CINCINNATI — A recent rise in aggravated assaults isn't stopping thousands from coming to The Banks entertainment district on a busy Friday night.
Def Leppard, Joan Jett, Motley Crue and Poison all played at Great American Ball Park as part of The Stadium Tour. The show was expected to bring in tens of thousands to the riverfront.
Law enforcement made their presence known. An armored SWAT vehicle and several police cruisers were parked outside the ballpark prior to the concert.
Tommy Davidson drove up from Lexington, saying recent violence hasn't deterred him from coming.
“Seems pretty safe to me — a lot of police, a lot of security — seems pretty safe," Davidson said.
While the overall trend for violent crime is down in Cincinnati, assaults are a different matter. According to Cincy Insights, a total of ten aggravated assaults have been reported in the downtown area so far this year. Four of those have occurred at The Banks. Out of 29 violent crime reports downtown, eight of those have been at The Banks.
Business owners and managers said recent incidents are outliers and do not do justice to how safe The Banks actually is.
James Swagart attended Friday's concert.
"Between Hamilton County and Cincinnati Police, they’re doing a great job," he said. “As long as everyone that comes down looks behind them, looks at the surroundings, the police will do their job.”
Many concertgoers said they feel safer with the increase in patrols around the riverfront.
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