Thursday, May 06, 1999

Police, public vent anger in City Hall

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BY TANYA BRICKING
The Cincinnati Enquirer

Mikal Ali protested the police shooting of Michael Carpenter. (Tony Jones photo) | ZOOM |

        More than 100 uniformed Cincinnati police officers held a protest march at City Hall on Wednesday, clashing with almost as many counterprotesters who voiced their anger over a fatal shooting by officers.

        The dueling rally acted as a pressure valve for tensions that have been building since police shot a black motorist to death during a traffic stop nearly two months ago. But it did little to bring the groups any closer.

        The protest started as the police union's demonstration against City Manager John Shirey's decision to place the officers involved in the shooting of Michael Carpenter on desk duty while the investigation continues. What surfaced were sentiments that run deeper than a march against the city manager.

Officers lined the balcony of council chambers while FOP president Keith Fangman chastized City Mangaer John Shirey. (Tony Jones photo) | ZOOM |

        For some, it was a black-and-white issue.

        “Every time a black person is killed, they say, "Well, police followed procedure,'” said Morris Williams, 50, of Bond Hill, associate director of the Coalition of Neighborhoods. “But we haven't seen any white folks shot.”

        Some carried signs such as: “F.O.P. means Fools On Patrol” and “Driving while black is not a crime.”

        Police used their dress blue uniforms as their only billboards of solidarity, even though Mr. Shirey had asked them not to protest in uniform because they were not on official city business. Members of the Fraternal Order of Police (FOP) Queen City Lodge 69 marched because they see desk duty as punishment, and about 200 members voted unanimously last week that they have “no confidence” in Mr. Shirey.

INVESTIGATIONS

The city has not yet ruled on whether the March 19 fatal shooting of motorist Michael Carpenter was justified.   • Cincinnati's homicide unit has forwarded its investigation to the Hamilton County prosecutor's office, which will determine whether the shooting was criminal.   • The police division's internal investigations unit is evaluating the shooting in an administrative way to judge whether police followed proper procedures.   • The city's Office of Municipal Investigations, which reviews police matters, is expected to finish its report by next week.   • City Manger John Shirey ultimately will decide if disciplinary action needs to be taken, following recommendations from Police Chief Thomas Streicher Jr. and Safety Director Kent Ryan.

        Others rallied because they say they have no confidence in police.

        Mikal Ali of Evanston countered their silence with his megaphone, yelling “Goodbye, racist police” before the rally moved inside.

        The issue should be more about respect than about race, said the Rev. Duane Holm, executive director of the Metropolitan Area Religious Coalition of Cincinnati, an interfaith organization that addresses local social concerns.

        But police saw the main point as something different. FOP President Keith Fangman said it was about rank-and-file officers feeling they can no longer do their jobs and defend themselves without being disciplined or punished.

        Officer Terry Peirano, himself once involved in a shooting, urged Mr. Shirey to put Officers Brent McCurley, who is white, and Michael B. Miller II, who is black, back on the street. Some in the crowd booed when Gineen Enneking, a wife of an officer, told Mr. Shirey he should not “back down to certain minority groups.”

        Cecil Thomas, president of the Sentinel Police Association of about 250 black officers, came out of uniform to watch instead of protest. He said not all officers on the city's 1,000-member force agree with the FOP. He supports Mr. Shirey's decision to take officers involved in shootings off the street.

        Mr. Shirey said his focus remains on investigating the shooting. The criminal side is in the hands of the Hamilton County prosecutor's office. An administrative investigation is pending, as well as a report expected next week by the city's independent Office of Municipal Investigation.

        Mr. Shirey also is waiting for a report from police Chief Thomas Streicher Jr. about when police involved in shootings should be able to return to street duty. Current policy gives them three days stress leave and allows them to return after meeting with a police psychologist.

        Chief Streicher takes the issue personally. He shot a drug suspect to death in self-defense 20 years ago. He said three days' leave was not enough for him to feel comfortable back on the street.

        “I don't have all the answers,” he said. He is reviewing the way other agencies handle similar situations.

        He also said he is listening to the community. He watched Wednesday's rally from the back of the crowd. He stayed after his own troops filed out. He heard the counterprotesters vent about his officers.

        Ministers including Aaron Greenlea, president of the Baptist Ministers Conference, talked about people being angry over the latest shooting.

        James Muhammad, a minister of Muhammad's Mosque No. 5 and local representative of the Minister Louis Farrakhan, demanded an end to police brutality.

        William Kirkland, a Mount Airy man who represents the African-American Culture Commission, asked council to request an investigation into the Carpenter shooting by the U.S. Justice Department.

        Radio personality Lincoln Ware, a host on WCIN-AM (1480), compared the community reaction about Mr. Carpenter's shooting to the February killing by police in New York of an unarmed African immigrant with a barrage of 41 bullets.

        But when council chambers emptied, no one left with a clear solution.

        Democratic Councilman Tyrone Yates said police-community relations are eroding in cities across the country and communities must let citizens play a role in suggesting improvements for training and procedures.

        Republican Councilman Phil Heimlich said council is waiting for clear guidelines for what happens to officers involved in shootings.

        “When everybody knows the rules, there's no perception of unfair treatment.” he said. “I also think there's a need to speed up the investigations without compromising the quality.”

        If the rally made people feel better because they had their say, then it accomplished something, Mr. Shirey said. But he said it was destructive to the relationship between police and the community.

        “I think the FOP needs to reach out,” Mr. Shirey said. “I can't do it for them.”

        The Rev. Damon Lynch Jr., former president of the Baptist Ministers Conference, said it saddened him to see police show blatant disregard for authority in protesting Mr. Shirey.

        “Instead of community, the police are inviting chaos,” he said. “Instead of solutions, they are creating problems. Instead of order, they are creating disorder.”

        His group developed a brochure to help people learn how to deal with police after the 1995 televised downtown arrest of teen Pharon Crosby, which sparked accusations of racism and police brutality.

        “The next pamphlet the Baptist Ministers Conference should develop is not "What to do when stopped by police,'” he said, “but "What to do with the police.'”

       

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