No violence has broken out in Cincinnati nor any arrests made after Wednesday's indictment and arrest of a former University of Cincinnati police officer on a murder charge, says the Cincinnati Enquirer. That officer shot and killed an unarmed motorist during a routine traffic stop earlier this month. While there has been a major rally in support of the dead man's family and to protest police brutality in general, it went off peacefully with Cincinnati police keeping a respectful distance as they ushered participants through the city. That's a far cry from the scenes in Baltimore and Ferguson after the deaths of unarmed black men during police-involved incidents. It was a much different sight than seen Cincinnati in 2001, when civil unrest broke out after the shooting of an unarmed black man by Cincinnati police.
“This is night and day different than it was in 2001,” said Charlie Luken, who was mayor of Cincinnati that year. “I clearly believe that the lessons learned in Cincinnati due to what happened then are showing themselves today.” Said Rev. Bobby Hilton of Word of Deliverance Church: “I don't believe Ferguson got this. I don't believe Baltimore got this. Cincinnati did.” Some black leaders say they are still being left out of the process. Many believe more needs to be done. And all say there are no guarantees if former university police officer Ray Tensing is found not guilty. Those on the front lines of Cincinnati's last major racial flashpoint say the collaborative agreement that changed police tactics needs to be revisited. That decree between civic leaders, Cincinnati police and the Justice Department mandating changes in the local police department was signed after the 2001 unrest. A federal court stopped overseeing the agreement in 2008, although several provisions are still in place.