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Residents and advocates press council on policing, housing conditions and international concerns during public comments
Summary
At the Feb. 27 public comment period, local residents recounted policing encounters and poor housing conditions in the Villages of Roe Hill, a neighborhood advocate and a receivership dispute were aired, and speakers urged divestment from entities tied to overseas violence; city staff and council listened before the business meeting began.
Several Cincinnati residents used the two-minute public comment slot at the Feb. 27 Council meeting to press city officials on policing, housing and broader political concerns. Ryan Saud recounted watching police detain a 12‑year‑old he identified only by the name Tim, alleging officers arrested the child for jaywalking and then for ‘‘civil disobedience’’ after the child cursed; Saud characterized the stop as racial profiling.
Tyesha Bates (who identified herself during remarks) urged the council to address longstanding problems at the Villages of Roe Hill, saying tenants face foul plumbing, infestations and retaliatory evictions when they complain. Bates said community elections there have been held at times she described as deliberately inconvenient, and that residents feel pushed out of meetings when they try to raise concerns.
Speakers also raised a range of other issues. One commenter accused local institutions of corruption and cited housing‑court practices he called predatory. Danny Klingler, who identified himself as an organizer involved with Over‑the‑Rhine property work, disputed flyers he said were spreading misinformation about a particular receivership case and defended the time and money his group had invested in rehabbing an abandoned property. A different speaker representing Divest Cincinnati called for local disinvestment from entities tied to violence abroad and for an end to local cooperation with ICE. From Zoom, Mike Eulhorn described a billing dispute with the Greater Cincinnati Water Works after buying a long‑vacant property and questioned base charges assessed after service was restored.
Why it matters: Public comment is the primary avenue for residents to flag on‑the‑ground problems to council; several speakers asked for follow‑up action from city departments or asked the council to use its oversight role to address long‑running community concerns.
Next steps: Council proceeded into its business agenda after a brief recess; several items on the published agenda that followed address housing, public safety and utility policy at a high level.
