Rally Over Arrest Death Canceled

A weekend rally planned to protest the death of a black man following a struggle with police was canceled Saturday in deference to his family’s pleas for calm.

The Rev. Calvin Harper, president of the Baptist Ministers Conference of Greater Cincinnati and Vicinity, said the ministers group would no longer march on City Hall today to protest the death of Nathaniel Jones.

At a memorial service Saturday, Jones, 41, was remembered for his kindness and quick smile. About 500 people attended the service at Allen Temple African Methodist Episcopal Worship Center. Outside, a man held a sign that read, “Cincinnati police are murderers.”

Jones, 41, died after a scuffle with police early last Sunday in the parking lot of a fast-food restaurant.

The coroner ruled Jones’ death a homicide but cautioned that did not imply that police used excessive force. The direct cause of death was the struggle, the autopsy showed, but Jones suffered from an enlarged heart and obesity, and had intoxicating levels of cocaine, PCP and methanol in his blood.

His death has focused attention on the racial divide in Cincinnati, which was torn by riots in April 2001 after a white police officer shot an unarmed black man who fled arrest. Jones’ family, particularly his grandmother Bessie Jones, has urged black residents not to turn to violence.

Jones’ family has commissioned a private autopsy and hired an attorney, who said there will be an independent investigation. Activists have called for a federal investigation.

The Justice Department said it was gathering information. Also investigating are the Hamilton County prosecutor, the police internal affairs division and an independent citizens’ panel.