NEWPORT, Ky. — The City of Newport is searching for solutions to violence after a fight that occurred Saturday night was caught on camera, showing multiple people using pots and pans as weapons.
Both kids and adults were involved in the fight.
While the specifics aren't clear from the Newport Police Department about why this happened or who was involved, a Newport City Commissioner said five people were arrested, including some juveniles. The pending charges include disorderly conduct and assault.
"That's just street fighting; you use whatever you can get your hands on," said Alexandrea Barber, a lifelong resident of Newport.
We showed Barber and her boyfriend, Trey Flores, the video Wednesday. They told us this was the first time they saw it and were surprised by the age of those involved, but also their weapons of choice.
Both Barber and Flores said they see a group of kids at the intersection of W 10th Street and Central Avenue hanging out on a daily basis. Flores also told us he was concerned for his girlfriend's safety.
"We always make sure that when she takes a walk that she has her earbud in, so she can be in constant communication with me. That way if anything does happen, I can respond quickly and make sure that she stays safe," Flores said.
WCPO 9 has reached out to the Newport mayor, commissioners and the chief of police multiple times. While no one was willing to go on camera, we spoke to two commissioners, and the chief of police did tell us that there have been meetings happening all week long about what happened Saturday night.
They said there are no concrete plans in place for how the city wants to go about addressing the violence, but they used words like "collaboration" and "solutions" to try and help residents on the west side of the city.
"We get these videos that are short clips, that start halfway through, but what led up to it?" Flores said. "We're stuck in this time where people are struggling, they're struggling to make ends meet, they're struggling to keep a roof over their heads."
Flores and Barber also felt compassion for what they saw on video, and interpreted it as a symptom of a deeper problem and a cry for help. We asked them both what their message would be to those at city hall.
"We've been taught you can pull people out of the river, but it's better to go up river to find out why people are falling into the river in the first place," said Barber.
Flores said those at city hall should be open to listening to those with opposing opinions.
"No creative solutions can be found... from a 'yes man,'" Flores said.
Correction: An earlier version of this story erroneously reported we reached out to Covington's mayor, commissioners and chief of police about the fight.
