The economic boycott against Cincinnati is on the “right side of history,” a leader of the effort told an audience of 500 supporters Thursday night in Over-the-Rhine.

        “Without pressure, there's no change,” the Rev. Damon Lynch III said from the pulpit of his New Prospect Baptist Church. “So we're not going to call it off. We're going to turn it up. We're going to raise the stakes.”

The Rev. Damon Lynch III reads the list of boycott demands Thursday at a forum in Over-the-Rhine. About 500 attended. (Brandi Stafford photo) | ZOOM |

        The Rev. Mr. Lynch, who also heads the Cincinnati Black United Front, joined with several other groups to organize a “Cincinnati Sanctions Summit” Thursday.

        He and other boycott leaders stood by their tactics and demands — including amnesty for those arrested during last April's riots.

        They praised those who took to the streets in a “rebellion” against the city, saying the boycott would not exist without them. They blasted city officials and the media, and they called prominent African-Americans who opposed the boycott “Uncle Toms.”

        The session came after a community meeting held Tuesday by Mayor Charlie Luken and Vice Mayor Alicia Reece to talk about the progress the city has made since last April's riots.

        Mr. Luken has said the city's efforts are being ignored by boycotters.

        Boycott leaders avoided the city's meeting, calling it a public relations stunt. Elected city officials were similarly absent from Thursday's meeting, which was as spiritual as the city's was formal.

        The boycotters said the city was “underestimating” them.

        “There are a lot of naysayers out there who say they don't know who we are or what our demands are,” said Victoria Straughn of the Coalition of Concerned Citizens for Justice. “Don't be fooled by the question, "How many people do you have in your organization?' I've got an army in my organization. It's none of your business how I run it, but you are going to respect the boycott.”

        The Rev. Mr. Lynch said the boycott is the result of broken promises over improving police-community relations and over giving African-Americans more economic opportunity.

        He said Cincinnati was now having a “Rosa Parks moment,” referring to the woman whose refusal to give up her bus seat to a white person in Montgomery, Ala., was a milestone in the civil rights movement.

        The Rev. Mr. Lynch cited other boycotts, such as one in Arizona over not declaring a Martin Luther King holiday, in Miami over police brutality and in South Carolina over flying the Confederate flag.

        “If you can boycott a state over a flying of the flag, and you can't boycott Cincinnati over the killing of black men, what's wrong with you?” he said.

        The boycott groups maintain that, among other concerns, there has been little accountability by Cincinnati police officers, black organizations continue to have vital funds cut, and demands for revisions of the Citizens Police Review Panel continue to be ignored.

        Juleana Frierson of the Black United Front said her organization also is demanding that the city settle lawsuits by the families of Timothy Thomas, whose shooting death by police touched off the riots, and Roger Owensby, who died in police custody in November 2000.

        Giving a nod to Stonewall Cincinnati, the gay rights group that recently endorsed the boycott, the Rev. Mr. Lynch said the goal of the sanctions was to “redistribute the pain.”

        “There is too much pain on black folks and gays and lesbians,” he said.

        Phil Clark, 36, of Roselawn, attended the meeting in support of the boycott.

        “If city leaders had investigated police officers properly, if prosecutors tried the cases right, if we had equal distribution of money to neighborhoods, if justice had been served, we would not have this right now,” he said.

        The boycott movement has gained momentum in recent weeks, with the announcements that actor-comedian Bill Cosby and singer Smokey Robinson have canceled appearances here.

        Before the meeting, Ms. Frierson told The Cincinnati Enquirer two black R&B groups — The O'Jays and The Winans — and rap artist-producer Jermaine Dupree would be canceling performances here as well. She said the promoter of the concerts made the decision after a discussion Wednesday night with the Rev. Mr. Lynch.

        “They told us they would not be coming because of the climate and situation in Cincinnati and offered support to us in our struggle in other ways as well,” Ms. Frierson said.

        Quentin Terry, the concert promoter, did not return phone calls.

        So far, only black entertainers have pulled out of Cincinnati, but “if we can get just one Garth Brooks concert not to come ... if we can get just one 'NSync concert not to come, it's over,” said the Rev. Mr. Lynch. “So I say to my white friends, you need to start working on Garth.”

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