Tell the Truth, Vivek

We don't know what precipitated or exactly what happened in downtown Cincinnati on Frida night/early Saturday morning. However, we do know that Vivek "the fake" Ramaswamy, running for the Republican nomination for Ohio governor, is right, and he is wrong. On Monday, Ramaswamy spoke to the young woman, Holly, who was assaulted and later that day stated

She’s a single working mom who went to a friend’s birthday party. It’s unconscionable that there were no police present in that area of Cincinnati on a Friday night, or even an ambulance to take her to the hospital. Hard-working Americans shouldn’t have to worry for their safety when they have a good time in our cities. Holly said not a single local or state official had yet reached out as of earlier this afternoon, other than one police detective.

Leftists like to lecture about ‘systemic injustice’ while thugs turn our cities into war zones. I’m done with their excuses.  As governor, I’ll make sure they’re behind bars, not running wild. Our cops will have the green light to restore order—no apologies. Holly appreciates the kind words and prayers from patriots across the country, and hopes that the publicity around her story ensures that local & state leaders clean up our failing cities. We hope to visit Holly soon as she recovers.

      

The mayor of Cincinnati is chosen in a non-partisan election. The incumbent is currently embroiled in a re-election race with Corey Bowman, the half-brother of Vice President J.D. Vance. The Representative for the city in the US House of Representatives is a Democrat but the governor, as well as the state's two US Senators, are Republicans. 

Those are the public officials who could have called the young victim, about whom the gubernatorial candidate has some concern. Yet, Ramaswamy blames "leftists" whom, he claims, "like to lecture about 'systemic injustice' while thugs turn our cities into war zones." 

Our cities, the congressional candidate contends, are "failing" and  being turned "into war zones" by officials unwilling, unlike himself, to give police "the green light to restore order- no apologies." Accountability, evidently, is so last decade. 

And so, ironically, is Ramaswamy, who raves about those "leftists (who) like to lecture about 'systemic injustice."" In what world is the Ohio Republican living in? As a resident of the USA, I've heard very few leftists decrying systemic injustice the last few years. And the phrase "systemic injustice" has nearly disappeared from popular discourse.

At :50 of its video above, the New York Post noted "It remains unclear what sparked it- but witnesses told WXIX that one of the groups made racial comments before the blows started."

We don't know which side made a comment about race before the brawl started. However, we do know that the white man and the white woman were outnumbered and being pummeled. Police chief Terri Theetge, noting that only one  of the "over 100 witnesses" called the police (at 3:06 a.m.) remarked

Nobody called the police. Nobody got us there as quickly as we could get there. They waited until they saw it on social media. That is unacceptable, to not call the police when you view this. Traffic was horrendous. People saw this, they were fighting in front of traffic. Why didn't somebody call us?

Presumably, the main reason is that individuals, particularly young people as most of these were, prefer to use their phone as a cameras rather than, well, as a phone.  There also is the bystander effect.

Nonetheless, there is a likely third reason. The criminal behavior appears to have a racial component- and the blacks present seem to have emerged relatively unscathed. That lessened the incentive for witnesses to call the police. Nor did any of the witnesses remain behind to speak to the police.

That lessened the incentive also for two other, prominent individuals to get involved. Whenever there is a hint of a bias crime committed against one or more blacks or a crime which may, just may, have been racially motivated, Benjamin Crump and Reverend Al Sharpton are at the scene in two shakes of a lamb's tail.

They are, of course, not in Cincinnati and for that, police and the citizens of the city should be thankful as law enforcement continues an exhaustive investigation.   Ramaswamy need not have called out Crump or Sharpton by name. However, for a  guy quick to condemn government officials, leftists, and "failing cities," he's awfully reticent to identify what's really going on. Seems about right for a Trump acolyte.

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