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CNN Live Saturday

Cincinnati Violence: Funeral for Young African-American Man Ends

Aired April 14, 2001 - 12:09   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: Cincinnati police are calling two nights of a dusk-to-dawn curfew a success. While the streets are calm, there still seems to be tension gripping the city. Officials are hoping that today's funeral of a young black man shot to death by police a week ago will not spark further violence.

CNN's Bob Franken joins us now from Cincinnati with more for us -- Bob.

BOB FRANKEN, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: The funeral service was just over a few moments ago. The casket bearing Timothy Thomas was taken to the hearse. They are going to the ceremony, his mother joining him. His mother, Angela Leisure, began the long service here by viewing the casket of her son, who was shot exactly a week ago just a couple of blocks here.

He was unarmed. The 19-year-old African-American male had some misdemeanor warrants. Some police were chasing him. The officer says that he believed that the young man was about to pull a gun. And he shot and killed him. And it has sparked three days of racial violence in the city of Cincinnati, followed by the curfew which has capped things down. But officials today worry that this is the crucial day because of the emotions of the funeral service. Thus far, there have been no incidents.

Now, the mayor, Charles Luken, said that he would promise that he was going to make things better in Cincinnati. There have been criticisms for decades of a hostility between the police department and members of the African-American community. The mayor, Luken, apologized to the family for the incident, saying he was very sorry and hoped that this was the beginning of a new Cincinnati.

Now, there are many national figures here, including the president of the NAACP, who said that Cincinnati needs to set an example.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

KWEISI MFUME, NAACP PRESIDENT: It called last night for the old and the young, and from the West Side and the East Side, to come here to this place that has become ground zero in race relations in America.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

FRANKEN: Now, the curfew continues in Cincinnati. It begins at 8:00 p.m., goes until 6:00 a.m. This is a vital night, officials say, that they make decisions on whether to extend it on a day-to-day basis. This will be the evening, whether they get -- if they get a clear view whether the emotions have settled down -- Donna.

KELLEY: All right, Bob Franken in Cincinnati, thank you.

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