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DAYTON, Ohio (WDTN) – Dayton City officials celebrate what the police chief called a "no-nonsense day" after a KKK-affiliated group in Indiana organized a rally in New York City. Courthouse Square Saturday afternoon.
Nine members of the Honorable Sacred Knights of Indiana were confined behind a door inside the square, surrounded by several large fences separating them from the counter-protesters.
The police told 2 NEWS that the group wanted to introduce themselves this way, adding that they wanted to be out of reach in case people try to hit them. They had the choice to have access to the whole place and declined the offer.
Groups of people marched through the streets of the city to make their voices heard between 1 pm and 3 pm, while the Indiana group was speaking.
More than 600 officers were in the Courthouse Square neighborhood, including Dayton University Order Force, Dayton Police, Montgomery County Sheriff's Office, Toledo, Cleveland, Cincinnati , Columbus and the Ohio State Road Patrol.
About an hour and a half after the start of the rally, the police had to warn the protesters not to shake the fence separating the two groups.
Mayor Nan Whaley, City Manager Shelley Dickstein and Police Chief Richard Biehl held a press conference at the end of the event, saying they were happy that the rally went smoothly
No arrests were made and no injuries were reported.
"The Daytonians have demonstrated what we knew from the beginning, that we are a community that can come together in a time of fear and anger and peacefully defend our neighbors," said Mayor Whaley, who went on to say that this experience "helped to highlight the problems that continue to divide us".
"This horrible chapter is over, but that means we have to get back to the real work: to make sure that whatever your physical appearance, your origin or the one you love, you can have a good life here in Dayton," says -she.
City Manager Shelley Dickstein explained how much the event had cost the city: "In anticipation of this event, we estimate we spent about $ 250,000 in personnel costs and nearly $ 400,000 in contracts and equipment."
Montgomery County also spent about $ 50,000.
A more accurate number should be published by the city here next week.
"Some may criticize this investment.Unfortunately, in today 's world, where individuals are free to open, they carry an unlimited number of firearms and where vehicles have been conducted in crowds of peaceful protesters, we believe this investment was necessary, "she added. .
Dayton Police Chief Richard Biehl said it was difficult for officers to accurately predict how many people would attend Saturday's rally because of the number of social media discussions and the number other events taking place in the city.
He also gave an initial estimate of the number of people who attended each major event:
- Courthouse Square: 500-600 people
- RiverScape: 30 people
- McIntosh Park: 200 people
- Oak and Ivy Park: 30 people
"There was no arrest, the police did not use force, no one was injured, no citation was cited." Generally speaking, from a public safety perspective, the events went off without incident, despite the amount of resources deployed, "he said.
Anyone with questions about the impact of these events on the city's daily operations throughout the weekend can check out the city's special webpage. right here.
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