COVINGTON, Ky. — One officer is on administrative duty and an investigation is underway after Covington police arrested more than 13 people during a demonstration against ICE on the Roebling Suspension Bridge Thursday night.
Covington Police Chief Brian Valenti said officers were dispatched to the Kentucky side of the bridge at around 8:15 p.m. Thursday after receiving reports of people blocking the entrance. Video sent to police shows demonstrators appearing to block a driver attempting to get onto the bridge, standing in front of their vehicle and hitting the hood with their hands.
Valenti provided multiple videos, both from bystanders and officer body-worn cameras, showing the officers’ initial response, announcing over speakers in their cruisers that people need to get on the sidewalk or risk arrest due to unlawful disturbance.
Watch the entire Covington police press conference below (NOTE: There is offensive language used in parts of the video):
The police department originally said Thursday night officers attempted to talk to the protest’s organizers, “but were immediately met with open hostility and threatening behavior.” Organizers with Ignite Peace, the group that coordinated the vigil, told us they checked with all staff and determined no one with the organization had spoken to Covington police.
According to police, most of the “approximately 100” people got on the sidewalk, but others remained on the road. Police then got out of their cruisers, arresting more than 13 people, including two Cincinnati CityBeat journalists covering the demonstration.
One of the videos Covington police presented showed a demonstrator knocking pepper balls from an officer’s launcher as the officer went into the crowd. Later on during the police response, video from bystanders showed that same demonstrator getting punched repeatedly by an officer during arrest.
Valenti read from the officer’s use-of-force report, where the officer stated he attempted to fire pepper balls at the man’s feet and then “lower extremities” before he says he witnessed the man reach toward a bag at his waist, “believing he may be attempting to retrieve a firearm.” Valenti confirmed no firearms or weapons were found on the protesters arrested.
Body camera footage from that officer shows him chasing the man, who is running along the sidewalk and does not appear to have any weapon in his hand. The officer then grabs him near the ledge of the bridge. As the man grabs onto the railing, the body camera footage stops. Valenti said they stopped the clip due to the camera being too close to the man as the action is occurring.
WATCH: Footage shows the moment an officer began punching a protester during a demonstration on the Roebling Bridge
Video from a bystander and another officer at the scene shows the officer grabbing the man and repeatedly hitting him as he falls to the ground. In the body camera footage from another officer, the man can be heard yelling “ow” and “stop” multiple times as the officer’s fist hits his head while he remains on the ground.
In the use-of-force report, the officer — who was not identified — says, “(the man) continued to physically resist, actively concealing his hands … fearing that (he) might be attempting to access a weapon, and that the surrounding crowd opposed a threat to my safety, I delivered additional closed fist strikes.”
The officer was placed on administrative duty amid an investigation into his conduct.
Officials were asked about the journalists arrested during the protest. Videos from the protest show
Cincinnati CityBeat
reporter Madeline Fening, who previously worked as a real-time editor at WCPO 9 News, recording an officer as he puts the protester into cuffs and walks them to a cruiser. At that time, another officer walks up to Fening and begins to put her in cuffs.
Reporter Nick Swartsell, with our partners at WXVU, can be heard then walking over to the officer saying, “She’s press. She’s press. She’s a reporter.”
As he tries to talk to the officer, another officer begins blocking Swartsell, telling him, “Get back. Get back now.” He attempts to tell the officer he is also press, but the officer begins walking back towards the protesters.
Watch that moment below (NOTE: There is offensive language used throughout the video):
Valenti said Fening did not have any credentials on her and did not leave the roadway after the officers’ commands. A second person arrested, Lucas Griffith, appears to also be a journalist with CityBeat. His name matches multiple reports on the publication’s website.
Most of the people arrested, Valenti said, were from the Cincinnati area. WCPO was in court for the protesters’ arraignments and saw at least 16 people brought in for charges tied to the protest.
Covington Mayor Ron Washington said a “full and fair investigation” will be conducted into the events.
“I understand why many people are upset,” Washington said. “We are committed to transparency, accountability and maintaining trust between law enforcement and the public.”
Charges against those arrested include first-degree rioting — a felony.
The other charges include unlawful assembly, failure to disperse, obstructing a highway, obstructing emergency responders, criminal mischief, second-degree disorderly conduct and resisting arrest, all of which are misdemeanor charges.
“We respect everyone’s right to protest, but when demonstrations jeopardize public safety and violate the law, our officers must take appropriate action,” Valenti said.
WATCH: Our reporting on the protest and arrests at the Roebling Bridge
We reached out to Kenton County Prosecuting Attorney Rob Sanders, who said his office is in the very early stages of collecting evidence and reports related to the arrest.
“We do not pursue or decline charges based upon a defendant’s place of employment,” Sanders said in response to our question about any journalists arrested during the protest. “We will pursue charges against anyone who committed a crime that we can prove. If we do not believe a defendant committed a crime or that we lack sufficient proof, then we will proceed accordingly.”
Later Friday, Sanders spoke with Bill Cunningham at our media partners, 700WLW, and said he has over 58 body cameras from just the Covington officers alone.
“We pretty much stripped two counties of all of our police coverage for the all-call of the officer needs assistance to get down to the bridge and help get this situation under control,” Sanders said.
Sanders said he believed many protesters were looking for a conflict.
“I’m disappointed that anybody felt it necessary to provoke this confrontation, which is what I believe these protesters were very intentionally doing, is trying to provoke a confrontation with police,” Sanders said. “That’s the only thing that can result from shutting down a bridge on a state route.”
The First Amendment allows for freedom of speech, but
courts have ruled
that police have the authority to limit “time, place and manner.”
Sanders said protesters shutting down a bridge was dangerous for the group, motorists and police.
He said no officers were seriously injured, but police gear and personal property are missing or destroyed. Sanders said it’s likely to have fallen in the river during the conflict.
“There’s no reason that anybody should be up there protesting, much less fighting with police above the water,” Sanders said. “They need to find better places to hold their protest.”
In a release, the Cincinnati and Northern Kentucky chapter of the Democratic Socialists of America (DSA), a political organization, claims that Covington police “violently broke up the protest” and arrested people who were complying with officers’ orders to disperse.
“Some of those arrested were brutally beaten, with multiple protesters requiring medical treatment at a nearby hospital,” reads a press release from the group. “At least one journalist was also arrested by police despite continually signaling their status as a member of the press.”
In court Friday morning, all of the protesters arrested were given a $2,500 cash bond.
A statement sent to WCPO from Ignite Peace condemned the Covington Police Department for its actions Thursday evening, calling the interaction “police violence.”
“Ignite Peace believes we can build a nonviolent society and during the vigil we stood with people who believe that we are in difficult times, that we can be brave and that we must demonstrate and deepen this solidarity and commitment to nonviolence,” said Shannon Hughes, Ignite Peace executive director. “We are heartbroken by the police violence that occurred after the vigil and the inappropriate force with which peaceful marchers were met. We need to heal and to practice care for our community in our ongoing work toward justice and peace.”
