By Joe Reardon, Staff Writer

The past few months of headlines may lead one to think Cincinnati is spiraling into unchecked chaos. 

This is mostly fueled by videos of a brutal downtown brawl in late July that went viral, sparking outrage, national coverage and political grandstanding. The media painted the incident as proof that the city is overrun by violent crime, but when looking at the data a different picture emerges: one where media sensationalism and political opportunism loom larger than actual trends. 

The downtown brawl was undeniably disturbing. A woman was hospitalized with serious brain trauma. People were kicked, punched and stomped. It made for strong video clips, and these video clips made headlines and evoked strong feelings. 

As a result, political figures stepped in. “For many, these images sparked shock and disbelief. For residents within our city limits, they serve as a stark reminder of the ongoing crime and lawlessness we’ve had to endure this summer.”  mayoral candidate for Cincinnati and half-brother to Vice President JD Vance Cory Bowman said.

Here is the problem: a single viral event is not representative of crime trends in a city of more than 300,000 people. Conflating one street brawl with systemic urban breakdown ignores the broader context. Politicians and pundits benefit from amplifying fear, whether to push tougher-on-crime policies or to criticize perceived leniency. 

The FBI’s own data and Cincinnati Police Department reports suggest that while violent crime remains a challenge, it is not spiraling upward in the way Bowman and other conservative politicians suggest. Among Ohio cities with populations more than 50,000, Cincinnati ranked seventh in the state for violent crime. Nationally, among similar‐sized cities, it ranked 114th. 

This is hardly a picture of collapse. The numbers demand a more nuanced conversation than what is currently being had. 

The reality of the situation is that by mid-2025, shootings were down compared to the same point in time during 2024, 2023 and 2022. Even in short-term measures, recent 28-day spans, several categories — homicides, robberies, rapes etc. — have not shown a consistent upward trajectory. Yet the Cincinnati brawl was treated like proof the city is unraveling. 

Bowman and other conservatives have potent rhetoric, but it was designed to stoke fear and reinforce a law-and-order narrative rather than reflect an accurate assessment of data. He did not simply call the incident wrong; he used it as evidence that there is a generalized lawlessness, as if the city is under siege. 

The brawl was only amplifying the leverage of political actors. Blame can be laid on opponents, policy directions redefined stronger policing, tougher bail laws and fear cultivated, etc. The media can lean into visceral images that generate clicks, shares and outrage. 

 What does this all mean for Cincinnati? We deserve honest conversations about public safety, but we also deserve honesty about what is and is not supported by the data. One awful, viral fight should not become the narrative of a city in decline. 

Cory Bowman’s quote — “a stark reminder of the ongoing crime and lawlessness we’ve had to endure this summer” — is powerful rhetoric, but it skirts nuance in favor of heightened fear.  

We do not need more fear-mongering. We need leadership that resists turning every bad incident into political capital and a public media discourse that doesn’t mistake viral footage for trends.