After a mob brutally beat multiple victims in Cincinnati, a city councilwoman apparently applauded the violence.
When a Black crowd ganged up on a White man and woman in downtown Cincinnati during the early hours of July 26, witnesses simply stood by and recorded – capturing the chilling attack in a viral video.
Video of the attack shows a crowd surrounding several victims, pushing and punching them. They knocked a man to the ground, stomping his head on the concrete. Then he got up, and a woman intervened. The mob then targeted her – pushing her to the ground, where she hit her head. The woman, Holly, survived with serious injuries.
Cincinnati Council President Pro Tem Victoria Parks took to Facebook soon after, where she apparently applauded the violence.
“They begged for that beat down! I am grateful for the whole story,” Victoria Parks posted.
Cincinnati Council President Pro Tem Victoria Parks
Parks defended her post, WKRC reported July 30. Her term ends January 1, 2026.
Parks is a former Hamilton County Commissioner, where she labeled “Racism as a Public Health Crisis,” and made Juneteenth a paid holiday for county employees. She started a platform for youth to express fears about COVID-19, and introduced proclamations for Hispanic Heritage Month and Women’s Equality Day.
The Cincinnati Police Department recently arrested a third suspect in the beating, 36-year-old Jermaine Matthews. He faces charges of felonious assault, assault, and aggravated riot.
Matthews allegedly helped “purposely set up” the attack, according to Fox 19. Officials said the other two suspects, 34-year-old Montainez Merriweather and 24-year-old DeKyra Vernon, helped plan the “ambush.”
In response to “recent instances of violence,” Ohio Gov. Mike Dewine announced July 30 he was sending in the Ohio State Highway Patrol to reinforce Cincinnati police.
Mayor Aftab Pureval issued a statement July 28 condemning the “fight,” saying police would bring perpetrators to justice.
Sen. Bernie Moreno, R-Ohio, called the statement “late/weak.”
“Cincinnati is an amazing and spectacular City. It deserves political leadership that matches the greatness of its citizens,” Moreno wrote on X. “We need and deserve change.”
Dhillon emphasized federal hate crime laws apply “to ALL Americans.”
“Nobody in our great nation should be the victim of such a crime,” she posted to X. “Where race is a motivation, federal law may apply.”
Assistant Attorney General for Civil Rights Harmeet Dhillon said federal officials would “monitor closely how local authorities handle this attack.”