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Residents press Canton council for police accountability, allege repeated excessive force
Summary
Multiple Canton residents used public comment on June 2 to allege repeated incidents of excessive force by Canton police, including an allegation that an officer ordered a dog to attack an individual; commenters demanded investigations, accountability and an end to what they described as institutional silence.
A string of public commenters at the Canton City Council meeting on June 2 called for accountability for alleged police misconduct, recounting deaths and attacks they said were the result of excessive force and demanding changes in discipline, oversight and transparency.
Cassandra White, who identified herself as the mother of Zachary Fornash, said her son was killed in December 2023 and alleged officers used a canine against a man on May 30, 2024. "They fed my client to a dog," White said, and later called on the city to "honor the law" and provide accountability and apology. Her remarks described what she said were multiple recent incidents of excessive force and urged broader action.
Other speakers joined the demand for accountability. Skylark Bruce listed several cases by name and repeated a refrain: "your silence was violence," urging the council to move beyond "lip service." Alyssa Liss and Justin Nicely also criticized the council and law-enforcement practices and vowed continued activism and records requests. Several speakers said prior complaints and arbitration outcomes had failed to produce meaningful change.
Council response and context: Leader Mariel noted the council had publicly addressed at least one past arbitration (the Mamaroff case), saying the city's position had been to support the firing even though an arbitrator later ruled otherwise. No formal disciplinary action or investigation outcomes were announced during the meeting in response to the specific allegations raised in public comment.
Why it matters: multiple speakers alleged life‑and‑death consequences from police actions and called for systemic change. Those claims, recorded in the public‑comment portion of the meeting, raise demands for transparent investigation and for council or administration follow-up. Because the statements allege criminal conduct by officers, they may also intersect with independent investigations or legal processes outside the council's direct authority.
What residents asked for: specific on-site inspections and meetings in individual cases; criminal charges in at least one allegation; broader structural reforms including removal of abusive officers and accountability mechanisms. The meeting record shows these demands were made publicly; the transcript does not record council action responding to the specific incidents beyond general remarks about past cases.
