Tarbell says that Cincinnati's lack of attention for years to economic development in poor neighborhoods is the underlying cause of the riots. Councilman Phil Heimlich, who had called for Shirey's firing months ago for alleged administrative shortcomings, said the riots were not Shirey's fault. Several black activists who addressed the council on Wednesday said Shirey and police leadership were to blame for problems contributing to the street violence. The activists held up signs urging that Roach, who has not been charged with anything, be sent to prison. In the suit, the American Civil Liberties Union and black activists accuse the city police of 30 years of harassing black residents on the basis of their race.
Police deny the allegations.
On Thursday, a federal judge presiding over the lawsuit signed an order to let the mediation process go forward. The order also provides for expert review of police procedures in Cincinnati and other cities and for resulting recommendations for improving the city's police-community relations. If an agreement is reached, it would be subject to approval by the Cincinnati City Council and the black activists who filed the lawsuit. Also Thursday, Mayor Charles Luken hired as a consultant Sylvester Murray, a former Cincinnati city manager, to assist the mayor's new commission on race relations. Murray, who is black, is a professor of urban studies and public administration at Cleveland State University.