Chapter 218: The Cincinnati Riots
Filming for Spider-Man went smoothly.
Martin's version of Spider-Man had more charm compared to Tobey Maguire's portrayal.
"Martin, for this scene, I need you to convey the feeling of hanging by webbing from the Twin Towers (World Trade Center). Remember, beneath your feet is an abyss, and across from you, a helicopter sent by the robbers is coming for you."
Sam Raimi directed the scene, while Martin nodded along, though he felt a sense of confusion.
This scene didn't seem to be part of the original film, did it?
Since the Spider-Man script wasn't written by him, Martin wasn't aware of every detail in the story.
Out of curiosity, he searched through Martin's memories of this year and recalled a major event that would occur in New York.
This scene was likely cut due to that event.
Martin didn't speak up because he couldn't explain the reason, and besides, it was just a small scene that had been removed.
Time passed to July.
Filming for Spider-Man was nearing completion.
After finishing his scenes for the day, Martin planned to take Gordon to Central Park, where they'd meet Jessica, Lindsay, and Doris, who were visiting for the summer break. Scarlett, on the other hand, was already waiting at the hotel.
Fast forward two and a half months.
In April 2001, Cincinnati, Ohio.
Timothy Thomas, a 19-year-old African American man, was an unemployed drifter.
One evening, he had a few drinks and was driving to his girlfriend's house for the night.
As he drove, he suddenly heard the sound of sirens from behind, growing louder.
Timothy glanced into his rearview mirror and cursed under his breath, "Fuck, they're coming after me? Damn pigs!"
He was about to pull over but suddenly remembered he had been drinking and had smoked some marijuana…
No, he couldn't let the police catch him.
Whether it was the alcohol's numbing effect or the drugs, Timothy made a rash decision—he pressed the gas pedal.
"Pull over, white sedan, pull over now…"
Officer Stephen Roach, in the police car, frowned as he watched the sedan speed up ahead. It was just a routine stop; why was the car accelerating?
A sense of suspicion arose.
He ordered the vehicle to pull over while he pressed the accelerator to chase after it.
Boom!
After more than twenty minutes of pursuit, Timothy's car crashed into a stone barrier by the side of the road. He frantically opened the door and ran into the field beside the road.
Officer Stephen Roach also got out of the car and gave chase.
"Stop! Pull over! Stop now!"
With his gun drawn, Stephen Roach continued to shout.
Timothy was out of breath. Though he had only run about twenty meters, he was already winded.
A 400-pound (180 kg) man running twenty meters felt like a marathon to him.
So, he stopped, turned around, and staggered back toward Officer Roach. This was the second mistake he made that night.
Imagine, in the dark of night, a giant weighing 400 pounds walking towards you. Wouldn't it feel intimidating? Wouldn't there be a sense of danger?
Timothy's third mistake was that, as a black man, when facing a police officer approaching him, he didn't raise his hands over his head but instead placed them on his hips.
Maybe he was just too tired, and it was a subconscious action.
But Officer Stephen Roach didn't know that.
Seeing the large black man walking toward him with his hands on his hips, Stephen's first reaction was, "Is he going for a weapon?!"
In America, the police profession is split between federal, state, and city/county levels. Aside from federal law enforcement, state, city, county police, and private security agencies are independently governed by local authorities.
Without a unified national police force, federal law enforcement is mainly under the Department of Justice, the Department of Homeland Security, and the U.S. Postal Service. They focus on enforcing federal laws and national crimes and have no direct authority over state or city police.
Local police agencies are overseen by city or county governments. In cities with a strong mayoral system, the mayor is responsible for the police, while in cities with a council system, a police commission handles the department.
In short, law enforcement in America is fragmented, with each region effectively operating as an armed force for its jurisdiction.
Cincinnati's police department was also under the authority of the mayor.
The white mayor of Cincinnati, Charles Luken, was a hidden white supremacist with a tough approach to law enforcement.
Interestingly, nearly 47% of Cincinnati's population was black.
Since Charles Luken took office, tensions between the police and the black community had been escalating.
Just the previous November, two white officers, Baron Oesterman and James Pike, had beaten a black suspect to death, almost sparking a riot.
Though the situation was quelled by local influential African American figures, the conflict between the police and the black community had only grown more intense.
Several incidents of black individuals attacking police officers followed.
Against this tense backdrop, Officer Stephen Roach was on edge as he watched Timothy's actions.
For him, being a police officer was just a job to make money—no faith, no responsibility, just survival.
The first rule for police in America: protect yourself!
Without hesitation, Stephen Roach drew his gun and fired several shots at Timothy, who collapsed to the ground, quickly losing consciousness.
Roach immediately checked Timothy's body, only to discover that the large man wasn't carrying a weapon.
Meanwhile, Officer Terry Bales, Roach's partner, who had been searching Timothy's car, heard the gunshots and rushed over to assist.
Upon seeing Timothy lying on the ground, Bales was startled, then said, "This guy pulled a gun."
Stephen Roach, looking frustrated, lifted his head. "No, he didn't have a weapon. But when he approached me, his movements looked like he was reaching for one. I had to shoot. Trust me, Terry, it wasn't intentional."
"I know, I know, but the situation's really tense right now."
"Am I going to be the scapegoat?"
"So am I. We're partners. If you're in trouble, I'm in trouble too, just like Oesterman and Pike."
"Suspended? Damn, I've got two kids to feed."
"Let me think, let me think…" Terry circled the body, then suddenly whispered, "Do you have a spare gun, one not registered with the department?"
"I've got a revolver," Stephen muttered, rolling up his pant leg.
"Put it in his hand. Do it fast, while no one's around. Damn, if only we had the powder and pills with us. We wouldn't be in this mess!"
In America, it's common for police officers to carry two guns: a primary weapon and a backup. Some officers, especially in high-risk areas or black neighborhoods, carry a third weapon—an unregistered "black gun" for emergencies.
And this situation certainly counted as one of those emergencies.
What neither of them knew was that two young black men had been hiding in the bushes nearby, recording everything on their phones.
The next day, the video went viral.
The footage brought Cincinnati back into the national spotlight, exposing the racial tensions.
Famed civil rights leader Jesse Jackson issued a statement on the fifth day, demanding federal and state law enforcement to intervene.
A spokesperson for the U.S. Department of Justice, Jorge Martinez, said, "We are gathering information to determine whether the FBI should get involved."
Additionally, some demanded the resignation of the head of Cincinnati's police, Thomas Streichler, a close ally of Mayor Luken.
"How many people have to die before the city government does something?" questioned Nathaniel Livingston Jr., a member of the local civil rights organization, the Justice Cincinnati Coalition, in a public newspaper article.
Mayor Charles Luken's response was: "From what I know, a 400-pound man violently attacked an officer and posed a threat to their life. But based on the body cam footage, the police didn't make any mistakes. Of course, this doesn't include the framing afterward."
Luken's comments enraged the local black community, and a riot began to unfold.