FIGHTING A PERPETUAL WAR

The unrest in Cincinnati since the death of Nathaniel Jones has roots in
events that precede the events that resulted in the death.

Cincinnati, a city that is 46 percent black, is a racial war zone. The
battle is between the black community and the police department.

Jones, 41, died Sunday after being taken into custody by Cincinnati police.
Before an investigation could be conducted, law enforcement supporters were
saying the police were justified; members from the black community were
saying just the opposite.

The video of Jones being repeatedly clubbed as he failed to follow police
orders, was too much, too soon after the fatal shooting of an unarmed black
man by a white Cincinnati police officer in April 2001. That incident
prompted the beatings of several unarmed whites by black gangs, three
nights of rioting and an economic boycott of the city.

The officer was acquitted of charges of negligent homicide and obstruction
of official business.

What we see depends on where we are standing, and from where I stand, I
can't see any real healing coming about anytime soon.

For starters, with some 96 seconds of the incident not having been filmed,
we will never see all that transpired.

Also, if -- as reported by the coroner (and we have no reason to doubt him)
- -- Jones had cocaine and PCP in his system, he was likely to have been
experiencing drug-induced psychosis. Both substances can cause bizarre or
aggressive behavior, and police might have had to be psychic psychiatrists
to diagnose Jones and subdue him in a less offensive manner.

When police officers are called to a scene, they don't know what to expect,
said Columbus Police Chief Willie Dozier, adding he was not going to
"Monday Morning Quarterback" the incident.

"The actions of the person dictates the (police) response. Hopefully, (the
officers) take the best course of action," Dozier said.

What law enforcement officials hope for, Dozier said, is a well-trained,
experienced force. "Sometimes our biggest fear is that we can't sustain an
experience level," he said. "When a law enforcement department gets in
trouble, it didn't happen overnight."

Few occurrences take place overnight. Drug use, for example, is a growing
problem, and we aren't hearing about any special training law enforcement
might be receiving. Taking down a person experiencing drug-induced
psychosis is not the same as taking down an uncooperative citizen.

Mental health professionals who have not been taught the "take down," have
been told not to allow themselves to be cornered by clients.

At the same time, counselors are warning substance abuse clients. Milton
Abram, director of Rediscovery, an alcohol and substance abuse treatment
center with offices in Columbus and LaGrange, tells his clients that abuse
of alcohol and other drugs has a predictable outcome:

"The consequences of substance abuse are jails, institutions and death."