City Officials and the Distinguished Press,
I am a professional and a former resident of Covington for over ten years. I continue to do business in Covington and visit regularly, as I still live in the area.
I am deeply offended by the actions of the Covington Police Department during the recent protest on the Roebling Bridge.
The officer who was filmed using disturbing and violent force against peaceful demonstrators acted in a way that is completely unacceptable. These individuals showed no danger, no violence, and no threats. The justification — that they did not immediately lie on the ground — is no excuse for physical assault. That officer’s actions were not about safety or de-escalation; they were about domination, and they betrayed the very principles that law enforcement is supposed to uphold.
The police department — the officers present — failed Covington that day. They failed the public trust. That situation could have been resolved easily and peacefully. The people on that bridge deserved protection, not punishment. Yes, some may have broken laws — and for those who did, proper arrests and charges could have been made calmly, lawfully, and without harm. But what we saw instead was brutality.
The judgment displayed by officers on that bridge was reckless. There are hundreds of better ways to resolve a protest without sending people to the hospital. This became national news — and for good reason. We are lucky no one was thrown from that bridge. The outcomes could have been far worse.
The right to protest is protected under the First Amendment. A permit is not a prerequisite for exercising a constitutional right. Even when a protest becomes more passionate, it is a reflection of the pain, the division, and the desperation felt by our people. That doesn’t demand violence from police — it demands understanding, leadership, and training.
And let’s be clear: many of your citizens *side* with those protesters. Many of your citizens are angry. I speak to them. I know them. I live here. The actions taken by your officers do not reflect the values of this community.
And to arrest a member of the press — the *very first person arrested* — is disgraceful. That individual clearly stated they were press, on assignment, and yet they were detained and charged with *felony rioting*. That is not justice. That is retaliation. That is disrespectful of both the First Amendment and the democratic process.
I am not proud of Northern Kentucky today. I want to be. I want to be able to defend my home, my community. But I cannot when I witness this abuse of power and this contempt for public expression.
Your duty is not to punish your citizens for being loud or disruptive. Your duty is to serve *everyone* — especially those who feel unheard. And right now, many of us feel unheard. What happened on that bridge is disgusting, and it cannot be ignored.
Best regards:
Eric Kiel Bardun
Former Resident: Pittman Court and Rolling Hills Drive, Covington
Current Resident of Hebron
See the full City of Covington press conference here: