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As an Ohioan, I’ve watched with horror as my home state, the heart of the heartland faces a crisis ripped straight from California’s playbook. On July 26, 2025, a mob in downtown Cincinnati brutally attacked four people including Holly, a single mom now suffering from severe brain trauma. Violent crimes like these are a wakeup call to our national conscience. “Don’t California My State” has become a national warning, but even in Republican strongholds like Ohio, weak local leadership has invited in California-style chaos fostering victim-shaming and mob rule. It’s time to reject this betrayal and restore law and order.
The viral footage from Cincinnati’s Fourth and Elm is chilling as four victims attacked by a mob while 100 bystanders watched, some filming, and only one calling 911. Holly, celebrating a friend’s birthday stepped in to help someone being assaulted and was knocked unconscious. Her life has changed forever. And instead of leadership, Councilwoman Victoria Parks shamelessly claimed online that the victims “begged for that beat down.”
This kind of victim-shaming is pulled straight from California’s soft-on-crime script where leaders deflect blame instead of jailing violent offenders. Parks’ words aren’t only heartless but represent a complete collapse of moral and civic responsibility.
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The Cincinnati crisis is a direct result of the Democrat-led policy failures that began in 2020. Soft on crime policies emboldened criminals and endangered communities. Cities like Los Angeles, Minneapolis and now Cincinnati are paying the price. And even in Republican-led states like Ohio, Texas and Florida, we’re not immune when local leaders import this failed ideology.
Cincinnati’s police force has been gutted by nearly 200 officers due to the “defund the police” movement. Democrat Mayor Aftab Pureval was vacationing in Canada as the attack went viral, issuing a weak response only after immense public pressure and outrage days later. His inaction mirrors California’s Proposition 47, which downgraded retail thefts to misdemeanors and fueled a wave of retail crime.
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Now Ohio is experiencing the same pattern of complacency from weak budgets, and understaffed police departments to a justice system that coddles criminals. As Republican Ohio Senator Bernie Moreno and Republican Ohio gubernatorial candidate Vivek Ramaswamy recently warned, Democrat policies are turning our cities into war zones.
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Beyond the leadership failures, the silence of nearly 100 bystanders with only one calling 911 reveals a total breakdown of public trust. Weak leadership has left citizens feeling powerless. In California, lax enforcement normalized shoplifting; in Cincinnati, it’s normalized mob violence.
Mayor Pureval’s delayed response and Parks’ shameful victim-blaming send a dangerous message: criminals won’t face consequences. Even in a red state like Ohio, local Democrat leaders are importing this “Californication” and abandoning the safety and justice we once took for granted.
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This isn’t just about pointing fingers, it’s a call to action. Cities like Philadelphia, Minneapolis, Denver and New York saw homicides decline in 2025 after local lawmakers voted to increase police budgets despite pressure from local activists. Ohio must follow suit by fully funding law enforcement, empowering prosecutors to lock up violent offenders, and rejecting leaders who excuse crime.
The six suspects in the Cincinnati attack facing charges of felonious assault and aggravated rioting must face real justice and not leniency. And Parks’ disgraceful remarks demand accountability; she should either resign or be removed. Any elected official who mocks and shames victims of violent crime has failed the very people they were elected to serve and does not belong in public office.
As an attorney and proud Ohioan, I’m done with the excuses. Holly’s brain trauma is a direct result of failed leadership. We deserve safe streets, where moms can celebrate and businesses don’t fear the next mob. We’re not California yet but without action, Cincinnati’s chaos will become America’s new norm. Holly’s story and the silence of 99 bystanders should serve as America’s wake-up call.
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