Cincinnati mayor says he has not talked to victims of brutal beating, welcomes black preacher who demands they be arrested too

Cincinnati Mayor Aftab Pureval was asked by reporters if he'd spoken to victims of a brutal mob beating outside that captured national attention after videos of the incident went viral. "I have not," he said.

"I mean look, again, this was a fight, it was a horrific fight, but as Councilmember and others have said, we have significant other public safety challenges. We have children who are far too often the victim of gun violence. We have, oftentimes far too often, the perpetrators of the gun violence being children," Pureval said.

"We have violent crime like every other major city across the nation that requires our attention and our bandwidth," Pureval continued. "And so I don't traditionally meet or speak to every victim of violent crime across our city and that's consistent with my approach today."

Pureval stood by as pastor Damon Lynch said that the victims of the attack should also be arrested and their mug shots publicized. Lynch said that the incident should not be politicized, but that since it had been politicized thus far, he would do it as well.

"For those who want to politicize it, the JD Vances and Vivek Ramaswamys and the Bernie Marenos and the Christopher Smithermans and many others who want to politicize it, they have not yet said something that I always hear when a black person, say, runs away from the police and then is met with disproportionate force, sometimes ending their life.

"What we hear is, 'well, why did they run? Why didn't they just comply? We hear that every time," Lynch said. The man who was beaten by a mob of attackers, five of whom have been charged as nearly 100 stood around and watched, was not attempting to run from police.

Video ahead of the attack shows the man and another man beginning to have a physical disagreement that then escalates. A woman who was beaten and knocked to the group unconscious tried to help the man get up and did not appear to be part of the altercation. She shared photos of her injuries.

A city councilwoman said that the two who were beaten "begged for it." The "begging" she was referring to was when a man attempted to break up the two men, and the white man reached around and slapped the other.

"So let me back up," Lynch said, "So you understand this, two combatants, one black, one white. A black man steps in, breaks it up. The white guy reengages, slaps, not the black man that he had just squared up with, but slaps another black man. And nobody's asking: 'Why didn't he just walk away?'

"And so when I see, and I don't know who else the chief is looking for or CPD is looking for, but when I see the mug shots, I only see people who look like me. I don't see the person who reengaged, slapped not the initial person, but slapped another black man.

"So I don't see the slappers mug shot, and so sadly, I have to agree with those who are politicizing this and racializing this. I have to agree with the Smithermans, the Ramaswamys, the Marinos, Corey Bowman. This is racial because it is unequal justice, and so until we see all the mug shots, this is still a racial issue," Lynch said.

He then encouraged everyone to drink responsibly and get home safely.