Video of Banned Gathering: 'We Don't Give a F---' About Virus

Rashaan Davis arrested, charged with defying Ohio's stay-at-home order, posting YouTube video
By Jenn Gidman,  Newser Staff
Posted Apr 6, 2020 7:50 AM CDT

There's a stay-at-home order in Ohio, issued by Gov. Mike DeWine, that was recently extended through May 1, but some just couldn't resist the temptation of getting together for a Friday night street gathering—and at least one person couldn't resist recording it and uploading the video to YouTube. WWMT and the Cincinnati Enquirer report that 25-year-old Rashaan Davis was arrested Saturday afternoon and hit with a prohibited violations misdemeanor charge for flouting DeWine's mandate, as well as for the 10-minute-plus video showing people perched on top of cars and dancing as music played in the background, clearly not heeding social distancing guidelines. "This is how we do it in my city, man," a man identified by the Enquirer as Davis says into the camera as the video begins. "We don't give a f--- about the coronavirus."

The Cincinnati Police Department says the gathering involved about 50 people behind a gas station in the city's Over-the-Rhine neighborhood, per WLWT, which adds that the video was also livestreamed on Facebook. Davis "publicly acknowledged the COVID-19 pandemic and incited others to violate the stay-at-home order via [the] YouTube posting," a police report stated. Davis' defiance "[caused] even greater risk of contamination during this national health crisis," police documents add. Cops say the video had 55,000 views by the time Davis was arrested; the current count, as of Sunday, was 270,000. Although cops converged on the scene in real time, no arrests were made until they were able to look into what had happened and who had posted the video online. Those who may be tempted to take part in future gatherings, beware: Cincinnati cops say they could face fines or an arrest like Davis. (More coronavirus stories.)

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