Former GOP presidential primary contender and Ohio 2026 gubernatorial hopeful Vivek Ramaswamy spoke about public safety at a town hall in Cincinnati's Riverside neighborhood Monday night.
The entrepreneur and ally of President Donald Trump announced the town hall after video of a July 26 violent fight on Fourth and Elm streets Downtown went viral. That video portrayed a man being beaten by multiple assailants as well as a woman being punched and apparently knocked unconscious. Details about that fight and what sparked it continue to emerge. Five people have been arrested in connection with the fight.
Ramaswamy, who grew up in Evendale, answered questions from supporters and those curious about his run for governor at Jim and Jack's, a restaurant and bar.
Attendees also heard from Hamilton County and Ohio GOP officials, former Cincinnati Vice Mayor Christopher Smitherman, former Cincinnati Bengal Anthony Muñoz, Cincinnati mayoral candidate Cory Bowman, and Sarah Heringer, whose husband, Patrick, was murdered in Over-the-Rhine earlier this summer.
Heringer's alleged killer, Mordecia Black, was out on parole after a nine-and-a-half-year prison sentence and had cut off his electronic ankle monitor when the murder took place June 4. Heringer lit into Cincinnati's current leadership.
"When he needed protection, this city gave him nothing, not even basic safety," Heringer said of her husband. "The city failed him."
"This is not rocket science"
Ramaswamy said the fact Black was on parole is an example of how the justice system needed to change.
"We need leaders who are going to act with spine... not sweeping these issues under the rug," Ramaswamy said.
Audience members expressed frustration with a perceived lack of consequences for crime. Some shared stories of loved ones who had been murdered or assaulted. Others recounted people close to them who hadn't been punished for breaking the law.
"Why are we giving people ankle bracelets? Is there not enough space in jail? How do we hold judges responsible?" one attendee asked.
Smitherman, a former city council member, slammed the current administration. He criticized Mayor Aftab Pureval for being out of town in the aftermath of the July 26 fight, and for remarks from council members about the incident.
Smitherman criticized an initiative that sends mental health professionals and other non-police on some calls for service, and what he called the "defund the police" movement.
Cincinnati hasn't defunded the police — about 32% of the city's operating budget is spent on policing. The department is down officers, however. Smitherman put the number of officers the city is short at 200. The city says it needs just over 100 more officers.
Ramaswamy mostly kept to broader issues in the justice system. Toward the end of the town hall, he hit on some wider conservative policy proposals as well, including lowering or eliminating property and income taxes.
"This is not rocket science," Ramaswamy said, calling for more transparency when it comes to sentencing decisions judges make, increased penalties for violent crime, re-establishing institutions for mental health problems and increasing support for law enforcement.
What are officials doing to reduce crime?
Mayor Pureval, Cincinnati Police Chief Teresa Theetge and other officials have pledged to continue efforts to reduce crime.
Cincinnati's crime increase this summer has been driven primarily by property crimes. Burglaries, for example, are up more than 6% citywide over the three-year average, according to CPD's latest crime data.
But violent crimes have fallen slightly over the three-year average citywide, according to the latest CPD citywide STARS report from July 26. That includes homicides. The three-year average as of July 26 is about 41; there have been 40 as of that date this year. Shootings are down about 24% year-to-date.
Much of the conversation centered around concerns with crime Downtown in the wake of the viral fight video. A July 28 report from CPD shows homicides and rapes year-to-date are down in the Central Business District over the three-year average. But some violent crimes are also up. Robberies and aggravated assaults have risen since this time last year.
Protests against Ramaswamy
Protesters gathered across the street from the town hall to voice displeasure with Ramaswamy and the way the July 26 incident has been portrayed by him and other national and local conservative figures.
Larry Feist is a Cincinnati resident who came out to protest Ramaswamy. He called the July 26 fight "very unfortunate" but felt it was a complex situation that has been used for political ends by Ramaswamy and others.
"They take one incident out of context and it's really, really upsetting," he said.
Some protesters were opposed specifically to Ramaswamy's gubernatorial campaign. Linda Miller came out because she doesn't like his conservative politics.
She said she's excited about the campaign of former Ohio Health Director Amy Acton, who is running for the Democratic Party's gubernatorial nomination.
"I like Amy Acton because I know that she's honest, she's sincere," Miller said. "She wants to work for the people of Ohio. She's not out to make a name for herself or enrich herself."
Ramaswamy mostly steered clear of explicitly addressing his run for governor. But he found an opportunity to make a jab at his potential gubernatorial opponent during his remarks.
"Never again are we going to bend the knee to an Anthony Fauci knock-off," Ramaswamy said, referring to Acton's position during the COVID pandemic.
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