Nazi Rally Turns Violent

(Toledo, Ohio) Before the start of a planned neo-Nazi rally in north Toledo, racial tension caused rioting to break out with baseball-sized rocks being thrown at police and vehicles being vandalized. According to Police Chief Mike Navarre, six people have been arrested. The march by the white supremacist group was canceled and over 100 police officers flooded the neighborhoods.

Live coverage on FoxNews shows some houses being looted with one building on fire. The live video from WJBK-TV shows the streets now crowded with police officers. The situation has calmed and the fire department has arrived to extinguish the fire in what is thought to be a tavern.

Police Chief Navarre stated that he believes that all the Nazis have now left the city.

So, in summary, the white supremacists organize a march to ostensibly protest black criminal gangs and the black community responds by rioting, looting, and setting at least one building on fire -- in their own neighborhood. The logic escapes me.


[Update 2030 EDT, 10/15/05]

Toledo Mayor Jack Ford declared a state of emergency and instituted a citywide curfew starting at 8PM tonight, tomorrow, and possibly Monday.

From ToledoBlade.com:

Mr. Ford said those protesting were mainly male gang members in their 20s. He said the protests were not triggered by race relations but by gang members with grievances.

"We went to talk to them. Most of them were gang members in full colors," the mayor said. "Their anger was based on some long-standing things but also that we had allowed the [Nazi] walk to occur in the first place."

Toledo Residents Protest Nazis
(Photo - THE BLADE/Allan Detrich)
Police Chief Navarre said several dozen people were arrested and a few officers and firefighters were injured, none serious. In total, a mob of 500 were involved in the rioting and looting. Although the streets quieted down by late afternoon, there is concern that violence may erupt in the darkness.

Interestingly, local media coverage of the rioting was prevented by the mobs attacking and disabling the mobile news vehicles first. Scheduled celebrations for Start High School Homecoming and Central Catholic High School Homecoming were canceled.

Companion post at The Jawa Report.