People gathered on the University of Cincinnati campus Wednesday night carrying signs and chanting their support for Sam DuBose and others killed in officer-involved incidents.
DuBose was shot and killed by former UC police officer Ray Tensing in July, 2015. His second trial on murder and voluntary manslaughter charges ended in a hung jury last week. Hamilton County Prosecutor Joe Deters is expected to announce the week of July 10 whether he'll seek a third trial.
At the rally outside UC's Nippert Stadium, demonstrators formed a line chanting "hey UC, we're watching you" and "We don't care if you watch the game, just say his name: Sam DuBose."
Brian Taylor is with Black Lives Matter: Cincinnati and the Countdown to Conviction Coalition. He says in cases like the recent Ray Tensing retrial "there's an attempt to completely eliminate the question of racism."
He says that's the "big elephant in the room. Why do these stops happen? Why do these cops feel more inclined to be so-called fearing for their lives in encounters with black people than they do with others, some of them carrying arms, some of them violently resisting and they come out alive."
As for people who "are in doubt as to whether Tensing is guilty or not to understand the oppressed people in this city are crying out and telling you that's the case. And telling you that our daily reality is one of harassment and victimization."
Phyllis Banks of Golf Manor says she goes to every march she can. "It's important to me to see that justice has been served and police be held accountable for their actions."
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