(2003-12-03) -- Crowds of obese people took to the streets of Cincinnati tonight to protest the death of Nathaniel Jones. The 350-pound man died over the weekend during a violent struggle with local police while he was high on cocaine and PCP. The Hamilton County Coroner ruled the death a homicide, but said that doesn't mean the police did anything wrong.

But the coroner's explanation did little to calm the growing tension in the predominantly-obese neighborhood where Mr. Jones lived. Hundreds of people ranging in weight from 300-to-520 pounds chanted slogans as they slowly marched two blocks to the steps of police headquarters, stopping several times to catch their breath.

"I saw the video of those skinny cops wailing on Nathaniel with those clubs," said one unnamed protester. "They beat him because they're prejudiced. They hate fat people. Those cops are nothing but a bunch of pencil-necks."

One immense young man held a sign that said, "Police Brutality is a Huge Problem." A portly grandmother waved a placard which read: "I Can't Weight for Equal Justice."

Protest organizers said they'll demand an independent investigation of Mr. Jones' death, and get a court order requiring the Cincinnati police force to increase hiring of morbidly-obese officers.