Big Towns, Little Towns, And Civil Rights

BY DARICE CHAPEL
Miami University journalism student

With so much racial tension in the world right now, the issue of civil rights has become a much-talked-about topic in both larger cities such as Cincinnati, as well as small towns like Oxford.

Simpson out front

Last month, Cincinnati's Hamilton County Justice Center was the location of the high-profile case against former University of Cincinnati police officer Ray Tensing, on trial for his involvement in the shooting death of Sam DuBose. As the trial was going on, protesters gathered outside of the courthouse each day, seeking justice for DuBose. After 25 hours of deliberation, the jury was unable to reach a verdict, and the case ended in a mistrial.

Cincinnati City Council member Yvette Simpson, a 2000 graduate of Miami University and the first director of Miami's pre-law program, said was disappointed by the outcome. "You could not have predicted a mistrial," she said in an email interview.

As a city leader, a woman of color and a candidate in next year's Cincinnati mayoral race, Simpson took an interest in the DuBose case. As the jury deliberated inside of the courthouse, Simpson could be seen talking with community leaders and protesters who had gathered outside. "People were saying 'What now?,' " said Simpson. "In response to that reasonable question, I told them to feel their pain. Everyone has a concern if they get stopped by the police: Are they going to be safe?"

Now, with plans in place to retry Tensing in the spring, Simpson, a 2004 graduate of the University of Cincinnati College of Law, is following the case closely. "I am concerned, but we are telling people to breathe, remain calm, and focus on what we can change."

She knows that many people -- in Cincinnati and beyond -- are concerned about the possibility of civil unrest should the retrial end in a "not guilty" verdict.

"People have a right to protest and express how they feel," she said. "I am talking with all of our community leaders, our young people, and city residents, asking them to think and act differently than go with a gut reaction."

Oxford offers proclamation

The city of Oxford, meanwhile, is working to improve its own climate in regards to civil rights and inclusivity. City Council took up the topic at the start of its most recent meeting on Dec. 6.

Mayor Kate Rousmaniere, a professor of education leadership at Miami, offered a proclamation "to promote the peace, health and safety of all our people."

It calls for civility and mutual respect, along with "intolerance of bullying and marginalization, particularly toward underrepresented and vulnerable individuals."

In introducing the measure, Rousmaniere noted that "different community groups in the last few weeks have felt a renewed commitment to civil rights, civility, and mutual respect."

The groups that expressed interested in improving civil rights in Oxford, she said, were the Oxford unit of the NAACP, the Oxford chapter of PFLAG (Parents and Friends of Lesbians and Gays), the Community Relations Commission, the Interfaith Center, and the Oxford Friends.

Oxford community members packed the courthouse to hear the civil rights proclamation, and several community members clapped after its introduction.

On campus, meanwhile, this fall's presidential race triggered frequent and sometimes-controversial activism. In response, the university will host workshops in the spring to encourage open and productive dialogue.

Photos: The Ray Tensing trial drew protesters to the streets of Cincinnati. -- Photos by Darice Chapel