CINCINNATI, OHIO – Vivek Ramaswamy has condemned a pervasive “anti-law enforcement culture” in American society following the release of a viral video showing several people being brutally beaten in downtown Cincinnati.
The former 2024 presidential candidate and Ohio Republican gubernatorial candidate spoke with Fox News Digital in an exclusive interview on Monday evening ahead of a Cincinnati town hall event on combating violence, saying he believes the Cincinnati beating “catalyzed a conversation in our state and frankly across the country about this issue of violent crime in the cities of the United States of America.”
He described the beating of Holly, a woman in the video who appeared to be attempting to intervene to help another victim, as “totally unconscionable.”
In the video, a group of people can be seen pummeling two victims, one of whom, a woman later identified as Holly, sustained “very bad brain trauma.” The incident occurred early on July 26 at the corner of Fourth and Elm streets, outside a popular nightclub.
Ramaswamy stated that he has been in contact with Holly since first reaching out to her to check on her well-being following the beating. He previously revealed Holly told him that no local elected officials contacted her following the incident.
“One of the reasons I wanted to reach out was just to see if we could help… but also to hear her perspective on the front lines of what she wants to see come out of this,” he told me. “The fact of the matter is she, and victims like her, want to make sure that violent crime like this doesn’t spread, that we’re able to use what was a tragedy, and it was a travesty what happened in Cincinnati, to be able to adopt policies that actually stop this reckless crime in our cities, stop the wave of violent crime in cities.”
Another angle of the fight shows a victim being beaten in the middle of the street while yelling racial slurs. Some claim that the male victim slapped one of the perpetrators prior to the fight, which sparked the beating.
Cincinnati Police Chief Teresa Theetge confirmed in a press conference that there are six victims. Six individuals have been charged with crimes, and four have been arrested. The city’s fugitive task force is looking for the two suspects who remain at large.
According to Theetge, only one of the approximately 100 people who witnessed or participated in the brawl contacted law enforcement.
Jermaine Matthews, 39, Dominique Kittle, 37, Montianez Merriweather, 34, and Dekyra Vernon, 24, were arrested for allegedly participating in the fight.
He stated that the United States should be a place “where Americans can actually feel just safe to go into their cities, have a good night without fear of getting beaten up or assaulted.”
“I don’t think that’s too much to ask of the greatest nation in history. “I don’t think it’s too much to ask in Cincinnati, Ohio,” he explained.
Regarding the vast majority of bystanders who did not intervene during the beating, Ramaswamy stated, “It is sad to see the anti-law enforcement culture, the anti-rule of law culture spreading across our country.”
“I think there are deeper issues relating to just people being agnostic to the rule of law, people being desensitized to this kind of violence,” he continued, adding, “At our best as human beings, that’s not who we are.” When such events occur, we feel compassion. Ignoring it does not demonstrate compassion. Ignoring is cruel.
He advocated for more “open dialogue” instead of “sweeping these issues under the rug.”
He stated that some have criticized him for bringing attention to the beating, claiming that “some of them make it seem like the bigger crime than the assault was actually noticing it.”
“I do not believe that’s the case. I believe that what we’re doing tonight will be the catalyst for people to come together. “Open dialogue, open discussion,” he clarified.
