-
Death of Roger Owensby, Jr.
Roger Owensby, Jr. was an African American man who died November 7, 2000 after running from Cincinnati Police officers. Officers Robert Blaine Jorg and Patrick Caton were indicted in the asphyxiation death of Owensby while he was in police custody. No one knows how he suffocated. -
The Cincinnati Black United Front
The Cincinnati Black United Front hosts meetings for African-Americans to register their stories of racial profiling by police in an effort to build a class- action lawsuit. -
Profiling Acknowledged
Chief Streicher acknowledges that racial profiling might occur but does not believe it is a widespread problem. -
Lawsuit Filed
A lawsuit was filed accusing Cincinnati Police of stopping African-Americans for no reason other than the color of their skin. It listed more than 30 African-Americans who claimed to have been mistreated or verbally abused by police in incidents going back to the Sixties. -
Timothy Thomas Killed
Cincinnati Officer Stephen Roach shoots and kills unarmed Timothy Thomas. Thomas was the fifteenth African American killed by Cincinnati police in five years. -
Tensions Flare
A group of citizens takes over council's Law and Public Safety Committee meeting. Chaos erupts, and protesters demand to know why Thomas was shot. That night, dozens of protesters break City Hall windows and gather outside police headquarters. Many police felt the allegations of racism were baseless. They complained that no one appreciated the dangerous job they did. -
Violence Erupts
Protesters overturn planters and hot dog stands, break windows and pull several white motorists from their cars and assault them. Police union leaders and widows of slain officers wrote letters to newspapers and went on talk radio to defend the cops. -
Violence Continues
Arson, assault, looting, property destruction and shootings occur in communities across the city. Officer Andrew Nogueira is shot. He escapes serious injury because his belt buckle and bullet-resistant vest absorb the impact. -
Police Stand Guard
Mobs move across city starting fires and throwing rocks and bricks. Police headquarters is locked down. -
Curfew
Mayor Luken declares a state of emergency and a citywide curfew beginning at 8 p.m. -
Timothy Thomas is Buried
Attending the service are Kweisi Mfume, president of the NAACP, Ohio Gov. Bob Taft, Martin Luther King III, Mayor Luken and almost all of city council. -
Moving Forward
Mayor Luken calls for the formation of Cincinnati Community Action Now, a task force on race relations. -
Investigations
A Hamilton County grand jury begins hearing evidence in the case of Mr. Thomas' shooting. The U.S. Justice Department announces a formal investigation into Cincinnati police's alleged pattern of excessive force violating the civil rights of residents. -
Police Feel Pressure
The first hints of a possible police slowdown start to surface. Arrests average about 65 a day this week, down from 85 the week before. Prosecutors and public defenders notice lighter caseloads. -
Cancellations
Organizers cancel the annual Pepsi Jammin' on Main, citing miserable ticket sales and the potential to lose money after protesters called for cancellation of the event. -
Civil Rights Investigation
Federal lawyers arrive from Washington, D.C. to start an unprecedented civil-rights investigation of the Cincinnati Police Division. -
Attempts to Settle
The first meeting is held in an effort to gather thousands of ideas from all groups in the city to form a settlement in the racial profiling lawsuit against the city. -
Violence Plagues City
Chief Streicher announces the formation of the Violent Crimes Task Force, a 70-member team of undercover and patrol officers to battle the dramatic increase in shootings and crime since the April riots. -
Boycotts
The Cincinnati Black United Front, calls for a boycott of Cincinnati, saying it is more about attracting attention to racial economic issues than trying to hurt specific local employers. Boycotts lead to cancellations of appearances by Bill Cosby, Whoopi Goldberg, Wynton Marsalis, Smokey Robinson, and Al Roker. -
Another Shooting
Rickey Moore, a 21-year-old convicted felon and schizophrenic, is shot to death in Millvale by Officer Thomas Haas in the first police shooting since Mr. Thomas' death. Although tensions flare, the city remains calm as evidence proves that Mr. Moore had clearly pointed a gun at the officer. -
Terrorist Attacks
The terrorist attacks on 9/11 diverted attention away from local problems in Cincinnati and some say that people forgot before real solutions took hold. -
Officer Roach Cleared
After a six-day trial, Municipal Court Judge Ralph E. Winkler finds Officer Roach not guilty of charges relating to the Timothy Thomas shooting. -
Curfew Reinstated
Mayor Luken reinstates curfew as streets are reported as being "extremely volatile" by Cincinnati police. -
Thomas Admits to Lying
Officer Roach admits that he lied about what happened the night of the shooting. He originally said that he shot Thomas because he believed he was pulling a weapon from his pants. Later he said that he was running with his finger on the trigger of his gun - a clear violation of department policy - and fired when he was startled by Thomas. -
Tips for Improvement
The Justice Department outlines its preliminary recommendations for change at the police division. The Feds want better policies and reporting of police use of force, more public accountability, improved handling of disciplines and better training. -
More Officers Cleared of Charges
A Hamilton County jury acquits Officer Robert Blaine Jorg of misdemeanor assault in the asphyxiation death of Roger Owensby. It's unable to reach a verdict on a felony charge of involuntary manslaughter, resulting in a mistrial. On November 2nd, Officer Patrick Caton is acquitted on an assault charge in Mr. Owensby's death. -
City Settles Lawsuit
The city agrees to pay $4.5 million to 16 plaintiffs who accused the Cincinnati Police Department of civil rights violations ranging from unlawful searches to wrongful deaths. Angela Leisure, mother of Timothy Thomas, was among those plaintiffs.
