Earlier today, I wrote about Cincinnati's shame. The shame was not that a group of youths viciously attacked a couple while laughing and filming the event. The acts were cruel and shameful, had these youths been capable of shame, but such attacks can take place in any large city. They are disgusting and symbolic of a sickness in our society, but not necessarily to be blamed on the city fathers.
No, what was shameful was the Police Chief's anger at the revelation of the event on social media, and the failure of social media and others' willingness to look for "context" that might mitigate or explain the event.
UNBELIEVABLE-
— Rochellemaryn 🌹🕊️ (@RochelleAz) July 29, 2025
Cincinnati Police Chief Terri Theetge is now attempting to downplay the attack on a group of white people at a jazz festival by black individuals. She blames social media for the fact that the urban decay in her own city went viral. pic.twitter.com/kHnZ3wdWVq
Evil things happen because human beings have evil within them. Most people don't act on their darker impulses or learn as they grow up how to sublimate the wolves within their souls. But certain people, and certain cultures that don't teach people to become civilized, do awful things.
Civilized people don't excuse these acts. They don't provide "context." Context for violence is knowing that self-defense is involved, or some other mitigating circumstances. There is no context in which gangs of youth assault a couple and film themselves laughing at the harm they are doing.
And civilizations that employ law enforcement officers who blather on about context, equity, and other irrelevant concepts rather than cracking down--hard--on barbaric behavior are agents of evil, even if they believe they are doing good. No civilization can survive if it excuses evildoers who are undermining it.
Dekyra Vernon, 24, and Montianez Merriweather, 34 pic.twitter.com/uoSpMe8YRJ
— The Facts Dude (@The_Facts_Dude) July 29, 2025
And yet...we learn that some of the perpetrators have been arrested--thank God. And we also learned that the male who was arrested was out on a bond of $400, despite being charged with multiple felonies.
Police had identified five suspects from a violent fight with a crowd of "100 or so people," at Fourth and Elm streets early Saturday, July 26. Multiple videos of the 3 a.m. fight Downtown circulated on social media over the weekend, raising concerns about safety amid the city's recent push to reduce crime in its urban core.
Merriweather was indicted on four felony charges on July 10 after investigators said he was found to be in possession of a stolen firearm. Court records show he is charged with carrying concealed weapons, receiving stolen property, improper handling of firearms in a vehicle and weapons under disability.
The last charge is due to a prior felony conviction in 2009 for aggravated robbery, the documents state.
In the weapons case, Merriweather was released after posting 10% of a $4,000 bond.
"He never should have been out," said Ken Kober, Cincinnati police union president.
He was a known felon who was recently arrested again and charged with four weapons-related felonies, and the judge let him back out on the streets with a $400 bond.
Imagine being a police officer arresting such a man--again--and knowing the judge will boot him out the door to commit more crimes even before the current case is resolved.
Imagine the couple--and all the other people--who get assaulted or live in fear of assault, because police chiefs, judges, politicians, and oh-so-compassionate liberals beg them to understand "context," and scold them for not submitting to the predations of the barbarians.
Actual social media comments made by a sitting member of Cincinnati City Council … pic.twitter.com/JXQkKjJCoS
— Cory Bowman (@corymbowman) July 30, 2025
We can have all the discussions about race, crime, poverty, culture, fatherless homes, and suchlike as you want. But while they may point to root causes of criminality, they don't tell us what we need to know about the decline of our cities.
To discuss that you need to look to the city fathers (and mothers), who allow barbarians to enter the gates and run wild.
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