Cincinnati councilwoman: Brawl victims ‘begged for that’ beat down

A lame duck Cincinnati city council member sparked outrage when she claimed on social media that the victims of a street brawl that erupted this weekend were asking to be assaulted.

The fight purportedly took place in downtown, at the intersection of Elm and Fourth streets, on July 27. Footage seemingly shows “a group of largely black assailants” targeting a “white man and a woman,” the New York Post reported.

“They begged for that beat down!” Cincinnati Councilwoman Victoria Parks, a 67-year-old Democrat, said in response to a video of the brawl on Facebook, according to Cincinnati.com. “I am grateful for the whole story.”

The disturbing remark was swiftly met with criticism, and many condemned the comments from Parks, a lifelong Cincinnatian.

“You are on city council? And you make a statement like this?” another Facebook user wrote, The Cincinnati Enquirer reported.

Amid concerns about a viral video showing a street fight in downtown Cincinnati, the Ohio State Highway Patrol will provide additional personnel to support the Cincinnati Police Department.

Unsurprisingly, the comments sparked a firestorm in conservative media.

“Cincinnati Councilwoman Victoria Parks (D-Racist) says the victims of that brutal attack over the weekend got what they deserved,” conservative radio show host Todd Starnes posted to Facebook. “What say you, America?”

Parks began her City Council term in January 2022. She previously served as Hamilton County Commissioner Todd Portune’s chief of staff from 2016 until 2019 and was named to fill his seat on the commission following his retirement.

“The violence we witnessed this weekend is unacceptable in our city and all of us must work to ensure it is never acceptable in Cincinnati,” Councilmember Seth Walsh said in a statement, WLWT-TV reported. “Councilmember Parks’ statement defending the actions of those involved in this weekend’s incident is deeply irresponsible and undermines the principles of public safety and community trust.

“As elected officials, we have a duty to lead with integrity, not to excuse harmful behavior,” Walsh added. “Cincinnati deserves leaders who condemn violence unequivocally and work to prevent it, not those who rationalize it.”

According to WCPO-TV, Parks announced in January that she would not seek re-election.

“The comments of one lame-duck member of Cincinnati City Council do not represent the opinions or perspectives of the council as a whole, and certainly not mine,” council member Meeka Owens said in a statement, WCPO-TV reported.

“I disagree with Victoria Parks’ comments. No one deserves to be a victim of violent crime,” Mayor Aftab Pureval told WLWT-TV.

“The violence we have seen is unacceptable and inaction is not an option,” Councilmember Mark Jeffreys told WLWT-TV in a statement. “While we let the investigation and law enforcement process play out, it is important that all elected officials and leaders in our community say clearly that anyone acting the way we saw in that video will not be tolerated in Cincinnati. Anything less than that from our leaders is a failure.”

Parks stood by her statements when contacted by the Cincinnati newspaper.

“In this country, we have freedom of speech, however, you may not run into a crowded theater and scream fire,” the council member told The Cincinnati Enquirer.

According to the report, someone involved in the kerfuffle allegedly made a statement similar to screaming “fire” in a crowded theater, but the councilwoman did not elaborate on her statement.

He was in a crowded theater, and he screamed fire,” Parks said. “There are unintended consequences, but that’s what happened.

“It’s a metaphor,” Parks said of her analogy of a crowded theater. “I’m just going to let people draw their own conclusion. That’s my statement.”