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US Cincinnati City Declares Emergency, Curfew
Cincinnati City of Ohio State in the United States declared a state of emergency and announced a citywide curfew Thursday as riots over the police shooting of an unarmed black man stretched into the fourth day.
Only people going to and from work will be allowed on the streets between 8 p.m. and 6 a.m., Cincinnati Mayor Charles Luken said at a press conference Thursday morning.
Luken admitted the city is suffering from "a very legitimate and real problem with race relations."
"We cannot tolerate lawlessness ... the violence must stop and the violence will stop," he said.
"Despite the best efforts of the good citizens of our city, the violence on our streets is uncontrolled and it runs rampant," Luken said.
Officials in the city of 331,000 have considered asking the state to call out the Ohio National Guard, but no decision has been made.
The fatal shooting over the weekend of Timothy Thomas, 19, by a white officer sparked days of unrest, a federal investigation, and calls for accountability.
Thomas was killed as he fled Officer Steven Roach, who was trying to arrest him for failing to appear for misdemeanor charges and traffic violations.
Tensions between blacks and police have heightened in Cincinnati over the past few years. Since 1995, 15 black men died at the hands of police, including four since last November.
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