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CNN Live Saturday

Cincinnati: Large Crowds Expected for Funeral of Young African- American

Aired April 14, 2001 - 12:15   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
DONNA KELLEY, CNN ANCHOR: After a night of relative calm, Cincinnati police are hoping for the best, but they are bracing for more trouble today. Large crowds are expected this afternoon for the funeral of a young black man whose shooting by a police officer triggered violent protests.

We want to get the latest for you from CNN's Bob Franken. He's in Cincinnati -- hi, Bob.

BOB FRANKEN, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Hi, Donna.

And what are you seeing behind me is, in fact, a fairly large crowd -- I would estimate about 1,000 people here. What you see behind me is the line of people who are going into the New Prospect Baptist Church to view the casket of Timothy Thomas. He's the 19- year-old African-American male who was unarmed and shot to death about a week ago just a couple of blocks from here.

You will look inside the church right now and you will you see where the actual services are going to be held at 1:30. What you see right now, this is a quiet procession that goes by the casket. Outside, although the crowds are large, it is has been quite calm -- as a matter of fact, almost festive, as people have come down here to see, to participate in this, to discuss the anger that the African- American community has about its relationship with the Cincinnati Police Department.

After the killing of Timothy Thomas last Saturday, violent demonstrations occurred during the week until the city clamped down with their curfew, which has quieted things down, at least for the moment.

Now, the security here is going to be handled not by the police in the immediate vicinity of the church, but by a contingent of black Muslims. There was a decision made by city officials that, since the police are at the center of the controversy, they would only be controversial. So they are being kept a discrete distance away.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

LT. COL. RICHARD JENKE, CINCINNATI POLICE: We are not going have to any police officers in the immediate vicinity, so that as many of his neighbors, friends, family, and as many members of the community can be in that area. And we do not believe that we need to have a presence.

We will have, of course, many officers in the downtown area and stationed throughout the city.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

FRANKEN: Now, overnight, police were quite in evidence, as they enforced a curfew which went to its second night -- successfully, by the way. There was no trouble whatsoever to speak of. It goes from 8:00 p.m. until 6:00 a.m. Police officers made well over 100 arrests. People who were not authorized to be on the street were quickly taken into custody.

The big day, however, is today. The city officials believe that --they call this day crucial. This is the day when emotions are expected to run high because of the burial of Timothy Thomas. They hope then that they can move on, decide whether to continue the curfew past tonight and continue to try the efforts that have now arisen to try and solve a decades-long problem -- just about all sides agree -- be it to repair the relationships between the police department of Cincinnati and the African-American community -- Donna.

KELLEY: Bob Franken, in Cincinnati, thank you.

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