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Cincinnati Mayor Seeks To Quell Riots
CINCINNATI, Ohio, April 12 (News Agencies) - Cincinnati's mayor declared a state of emergency and imposed a dusk-to-dawn curfew Thursday in an effort to stem a rising tide of violence triggered by the death of an unarmed black youth at the hands of police.
"It must stop and it will stop," said Mayor Charles Luken, adding, "we cannot tolerate the lawlessness any more."
Rioters have looted stores, pulled white motorists from their cars and set fires for the past three days in growing civil unrest over the death of 19-year-old Timothy Thomas, according to authorities.
One police officer was shot at but not injured late Wednesday, as the violence escalated, spilling over from the downtown district of the southern Ohio town to several heavily black neighborhoods.
"Gunfire went off like you might hear in Beirut," in several areas of the city late Wednesday, Luken said.
"It's dangerous and it's getting more dangerous and people have got to speak with one mind - clearly - that it's going to stop. And that's the extent of the message we have today. That's it."
In what he said would have been "unthinkable measures," just a week ago, Luken announced he was imposing a curfew, effective 8:00 pm (0100 GMT) Thursday until 0600 am (1100 GMT) Friday, in a bid to keep crowds off the streets.
Only people going to and from work will be exempt.
The city is also considering calling in reinforcements to relieve its 1,000-plus force of police officers that have been working 12-hour shifts since the violence started on Monday.
A decision on whether to call in the National Guard was also being weighed, the mayor said, adding: "our officers need relief."
Police have arrested more than 60 people since Monday, when rioters took to the streets to protest the shooting death of Thomas by white Cincinnati police officer Steve Roach on Saturday.
County prosecutors, the U.S. Justice Department and the FBI, are now investigating Roach, a four-year veteran of the force.
In the wake of Thomas's death, the 15th death of a black man by police in controversial circumstances since 1995, rioters have targeted white motorists, throwing bricks at three in the same city block late Thursday, police said and beating one woman to "a pulp," according to police.
"I think that we don't have a choice. I think that the citizens are tired," Luken said in explanation of his decision to impose a state of emergency.
"Black citizens are tired. They're scared in their homes. White citizen are tired. They're targeted in their cars.
"I think we have got to take unprecedented and, a week ago, unthinkable measures to protect those citizens and to protect our police officers.
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