Alex Tchervinski, 45, the man seen in shocking viral clips being stomped, kicked, and punched by a crowd in downtown Cincinnati, entered a not-guilty plea this week to a misdemeanor disorderly conduct charge. His attorney, Douglas Brannon, blasted the prosecution as a second victimization, stressing that Tchervinski acted in self-defense and suffered over two dozen blows to his head and face before being robbed on the ground.

The attack began after a tense confrontation between groups was captured on cellphone video. Footage shows shoving, verbal sparring, and efforts by bystanders to break things up. At one point, Tchervinski lightly slapped a black male in the face, and within seconds, the mob descended, unleashing a brutal beating. While prosecutors have yet to explain why they filed the charge, Brannon says it’s outrageous to punish a man who barely survived the assault.

Community leaders, however, have their own criticism. Democratic state Rep. Cecil Thomas argued that disorderly conduct isn’t enough, saying, “An assault is an assault. When you put your hands on someone and use force, you have assaulted that individual.” But even Thomas admitted city leaders aren’t being transparent, pointing to the solicitor’s unusual move to seal the citation. “The public needs to know exactly what happened here,” Brannon said, accusing the city of hiding evidence.

Seven black suspects have been charged in the mob attack, six of whom face eight counts each, including felonious assault, aggravated riot, and assault — charges that could put them away for decades. Prosecutors also confirmed racial slurs were heard on video but stressed they came nearly two minutes into the savage beating, not before. “These poor people were being stomped WWE-style, elbow-dropped on the pavement. We could have been looking at a homicide,” Chief Assistant Prosecutor Kip Guinan said.

One victim, known as “Holly,” was knocked unconscious after being sucker-punched while trying to stop the violence. Prosecutors say the man accused of punching her, 38-year-old Patrick Rosemond, has a long rap sheet and was caught on video dancing and taunting victims after the attack. He now faces a \$500,000 bond.

Some voices in Cincinnati’s black community, including Pastor Damon Lynch, suggested the chaos wouldn’t have erupted if the initial slap never happened — a claim critics like BlazeTV’s Jason Whitlock slammed as dangerous and racially divisive. Whitlock argued that no slap could ever justify a mob stomping a man nearly to death and then assaulting a woman who tried to intervene.

As the case moves forward, the city faces growing pressure to release all available video evidence and answer why a man beaten within an inch of his life is now sitting in the defendant’s chair. For many, the bigger question is whether Cincinnati is prosecuting justice — or protecting itself.