Ypsilanti City Council debated a resolution regarding the police response to a man who barricaded himself inside a Cross Street residence in early January during its meeting Feb. 3, 2026.
On Jan. 4, 2026, the Ypsilanti Police Department and Washtenaw Metro SWAT responded to a call reporting a man causing a disturbance at 1111 West Cross St. The confrontation spanned more than 30 hours, in which the man barricaded himself inside his home while police forces attempted negotiations. Community members have expressed concern over the tactics used by police.
The resolution would require the Ypsilanti Police Advisory Commission to complete its review of the barricade situation within 90 days of the resolution's passing and for the YPAC's findings to be presented to City Council in both written and presentation form.
Councilor Patrick McLean spoke in favor of the resolution.
"I'm looking to find out exactly what happened and why it happened, so we can avoid having this kind of over-escalation in the future," McLean said. "I had a lot of questions two weeks ago, a lot of you had questions two weeks ago, and there's still the same questions tonight. I can't sit here and say we've made progress."
At the Jan. 20, 2026 Ypsilanti City Council meeting, public commentors showed out in support of Ruben, the barricaded man. At the meeting, several councilors spoke in support of Ruben.
At the Feb. 3 meeting, McLean stated that the Ypsilanti City Council had taken too long to address the barricade situation and expressed support for the resolution.
"We certainly cannot wait forever. I see [the resolution] in my conception, as the first stage in a two-step process, where we first look at our own operations, but secondly, perhaps we become a part of a larger effort across jurisdictions to look at the full scope of the operation," McLean said.
City Manager Andrew Hellenga expressed concern for the resolution, recommending that the Council go through the process of selecting a third-party investigator to take a closer look at the police's response Jan. 4, 2026.
"I think it would give Council, the department and the city a greater tool on how to improve on what our department was involved [in]," Hellenga said.
Councilor Desirae Simmons said that a lot of the facts that the third-party investigator would be assessing are already available to the Council.
"I just want to say too, that my goal is not about punishment, but about accountability," Simmons said. "So that we know that learning has happened and that we know what to expect in the future."
Simmons also addressed the residents who have expressed their concern for Ruben and the wish for the charges against him to be dropped.
"That [choice] sits with the county prosecutor," Simmons said. "The question would be whether there is a role for this body to play in terms of that."
The City Council also debated whether a third-party investigator would be able to provide more expertise on the subject and analyze the situation from an unbiased perspective.
"The public wants a lot of answers, and we don't have them," Councilor Amber Fellows said. "... If this is tabled [the resolution], I think it would be appropriate for Council to motion to support the plan to hire an outside investigator for this so that the public knows we are doing something."
Councilors spoke in favor of working with the county during the ongoing investigation into the incident. Ultimately, Ypsilanti City Council unanimously voted in favor of postponing the resolution until the March 3, 2026 meeting.
For more information on the Ypsilanti City Council meeting and how the Council came to this decision, the meeting in its entirety is available on the City of Ypsilanti's YouTube page.
