JD Vance exploited a brawl to paint Cincinnati as crime-ridden. The fallout has divided the city

National spotlight, after video of violent fight went viral, has led residents to question just how safe their city is or isn't - and who is responsible for sparking the debate

It took only a few days for footage of a violent brawl in downtown Cincinnati in July to catch the attention of some of the country's most high-profile figures.

The fight, which saw a white woman punched in the face from behind by an African American man, among other incidents, took place when around 150,000 people were attending events in the city's urban core.