KENTON COUNTY (WXIX) -A CityBeat intern is scheduled to go on trial Thursday in connection with a protest that occurred on the Roebling Bridge in July.
Lucas Griffith was one of two CityBeat journalists arrested in connection with the protest that escalated to the Roebling Bridge on Thursday, July 17.
Kenton County Jail records show that Griffith is facing charges of disorderly conduct, obstructing a highway, obstructing emergency responder violations, and failure to disperse.
The protest, organized in part by Ignite the Peace, started at the "Sing the Queen City" sign at The Banks, according to our partners at the Cincinnati Enquirer.
Hundreds of people then took to the bridge to protest U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) while calling for the release of Ayman Soliman, a former chaplain at Cincinnati Children's Hospital, who has since been released.
On July 17, Covington police responded to "a protest on the Roebling Suspension Bridge that obstructed traffic and created safety concerns for both demonstrators and the public.
Officers tried to contact the protest's organizer, but they claim that they were "met with open hospitality and threatening behavior," police said in a press release.
"While the department supports the public's right to peaceful assembly and expression, threatening officers and blocking critical infrastructure, such as a major bridge, presents a danger to all involved," police said.
EarthCam video shows the crowd moving onto the Roebling Suspension Bridge around 8 p.m. A video shows some protesters standing in front of a Jeep, slapping the SUV's hood, while trying to block it from driving over the bridge.
A second video, this time from on the bridge, shows an officer attempting to subdue a person on the walkway. The video appears to show the officer struggling to get control of the individual.
Police said that warnings were issued to the protesters to disperse, and several of them refused to comply, so they were taken into custody.
While trying to get the person in the video in custody, the officer is seen punching the individual before getting him to the ground.
As officers put the man in handcuffs, the video pans to a woman leaning on the cables that separate the bridge and the walkway.
Two officers try to subdue the woman, and in the video, it appears she tries kicking one officer, causing her shoe to fly toward the officer.
One of the officers deployed what appears to be a Taser-like device at the woman as she refused to let go of the cable along the walkway.
Eventually, the woman is taken to the ground where other officers jump in and handcuff her.
Police said at the time that they arrested 13 people, but another two suspects were in court on charges from that evening, bringing the total to 15.
Cincinnati police issued citations to three people, according to the department.
Dozens of officers from agencies across Kenton and Campbell Counties responded.
"We respect everyone's right to protest, but when demonstrations jeopardize public safety and violate the law, our officers must take appropriate action," said Covington Police Chief Brian Valenti.
Some officers were injured, but those were scrapes and cuts, "nothing serious," a police spokesman tells FOX19 NOW.
According to CityBeat's website, Griffith is their photography intern.
Madeline Fening is the other CityBeat journalist who was arrested that day. Her pretrial won't start until January 8, court records show.