Name: Bethel police investigating 10 incidents after counter-protesters descended on BLM march
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Bethel police investigating 10 incidents after counter-protesters descended on BLM march

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Cincinnati EnquirerView CommentsUpdate June 15, 1:39 p.m.: The Bethel Police Department is investigating about 10 incidents that stemmed from a clash between counter-protesters and a Black Lives Matter march on Sunday including a protester being punched in the back of the head.Police officials said the group&nbsp;Bethel’s Solidarity with Black Lives Demonstration worked with police for several days to coordinate the event on Plane Street. According to a statement, police said they expected 20 to 25 people.More protesters than expected showed up bringing the total to between 80 and 100 people, then counter-protesters began making their way to Bethel as well."These groups included several motorcycle gangs, back the blue groups, and second amendment advocates," Bethel officials said in the statement.The crowd swelled to around 800 people, police estimated, included about 250 on motorcycles.The entirety of Bethel's police force, six officers, were at the event monitoring the situation and attempting to keep the groups separated and peaceful. A group of Clermont County Sheriff Deputies who planned to staff the event as well were called away, leaving&nbsp;only one additional deputy to help.More sheriff's deputies would arrive later as the conflicts escalated."Towards the latter part of the event, the various other groups began to move toward the Bethel’s Solidarity with Black Lives Demonstration area," the statement said. "This resulted in approximately 10 incidents. Those involved were removed from the scene and there are ongoing investigations concerning those incidents."Anyone who can possibly identify suspects or was a victim during the incidents on Sunday is being encouraged to contact the Bethel Police Department.On Monday morning, Bethel officials received one anonymous call saying bus loads of protesters were on their way to Bethel from Columbus, according to Village Administrator Travis Dotson.Dotson said the village has received at least one similar call previously and there is no evidence to suggest that this claim is true.As a precaution, Dotson and other city officials alerted local businesses and neighboring police agencies are ready to help if needed.[]Prior reporting: Clashes erupted between groups during a&nbsp;Black Lives Matter demonstration in Bethel on Sunday afternoon when counter-protesters rushed the demonstrators on Sunday afternoon.Multiple people captured the events in videos that were later posted to Facebook.&nbsp;Village officials say motorcycle gangs, back the blue organizations, and Second Amendment advocates tried disrupting the Black Lives Matter protest.Alicia Gee, a 36-year-old substitute teacher, was inspired to hold the demonstration after seeing an Instagram post about a similar event in Hazard, Kentucky."I guess in my mind, we only think about protests&nbsp;happening in the city. I've always gone to cities to protest.&nbsp;And then to see that something was happening in Hazard&nbsp;–&nbsp;I was like, if&nbsp;Hazard, Kentucky can&nbsp;have a protest, Bethel can have something," Gee said.Gee, who has lived in Bethel her whole life,&nbsp;is a member of an artist collective, with 15 other people that became her co-organizers for the demonstration.Gee is adamant that the event was not about protesting anything, but rather a demonstration of solidarity with the Black community. This was her first time planning a demonstration, though she had experience with event planning as a former children's minister.&nbsp;Gee created an event page on Facebook on Tuesday, thinking she'd be pleased if 50 people showed up.On Saturday night, she went out&nbsp;to the Plane Street&nbsp;to draw&nbsp;X's on the sidewalk so that demonstrators&nbsp;could remain six feet apart and follow federal social distancing guidelines.&nbsp;Around 2 p.m. Sunday, Gee received a call about a motorcycle gang lining both sides of Plane Street.&nbsp;The caller said they were all carrying guns. Gee tried to spread the word to the people she knew were coming and moved the demonstration two blocks down from its original location.&nbsp;The counter-protesters found them by 3:30 p.m, leading to the scene captured in multiple Facebook videos: the demonstrators&nbsp;standing&nbsp;with signs on one side of the street, while counter-protesters waving American flags and chanting "USA" stand on the other side.Gee said at first the counter-protesters largely remained on the opposite side of the street, with the exception of five or six people that walked up and down the sidewalk engaging in shouting matches with the demonstrators."I made it very clear to everyone that we were there to be peaceful. So when&nbsp;I saw (the counter-protesters) coming in, I turned around and&nbsp;walked ahead of them telling everyone, 'They're coming, clear the sidewalk, don't engage,' " Gee said.The counter-protests began crossing the street by 3:45 p.m. —&nbsp;an encounter captured in a one of the demonstrators.&nbsp;Dennis, 36,&nbsp;grew up with Gee, and she attended the demonstration with her mother, Lois, 63."I was really scared because they were carrying guns and they were so aggressive," Dennis said. "They were grabbing me and grabbing my mom and they just seemed to have no respect for the law."The Facebook&nbsp;video Dennis recorded&nbsp;shows a&nbsp;woman trying&nbsp;to wrestle a BLM sign away from one of the demonstrators. One man repeatedly shouts,&nbsp;“Don’t put that in my face” at the demonstrators.&nbsp;Another&nbsp;man with his face covered by a confederate flag rips a poster to the sound of cheering. Two men can be seen down the street&nbsp;carrying semi-automatic rifles.Police officers are seen standing between the groups of people."I think they stopped it as often as they could,&nbsp;but there was not that many of them compared to how many there were of us," Gee said.Roughly 250 motorcycles were occupying the intended demonstration area,&nbsp;around 2 p.m., village officials&nbsp;said.Since the original protest area was being blocked, protesters with Bethel’s Solidarity with Black Lives Demonstration were forced to move over a few blocks and&nbsp;by the time the event was officially supposed to start, between 750-800 people were now in attendance, village officials said.Officials said around 10 “minor scuffles” resulted from an incident between all of the groups.Those involved in the incidents were removed from the area.Investigations are ongoing and anyone with information or who might be able to identify victims and suspects is asked to call the Bethel Police Department.When the clash led to actual blows, Andrea Dennis and her mother&nbsp;started walking away. They had to pass through a group of counter-protesters to reach their car.“I knew there were counter-protests but I never dreamed that grown men would grab our signs and our person. It felt like we were walking a gauntlet,” Lois Dennis&nbsp;said. “I saw a side of America that shamed me.”Despite the experience, which Andrea Dennis described as one of the scariest things she's ever been part of, she said she would "absolutely" protest again."I think one of the biggest takeaways was that people in Bethel who care for Black Lives Matter, and care for the LGBTQ community and people of color, need to know that they're not alone. They have support and they can help grow this community," she said.Gee agrees."Bethel was founded with abolitionist groups," she told The Enquirer. "We were a stop on the Underground Railroad. Our first mayor was Ulysses S. Grant's father. And clearly we have moved away from those groups.&nbsp;I just felt like it was time that we get back to them and demonstrate that we aren't filled with white supremacy and hate."Our FOX19 media partner contributed to this report.View Comments

Cincinnati EnquirerView CommentsUpdate June 15, 1:39 p.m.: The Bethel Police Department is investigating about 10 incidents that stemmed from a clash between counter-protesters and a Black Lives Matter march on Sunday including a protester being punched in the back of the head.Police officials said the group&nbsp;Bethel’s Solidarity with Black Lives Demonstration worked with police for several days to coordinate the event on Plane Street. According to a statement, police said they expected 20 to 25 people.More protesters than expected showed up bringing the total to between 80 and 100...

Bethel police investigating 10 incidents after counter-protesters descended on BLM march

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