An African-American man was Cincinnati's most recent hate-crime victim when he was beaten with a nightstick and stabbed four times in the back while walking home early Saturday morning, authorities said.

        Theodore Jenkins' five attackers — all white men — repeatedly used a racial slur as they beat him in the 3900 block of Colerain Avenue in Northside, Cincinnati police said Saturday.

        Mr. Jenkins, 43, ran from the men. About 2:30 a.m., he called police from his nearby apartment at 1710 Blue Rock St. He had left his job at Pride Cast Metals Inc. in Camp Washington about 90 minutes before, authorities said.

        Police officers arrived to find the suspects gone. If caught, they likely will be charged with attempted murder or felonious assault, Hamilton County Prosecutor Mike Allen said Saturday. He promised to treat the attack as a hate crime.

        “You have to show that the attack had a racial motivation. If there was a beating and the use of racial slurs, one can easily infer ... that it was because of skin color,” Mr. Allen said.

        If convicted, the suspects are “looking at some serious time. It's obviously a very serious offense. It was totally unprovoked and senseless. It's (a case) that my office would prosecute vigorously.”

        Mr. Jenkins' recovery will help determine the charges. On Saturday, he was listed in fair condition at Good Samaritan Hospital. He did not want to talk to reporters, relatives said.

        Authorities, race relations leaders and an elected official said racism played a role in the attack. Some said it was the entire motive.

        “It's troubling that something like that could occur. It's troubling in that somebody, because of their race, could be attacked,” said Lt. Kurt Byrd, spokesman for the city's police division.

        Detective Paul Meyer said he was amazed that Mr. Jenkins didn't know his attackers.

        “It's an unusual thing,” he said. “Black-on-white (and) white-on-black crime of this nature — where they don't know (each other) and they come up and stab them ... that's very unusual.”

        The Cincinnati Police Division reported 30 hate crimes during a three-month period after April's riots. The most recent federal statistics indicate 233 hate crimes were committed in Ohio in 1998.

Infiltration of drugs

        Mr. Jenkins lives in an apartment behind a laundry. On Saturday afternoon, his neighbors did not recognize his name and were afraid to give theirs.

        They said the working-class neighborhood had changed over the years, becoming more drug-infested.

        Shadawn McCants, 23, of Bond Hill, has worked several years at a beauty shop across the street from Mr. Jenkins' apartment. The woman was surprised to hear white men had attacked Mr. Jenkins.

        Violence is not uncommon on the streets, however. People are “tired of dope dealing,” she said. “This region is infested with drug dealers.”

        But racism still was the root of the attack if a racial epithet was used, said African-American leaders.

        “It certainly sounds like hate crime to me,” said Gary Hines, president of the Hamilton-Fairfield-West Chester NAACP.

        “It implies that basically our country still is wrestling with the issue of race. While we wrestle, we need moral courage. There are people who want to reach out and hurt people because they're different. We need to hold people accountable. I would hope there are people out there who ... have the courage to stand up and say what they think and do the right thing.”

        City Councilman John Cranley said the incident reveals Cincinnati's ugly side.

        Mr. Jenkins “was a law-abiding citizen. This makes no sense at all,” he said. “It's despicable and I hope they get charged with a hate crime. Cincinnati is like every other city. It has its share of bigots. (But) I hope to God it's not part of a larger pattern.”

        “There's no excuse for this,” added Councilwoman Alicia Reece. “There is a judicial system that has to put its foot down and certainly punish those that commit hate crimes.”

        A spokeswoman for Cincinnati's Black United Front, a group created to improve race relations and fight inequities against African-Americans, wants the city's police Violent Crimes Task Force to aggressively hunt the suspects.

        “This is just part of the climate. To me, it's just indicative of where we are in Cincinnati. Where is this city going? I want to hear the outrage,” Juleana Frierson said.

        To leave an anonymous tip about Saturday's attack, call Crime Stoppers, 352-3040.

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