Clash of protesters puts national spotlight on small southern Ohio town of Bethel

[Ohiogal]

BETHEL, Ohio — A small town in southern Ohio is trying to recover after a Black Lives Matter protest was met with hundreds of counter-protesters, some armed with firearms and other weapons and shouting racial slurs, bringing an unwelcome spotlight to the town.

A video from Sunday’s protest posted on social media that has since gone viral shows a lone man surrounded by counter-protesters. He is struck in the back of the head by one of the counter-protesters with a police officer nearby, but no arrest was made. U.S. Sen. Sherrod Brown, D-Ohio, shared the video on Tuesday and questioned why police didn’t respond immediately:

More at

https://www.cleveland.com/nation/2020/06/clash-of-protesters-puts-national-spotlight-on-small-southern-ohio-town-of-bethel.html

[Ohiogal]

1. ....

“Another councilman, Ron Dunn, wants city leaders to issue a statement condemning what happened on Sunday, the Enquirer reports. He credited Black Lives Matters protesters for showing restraint.”

“To have such hatred and filthy things spewed at you and just to take it is very foreign to most people,” Dunn said.

[maxrandb]

2. Ohio was my home before joining the Navy almost 40 years ago

I'm telling you, my friends considered Cincinnati and it's surrounding areas as much more Northern KY than Southern OH.

We'd be better off if we just cut the 50 miles or so parts of OH that border KY, WV and IN off and gave it to those States.

I've been stationed all over this country, including the deep South.

The most disgusting, fundy, racist assclowns I've ever met were in southern Ohio.

Prideful ignorance runs deep there.

[Bayard]

3. Bethel is the next little town over

From where I used to live on the east side of Cincinnati.

I agree, I've lived and visited all over the place, and southern Ohio is the most racist I've ever seen (and that includes KY). The last few years there, 20 years ago now, saw race riots on the west side regularly. We used to call it DWB--Driving While Black, would get you pulled over.

Marge Schott, who used to own the Reds was one of the worst. She'd blurt our anything that entered her racist brain. They finally convinced her to sell the team.