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Recently African-Americans in Cincinnati, Ohio called for city officials to acknowledge the racism in their community.

Black leaders and community members met with the Cincinnati City Council on Wednesday to discuss their frustration about the ongoing systemic racism in the city. About 150 people filled up the City Council chambers and voiced their concerns.

Former Mayor Dwight Tillery told WLWT5, “What is happening to black people in this city is almost criminal. We’re going to continue to push. We will have rallies and marches next year.”

Tillery, an organizer of the Black Agenda Cincinnati said hundreds of Black people gathered a few weeks ago at a church to voice their concerns and of racial disparity.

Earlier this year, Council members voted to conduct a study on institutional racism, but it never happened. A man accused Mayor John Cranley of contributing to systemic racism in Cincinnati.

“There are over 18 black leaders that you have attacked in your short tenure as mayor, creating racial hostility in our community, and it must stop,” he said.

A woman said, “The Black neighborhoods are under attack right now because of gentrification.”

Councilman Wendell Young, address residents who voiced their concerns along with other city officials.

“There can’t be changed without you being here to hold our feet to the fire… Don’t take lightly what you’ve done here tonight. Just as an example of what I’m talking about, we were trying to move the agenda, and we couldn’t go forward, because we felt the need to respond to what you had to say. That’s important, and to me, that’s the kind of government that we want. That’s the kind of representative government that works.”

The community created a list of priorities for City Council and the mayor to take into effect for 2019.

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