LINCOLN HEIGHTS, Ohio (WKRC) – A day after a neo-Nazi group attempted to instill fear in the Tri-State area, a group advocating for love and peace returned to the same location to spread their message. However, some peace advocates found their vehicles vandalized.
Drivers heading south on I-75 through Lincoln Heights and Evendale were greeted by signs promoting peace and inclusivity, placed by several community members, including Kevin Bonecutter.
“You can only fight hate with love,” said Bonecutter. “I felt like it was important to get a message out to that place where Lincoln Heights, I know, was feeling scared.”
While putting up the signs, a concerned citizen warned Bonecutter and the group that their cars were being damaged.
“They said, ‘Hey, they’re damaging your guys’ cars. They’re smashing the windows,'” said Bonecutter. Despite the warning, he continued to hang the signs, only to later discover that his SUV and another couple’s vehicle had their windows smashed by rocks.
The neo-Nazi group had arrived in a U-Haul to spread their message of hate on Friday and it was a U-Haul that was seen near the vehicles when the vandalism occurred.
“I definitely took it as a response to us being there,” said Bonecutter. “We were out there in a very visible spot with the messages that said we welcome everyone.”
Upon returning to the parking lot, Bonecutter found dozens of Lincoln Heights residents offering support.
“They were there taping up my windows, vacuuming out my car of the glass that was broken, giving me hugs,” he said. “I just couldn’t say enough about that community. I mean that’s family.”
Bonecutter emphasized the importance of standing against hate. “Silence is violence,” he said. “If we sit back and do not stand up against hate and against the fear they’re trying to put out, then we’re basically a partner to it.”
During the initial neo-Nazi rally on Friday, Lincoln Heights residents demanded the group leave, eventually breaking through law enforcement barricades and setting fire to one of their flags, forcing the hate group to depart.
The Anti-Defamation League Center on Extremism was tracking the group, known for its black and red face masks, which also organized a hate march in Columbus last November.
