Residents, activists press Ypsilanti officials after video shows assault at Washington Street store

A video showing employees physically assaulting a Black woman outside a Washington Street store drew a sustained wave of public comment at the Ypsilanti City Council meeting, where residents and community organizers demanded faster investigations, new rules and charter changes, and expanded nonpolice responses for people with behavioral health needs.

The clip and subsequent public gatherings prompted dozens of residents to speak during a 45-minute public comment period. "This store has a long history of not being a safe place in the community," said Trisha Duckworth, who asked the council to pursue charter amendments that would let the city hold businesses accountable. "We need to hold this store accountable. They do not deserve to make money in our community anymore."

Community leaders pressed the council for a range of steps. Leah Mills Chapman, a local business owner and director of the nonprofit Women on the Move, said the video produced fear among Black women and called for "expedient investigations" by both civil and police authorities. Deron Witherspoon, CEO of Power Peace Enterprise, said he has worked directly with the store owner to install lighting and additional cameras and to meet community requests; he urged residents and officials to seek remedies and to engage in dialogue.

Mayor Brown and several council members acknowledged the footage’s emotional impact and said they supported community-led forums to establish a fuller reconciliation and accountability process. "We need space for the community to fully voice their concerns to the parties that have been harmed," Mayor Brown said, noting that the city’s authority over private businesses is limited and that some remedies require legal process or other enforcement channels.

City staff said criminal charges have been filed and the case is now with the county prosecutor. "It’s an ongoing prosecution," the city manager told council; staff declined to discuss prosecutorial details because the matter is in active litigation. Councilmembers repeatedly emphasized the difference between criminal process and city policy options such as licensing, code or charter changes.

Speakers urged several specific policy actions: an expedited civil review and investigation process, amendments to the city charter or local ordinances to increase the city’s enforcement options against businesses that create public-safety problems, and a local commitment to expand nonpolice and harm-reduction responses for people experiencing behavioral health crises. Several residents asked that money budgeted for vacant police positions or other city funds be redirected toward community-led safety and social-service strategies.

Council members said they would examine ordinances and charter language and directed city staff to prepare follow-up information for a future meeting. Councilmember Simmons said she supported a forum that would gather the owner, employees and community members to hear demands and work toward remedies; several other council members said they would pursue whether existing city codes could be applied more effectively.

Organizers also asked the council to support a community-led event and to facilitate a format that allows people to present restorative or reparative demands directly to the store owner. Witherspoon and other local organizers named a tentative date for a meeting and said they will continue outreach; Mayor Brown said staff and council would coordinate with organizers to determine a format and next steps.

The meeting closed with an acknowledgement from council that the incident is part of broader local debates over homelessness, public safety, business licensing and racial equity. Several speakers urged the council not to treat the episode as isolated public-relations damage but as part of a longer-term set of policy choices about downtown safety, housing and services.

Ending: The city manager said staff would return to council with information about the city’s code enforcement and licensing tools, how those intersect with criminal prosecutions, and options for possible charter or ordinance changes. Residents in the chamber and at the podium said they expect the council to act publicly and quickly.