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American Morning

Curfew in Cincinnati Extended

Aired April 13, 2001 - 13:22   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.
JOIE CHEN, CNN ANCHOR: In Cincinnati, the authorities say that the curfew will be extended for at least one more night. There were scores of arrests for curfew violations last night and early into this morning.

But the violence that had come for the last few days appeared to have diminished. CNN national correspondent Bob Franken is in Cincinnati.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

BOB FRANKEN, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Cincinnati officials declared the 8:00 p.m. to 6:00 a.m. curfew a success, violence on the nearly empty streets almost eliminated.

CHIEF TOM STREICHER, CINCINNATI POLICE: The citizens of Cincinnati have elected to maintain control here. They've elected to change the type of activity that was being conducted here and to take a greater interest in the city and realize that it's time for things to settle down and cool off.

FRANKEN: Officials say they plan to continue with the curfew assessing on a day-to-day basis and continue to strictly enforce it, arresting anyone who has no legal reason to be outside past 8:00.

It is tense on the streets.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Ma'am, there's a curfew you need to be inside. I suggest you do it quickly, please, ma'am. Otherwise, you will be arrested.

FRANKEN: In many areas, the city police stand with guns drawn, on the alert, they say, for snipers. The anger is still simmering over shooting death of an unarmed 19-year-old African-American man by a policeman, this largely expressed at packed town meeting called by the NAACP at a neighborhood church.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Mr. Mfume, can you please use your political clout to call these pigs off tonight.

(APPLAUSE)

FRANKEN: The organization's national Kweisi Mfume pleads for an end to violence but demands action by the city to address decades of charges that Cincinnati police are brutally hostile toward African Americans.

KWEISI MFUME, PRESIDENT, NAACP: This can't wait two or three months down the road. There is an imperative here for fair deliberations and for equal justice.

FRANKEN: But before deliberations and justice, city officials insist that calm must be restored. And for one night, calm is restored at gunpoint.

(on camera): "We believe," said the police chief, "we're returning to great sense of normalcy," normalcy defined as an entire city under overnight house arrest.

Bob Franken, CNN, Cincinnati.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

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