Cincinnnati NAACP president Christopher Smitherman, “Smitherman on the Mic,” WBDZ-AM, 3/28/09:
“Now this is related to Christopher Smitherman – me – appointing attorney Chris Finney to the Cincinnati NAACP board. Let me make a couple points. I want the LG…make sure I get this right…the LGBT community to listen closely. African-American people in this community are oppressed. This is one of the most racist cities on the planet. Can you name a time, LGBT community, can you name a time in Cincinnati where you stood with the African-American community on any issue? Let me give you some examples. Let’s talk about the murder of Roger Owensby, Jr. What about Timothy Thomas?”
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http://s7y.us/nar “Famed Attorney on Hot Seat” by Kevin Osborne, Cincinnati CityBeat, 4/1/09
While Finney was stumping to help his friend and business partner Phil Heimlich get re-elected as a Hamilton County commissioner in 2006 (an effort that failed), Finney blithely dismissed the concerns of Cincinnati’s African-American community about police brutality that led to the 2001 riot. He noted that Heimlich had tried to block independent investigations into the deaths of black men like Lorenzo Collins and Roger Owensby Jr. during police confrontations. Finney wrote, “When we needed to confront Damon Lynch and the rioters, Phil Heimlich stood up to the liberal City Council and demanded tough action.”
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“Law-and-order councilman draws ire of peers, blacks” by Robert Anglen & Patrick Crowley, Cincinnati Enquirer, 4/18/01
When Cincinnati City Council members filed past Timothy Thomas’ casket Saturday, Councilman Phil Heimlich was missing. The reason, he said, was to limit any conflicts his presence might ignite. But his absence revealed how isolated Mr. Heimlich has become from the majority of council — and from residents who say he has nothing in common with the black community.
Differences about public policies before the shooting death of Mr. Thomas, and the ensuing riots, have led to public disputes between Mr. Heimlich and the mayor this week…Instead of attending Mr. Thomas’ funeral, Mr. Heimlich joined a church group distributing lunches to mourners who couldn’t get into the funeral. (Photo: http://s7y.us/nau )
“Some people still came up to me, got in my face and called me names,” he said. “It wasn’t pleasant when people were coming up screaming at me, calling me a racist.”
… In May 1998, council asked federal officials to investigate the death of Lorenzo Collins, a 25-year-old African-American man shot by police after escaping from a University Hospital psychiatric ward and threatening officers with a brick.
Mr. Heimlich was the only member of council not to vote for the investigation, saying calling for the probe was “irresponsible and political grandstanding of the worse sort.”
And last year, when council was demanding information about the Nov. 7 death of Roger Owensby, an African-American who suffocated while in police custody, Mr. Heimlich told his colleagues to “stay out of this.”
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http://s7y.us/nas “Heimlich’s legacy: ‘Across-the-board cheapskate'” by Robert Anglen, Cincinnati Enquirer, 4/29/01
Last year, four black civic and business leaders wanted Mr. Heimlich gagged and called for city officials to investigate him.
Representatives of the Urban League, the African American Chamber of Commerce, Genesis Redevelopment and the Riverfront Classic and Jamboree claimed that Mr. Heimlich had used his office as a tool of intimidation by persistently seeking information about groups that serve the black community.
…Chris Finney, a lawyer and member of the Coalition Opposed to Additional Spending and Taxes, calls Mr. Heimlich a hero whose single-minded intensity could take him a long way in politics.
“In contrast to other council members, and even members of Congress, he has accomplished (more),” Mr. Finney says. “When he was right, he was able to overturn the apple cart. The administration needs a tough evaluation, needs to be asked tough questions.”
Mr. Finney takes exception to people who call Mr. Heimlich a racist.
“It’s an absurd and ridiculous accusation,” he says.
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More here: http://s7y.us/nat
