HAMILTON - Russell James Rodgers Jr. is seen by friends and relatives as a good kid gone astray. But police say the Hamilton man, whose death Thursday ignited a riot by about 150 people, was a crack dealer.
That clash of opinions about Mr. Rodgers' life is repeated when people talk about his death. Friends and relatives say the 25-
year-old died at the hands of Hamilton officers. But Butler County Coroner Dr. Richard Burkhardt ruled Friday he died of cocaine ingestion.
People speak of Mr. Rodgers in different tones.
The Rev. Elmer S. Martin describes him simply as ''a good kid caught in a bad time.''
But Detective Dan Pratt of the Hamilton Police Department sees Mr. Rodgers as ''a crack dealer with numerous criminal records; his friends want to take back the 'hood.''
Thursday's violence placed Hamilton on television screens from Cincinnati to Columbus. Police and city officials claim that television reporters sensationalized the incident.
The riot occurred the day before the 30th annual Ohio Honey Festival was to start in Hamilton - and about three blocks away.
Thursday's riot was rooted to Aug. 1. That's when when officers arrested Mr. Rodgers, who stood 6-feet-2 and weighed 195 pounds. According to police reports, he refused to give personal information to officers, who charged him with drug possession, tampering with evidence and resisting arrest.
They knew him from past arrests - 30-some prior charges and bench warrants ranging from aggravated drug trafficking to auto theft to felonious assault with a firearm.
Since 1990, Mr. Rodgers has been arrested 19 times by Hamilton police and has spent five stints in prison.
While in custody that day, officers said, Mr. Rodgers ate cocaine to conceal it.
''He had a major seizure,'' Detective Pratt said. ''Then his heart and kidneys failed. There was nothing anybody could do. They finally pulled the plug on him Thursday.''
By then, rumors were blowing through the economically depressed Second Ward neighborhood near police headquarters. Some people said the police hurt Mr. Rodgers.
After a Thursday evening meeting at the Payne Chapel AME Church, across the street from the police station, 125-150 young men threw rocks at a cruiser, Detective Pratt said.
''There is no evidence of brutality against Mr. Rodgers,'' he said. ''What upsets me is that this has been blown out of proportion. I'm on various committees in the Second Ward. We have made great strides there. Crime has decreased. People seem pleased with our efforts. But drug dealers are not.''
Mr. Martin, Payne Chapel's pastor, said police should understand that Mr. Rodgers was a friend of the young men who attended the meeting at the church.
''The community is concerned why the officers did not immediately take him to the hospital,'' Mr. Martin said. ''The community is concerned with officers who have a reputation (for violence). Russell was a good kid. A human being.
''Yes, he had been in some trouble. But what is there positive for young people to hold onto? A new jail? We need a change. We need affordable day care. There are no grocery stores or day cares in this neighborhood. Companies need to help. They don't want to hire kids with records. But what else will they have if they live here?''
Mr. Rodgers' friends, Tracey Peterson, 21, and Derrick Moore, 28, said they look forward to the results of a pending investigation into the death.
''I think the police beat Russell,'' Ms. Peterson said. ''If he had drugs on him, he would have dropped them. He was a warm person. He was cool. We were close. He had a lot of friends.''
Mr. Rodgers' troubled life started when he left high school, Mr. Moore said.
''He was outgoing, a good guy. He got onto the wrong track and didn't get off,'' he said.
The city's human relations director, Ed Barnes, has heard similar stories since he came to Hamilton in 1990. But he said the situation is no different in Cincinnati or Dayton or any other urban community.
''Hamilton is a great place to live,'' Mr. Barnes said. ''My father once asked me, 'What are you doing there?' I said, 'I'm here to help kids and anybody who wants it.' I know this kind of thing can happen in any other city where people feel frustrated.''
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