotry. We urge all citizens of Cincinnati to stand with us in rejecting hate and building a community where all people can live without fear or intimidation."

1leggeddog on February 8th, 2025 at 20:12 UTC »

They deserve worse than this.

There's paint you can spray on them that is very difficult to remove and allows you to identify them for later

SteveJobsBlakSweater on February 8th, 2025 at 19:55 UTC »

Finally some good news

13Petrichor on February 8th, 2025 at 19:23 UTC »

Respectfully, I don’t think simply chasing them out is enough anymore.