BY DANA DIFILIPPO
The Cincinnati Enquirer

About 60 protesters, waving pink foam bricks in memory of a man shot by police officers after he approached them with a brick, marched in front of Cincinnati City Hall on Wednesday to demand an independent investigation into allegations of police brutality.

A Cincinnati police officer and a University of Cincinnati officer shot Lorenzo Collins on Feb. 23 after he escaped from University Hospital, where he was taken for a mental evaluation, and allegedly threatened officers with a brick. The 25-year-old Avondale man died five days later.

Leaders in the African-American community say Mr. Collins' death symbolizes police brutality and racism that has plagued the Cincinnati police force in recent years.

Wednesday, marchers walked in silence with their fake bricks, ignoring the police officers who kept an eye on the afternoon protest nearby.

''What is it about police training that the white folks get arrested and go to court and jail and black folks get beaten and smothered and go to the hospital and the morgue?'' marcher Morris Williams said.

Protest organizers urged participants to show their outrage at the polls.

''We had politics at its best today,'' said Steve Reece of Bond Hill. ''They're counting numbers - they're counting their police vote. So we've got to get our people registered to vote and keep this issue alive.''

The march was organized by Black Marchers and the African-American Cultural Commission.

Several speakers also addressed council during its regular session. Among the requests: Adopt a resolution asking federal officials to investigate local law enforcement officials.

Council is awaiting the results of a city investigation into the Collins case before acting.

Three separate city investigations into the case are to be done. The first is expected to wrap up soon.

Laura Goldberg contributed to this report.