A large procession of vehicles made its way through Lincoln Heights and Evendale Monday to protest Feb. 7's neo-Nazi demonstration on the Vision Way overpass between the two communities.
The demonstration left Lincoln Heights, a historically Black community, on edge. The roughly dozen members of the hate group carried swastika flags and assault rifles and hung a white supremacist banner from the overpass.
Drivers at Monday's counter-protest painted their windows and carried signs with anti-racist slogans and messages like "we demand answers," a reference to questions about police response to the hate group.
Jason Reese is one of the organizers of the event.
"We witnessed a hate group come into this community and preach a message of hate," he said. "This is a message of love and peace."
Reese said the protest was vehicle-based for both practical and metaphorical reasons. The freezing cold was part of the equation, but there was more to it than that, he said.
"It makes it easier for elderly individuals to participate," he said. "It's also symbolic of being a vehicle for change."
DeRonda Calhoun was busy decorating a car with red, black, and green streamers in the moments before the event began. She said she was there to counter the hateful message the neo-Nazis brought with love and acceptance — and to show that Lincoln Heights isn't afraid of hate groups.
"We're supposed to be coming together," she said. "We're in 2025. We shouldn't be dealing with something we fought way back in World War II."
There was another purpose for the event: to advocate for answers to questions Lincoln Heights residents have about the law enforcement response to the neo-Nazi group. Among those questions: why none of the hate group members were cited for breaking any laws, and how their U-Haul truck ended up outside Lockland School after the demonstration.
Lockland Local Schools last week released security footage showing an Evendale Police cruiser pulling up to the school in the minutes after the demonstration. Shortly after, the U-Haul driven by the neo-Nazis pulled up behind it. The officer gets out, speaks briefly to the driver of the U-Haul, then gets in his cruiser, pulls into the school's parking lot and then drives away. The U-Haul then pulls into the parking lot as well before driving off.
In the statement, Lockland Schools says it was just minutes away from dismissal of elementary school students when the incident happened and that the district was not notified about the hate group being near — and briefly on — its property.
WVXU has reached out to Evendale for a response to Lockland Schools' statement and the security footage, but has not received a response yet.
Hamilton County Commissioner Alicia Reece was at the rolling protest Monday. She said Hamilton County Commissioners have asked the Hamilton County Prosecutor's Office, the Hamilton County Sheriff's Office, and Lockland and Evendale police to help compile a report about law enforcement response to the incident.
"All these questions that were asked, they need to be answered," she said.
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