A disturbing act of mob violence that took place in downtown Cincinnati Friday night has exploded into a national controversy, prompting calls for justice and accountability at every level of government. Harmeet Dhillon, Assistant Attorney General for Civil Rights, confirmed that the U.S. Department of Justice is now closely monitoring the case after video footage of a brutal attack on a white man and woman by a group of Black individuals went viral over the weekend.
“Our federal hate crimes laws apply to ALL Americans. We @CivilRights will monitor closely how local authorities handle this attack. Nobody in our great nation should be the victim of such a crime, and where race is a motivation, federal law may apply,” Dhillon wrote on X in response to Ohio Senator Bernie Moreno’s post demanding action.
Senator Moreno (R-OH) blasted Cincinnati Mayor Aftab Pureval for his silence on the attack, saying,
“The Mayor of Cincinnati, @AftabPureval, who has an opinion on lots of irrelevant topics, has not issued a statement, let alone a condemnation, of this heinous attack. Instead of dreaming about higher office, which will never happen, he should be ensuring his residents are safe.”
Our federal hate crimes laws apply to ALL Americans. We @CivilRights will monitor closely how local authorities handle this attack.
Nobody in our great nation should be the victim of such a crime, and where race is a motivation, federal law may apply. https://t.co/QeADELQMsZ
