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Citizens urge downtown low‑barrier center, raise privacy and safety concerns during council public comment
Summary
Public commenters at the May 19 meeting strongly supported a proposed downtown 24/7 Community Resource Center, while others urged caution on renewing a surveillance vendor contract and raised concerns about a violent video and local media and police handling.
During the public‑comment period on May 19, Fort Wayne residents gave the council a range of civic input: several urged approval of a downtown low‑barrier 24/7 Community Resource Center; others called for scrutiny of a proposed renewal of a contract with surveillance vendor Flock; and commenters recounted violence and asked for better police and media handling.
Joe Renner, a longtime Fort Wayne resident, urged council to approve a proposed 24/7 Community Resource Center at 333 E. Washington Center Boulevard, saying the location is near existing services and public transit and would help connect people experiencing homelessness to services. Multiple other speakers, including Laura Jacobs and Sally Sigerson, voiced support for a centrally located shelter and urged council engagement with schools and mental‑health providers.
Jim Jacobs opposed ordinance S2605‑ten (the Flock contract renewal), citing audits and recent municipal actions he said showed Flock shared data with outside parties and had weak data governance. "I'm asking you to reject this vendor," Jacobs said, and urged the council to pause for a careful investigation before renewing the contract.
Ken McNeil, speaking for Rudy's LLC, asked council to consider a 3‑way (riverfront/dining) liquor license and described Rudy's recent programming and role as a downtown destination. Other commenters requested more trash cans at Packard Park (Katie Jo), raised sewer/environmental concerns (Jane "MJ" Goble), and called for a thorough investigation into an assault captured on video involving Anita Grayson (Debbie Koons), who said initial reporting and the police statement appeared to 'water down' the incident.
Council members acknowledged the comments; several said they support using stakeholder outreach and a methodical process to choose the homeless‑services location and asked staff to consider business impacts and legal questions (for example, a 1,000‑foot registered offender radius referenced by commenters). The public‑comment period closed with the council adjourning for the evening.
What to watch next: Council will consider the Flock contract renewal in a future meeting (S2605‑ten) and the proposed 24/7 Community Resource Center remains a subject of upcoming agenda items and stakeholder discussions.
