Residents press council on policing, surveillance and development; council honors All in Cincinnati and Officer Marcellus Jones

Residents and community leaders addressed Cincinnati City Council during the citizens forum with complaints about police surveillance, neighborhood development and property receivership, and calls for better protections for health-care workers. The council also used part of its meeting to recognize the All in Cincinnati Coalition for Women’s History Month and to adopt a posthumous resolution honoring Officer Marcellus Jones.

In public comment, Tracy Everett said she has been targeted by law-enforcement processes for years and accused the city of over-policing and “virtual profiling.” Everett said, “Y’all over policing. I don't got nothing to do with all this virtual profiling stuff y’all doing.” She also raised concerns about cameras and what she described as a gang task-force bulletin that lists young people’s names.

Multiple speakers raised related concerns about surveillance technology and “false narratives.” Tanika Edwards said the technology “is making me a target” and asked how to resolve a pattern she described as…