CINCINNATI – After the viral beatdown in downtown Cincinnati that captured the nation’s attention, a candidate for Cincinnati mayor is pointing to relaxed bail policies and mismanagement of police funding as the primary cause of chaos wreaking havoc on citizens.  

In a news conference days after the assault, Mayor Aftab Pureval denounced the attack while vowing to find the assailants and hold them accountable. 

“This was an awful incident, and our law enforcement has been working quickly and effectively to bring all responsible to justice,” Pureval said. “Let me be clear, there is no place for violent crime in Cincinnati, whether it’s a fight or gun violence. We will pursue those responsible, and we will hold them accountable no matter who they are.”

“So, 64% of the city’s budget goes toward public safety. But what we have to understand is that there are initiatives and programs that are dividing the city from the police department when it comes to where those funds should be going.”

He pointed to numerous community involvement initiatives he believes are draining funding from the police department and putting public safety on the line. 

“There are all these initiatives that have been stacked on top of each other for years that are draining the funds out of our city budget,” Bowman said. “All those resources need to go back into the police department. We need to have higher amounts of patrols. We need to have a higher recruiting class. And we need to be able to have a strong stance against what’s going on.” 

The mayor’s office did not respond to Fox News Digital’s multiple requests for comment.