By Kevin Aldridge
The Cincinnati Enquirer

PIERCE TOWNSHIP - People angry about the hiring here of former Cincinnati police officer Robert "Blaine" Jorg protested outside the township's administrative offices Thursday and asked officials to reconsider the decision.

Pierce Township Police Chief Jim Smith tells protesters to leave the firehouse dayroom Thursday. Pictured are the Rev. Damon Lynch III (from left), Juleana Frierson and Victoria Straughn. The chief holds a packet of information handed over by the protesters. (GLENN HARTONG photo) | ZOOM |

The protest was part of a memorial service and rally organized by the Coalition of Concerned Citizens for Justice to mark the two-year anniversary of Roger Owensby Jr.'s death. Mr. Owensby, 29, died on Nov. 7, 2000, while being arrested by police at a gas station in Roselawn.

More than 50 people gathered Thursday morning at the Sunoco gas station where Mr. Owensby died to pay their respects. A memorial marker was placed at the site.

Following the ceremony, an 11-car caravan of about 30 protesters arrived at the Pierce Township Police Department at 12:15 p.m. They marched in front of the police station with signs that read "Jorg is a murderer" and "Pierce Township is harboring criminals."

They also carried pictures of Mr. Owensby, a Gulf War veteran, dressed in a military uniform as well as pictures of him with his family.

"Roger Owensby Jr. was a father, a son, a brother and a Desert Storm veteran," said Victoria Straughn, primary organizer of the protest. "He was not a thug, but he was killed by a cop who turned into a thug.

"What Pierce Township has done is allow someone like (Officer Jorg) to escape justice and discipline," she said. "It sends a bad message to the community that they are providing sanctuary for rogue cops."

Officer Jorg, who was hired by Pierce Township in March, was charged last year with assault and involuntary manslaughter in the death of Mr. Owensby. He was found not guilty of assault at trial, while a jury deadlocked on the involuntary manslaughter charge.

Protesters said Pierce Township leaders should not have hired Officer Jorg before Cincinnati had a chance to complete its administrative investigation. Such a move, they said, implies collusion between Pierce Township authorities and the Cincinnati Police Department.

Police officials at the protest declined comment Thursday.

"The saying `No justice, no peace' is not trite," said the Rev. Damon Lynch III, president of the Cincinnati Black United Front. "Peace is not the absence of conflict, but the presence of justice. We will continue to fight until justice prevails."

Protesters wanted to hand-deliver copies of investigative reports done by Cincinnati's Office of Municipal Investigations and an independent coroner to the Pierce police chief , but the township's offices were locked. Demonstrators managed to get in through a side entrance that was unlocked and deliver the information to the chief, but were quickly escorted out by township police.

The Rev. Mr. Lynch said he was encouraged to see some Pierce Township residents showing support as protesters marched through town.

But at one point during protesters' demonstration, a passerby yelled: "Crybabies, why don't you go home?''

John Buhr, a resident of Pierce Township in attendance at the march, said he respects the township's decision to hire Officer Jorg and expressed concern that media accounts might paint his community as racist.

"As a citizen, I have to depend on the judgment of our judicial system and governing bodies," Mr. Buhr said. "I've met Officer Jorg, talked to him - and I respect him. As far as I'm concerned, he was acquitted, so I don't have a problem when him being here."

But protester Brian Garry said: "Though his record may be clean, there is still blood on his sleeve."

Email kaldridge@enquirer.com