By Julietta Bisharyan
CINCINNATI – Protestors arrested for breaking the 9 p.m. curfew here are charging—and video tends to support their claims—that they were abused and denied food, water and toilet facilities for more than 10 hours while they were detained at the Hamilton County Justice Center.
On Sunday night, the Cincinnati Police Department arrested more than 307 people during the city’s third day of protesting the killing of George Floyd. Protestors slept in the parking lot or sally port of the justice center—a double-gated area with four walls and no roof.
1️⃣9️⃣4️⃣ Cincinnati, OH: the casual banality of evil
— T. Greg Doucette (@greg_doucette) June 3, 2020
In one video posted on Twitter, a protestor recounts his experience being detained:
“They handcuffed us, brought us in, and they’ve had us sitting out here, outside, for about 10 hours now. They haven’t given us any water, any food, not even a f—ing blanket. Every time we ask them what’s going on, they just stare at us,” charged the protestor.
In the background, officers can be heard shouting at protestors, who are demanding food and water. The man recording the video says he has been handcuffed with zip ties the entire time, which has caused his hands to go numb.
“They’ve taken people in and people came back out crying, like they’re f—ing doing something to them in there. It’s not cool. We’re just f—ing pieces of work to these people,” he said, before ending the video. He expressed concern of getting caught recording by the officers, but asks that the video be shared to get the word out.
Another detained protestor, Darrel Glass, said that before curfew even started, the police were already tear-gassing people. On the bus that he and several others were stuck on, four different people soiled themselves because they were denied access to a bathroom.
The Hamilton County Sheriff’s Department spokesman, David Daugherty, responded by saying that it was not their intent for people to have such accidents. He also adds that there could have been a delay because the police were not organized.
“We’re in a COVID situation,” said one protestor, named Andrew Armein. “I don’t mind protesting outside but if you lock me in a bus with 60-70 other people with zero air flow, that’s not okay.”
Several protestors were asked to remove their masks while they were lined up outside the justice center. One man reportedly had trouble breathing, but the officers just laughed it off.
“When we knew we were going to be arrested, we immediately laid on the ground, hands over our heads, yet we were violently arrested,” added Andrew Watts, another one of the detainees. “I had a boot on my head,” he said.
One photo posted on Twitter shows the Cincinnati Police Department lowering the American flag at the justice center and replacing it with the thin blue line. The blue notably represents the color of the uniforms of many police officers; it’s largely considered a line that encourages officers to protect their own, no matter how they treat people.
1️⃣9️⃣4️⃣ Cincinnati, OH: the casual banality of evil
— T. Greg Doucette (@greg_doucette) June 3, 2020
Another video from Cincinnati shows officers refusing to give a diabetic woman her insulin, after she and her friends ask for her bag multiple times.
“If she doesn’t have her insulin, she will die,” urges the friend, as they sit at the edge of the sidewalk.
The officers in the video continue to stand around and ignore their requests. Some of them can be heard laughing in the background.
“I understand what a diabetic is,” responds an officer.
“I don’t think you do,” chime in multiple protestors simultaneously.
