April 11, 2023 Akron Police Chief Stephen Mylett said a special panel met this week to discuss plans for possible protests stemming from a grand jury’s decision in the death of Jayland Walker last summer.
By Molly Walsh Source cleveland.com Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.
AKRON, OH—Akron is preparing for protests as state attorneys present evidence to a Summit County grand jury involving the death of Jayland Walker last summer.
A special panel convened Monday to begin the decision process. Akron’s police chief, Stephen Mylett, said the department will be prepared for any protests that occur.
Walker, a 25-year-old Black man, suffered 41 gunshot wounds after a car chase through the city’s North Hill neighborhood at about 12:30 a.m. June 27. His death led to weeks of protests in the city, as residents demanded accountability from the police department. The city has refused to release their identities.
In a video shared on Facebook, Mylett said the focus of his message is on “how to safely assemble and protest.”
Mylett said he gained guidance from the American Civil Liberties Union and the U.S. Department of Justice. According to the ACLU, residents are allowed to video or photograph police, protest without a permit, demonstrate in public places without blocking traffic and distribute literature and debate.
The ACLU also urges protesters to know their limitations.
“What you say to the police is always important,” the ACLU website says. “What you say can be used against you, and it can give the police an excuse to arrest you.”
To ensure residents’ safety, Mylett said he wants more communication between police and protesters.
Police Sgt. Michael Murphy Jr. is assigned as a point of contact for protest groups to gain information. He can be contacted by calling 330-217-5843 or emailing mg******@*******io.gov.
“If violence does erupt, officers will declare the assembly an unlawful assembly,” Mylett said. “That is something that we hope does not occur in the city in the coming days and weeks. If an unlawful assembly is declared by our officers, we will communicate information to the protest group and will provide opportunity, if time allows, on how people can leave the area safely.”
Several windows on City Hall were boarded Monday, and a temporary gated perimeter surrounds the Harold K. Stubbs Justice Center and Summit County Courthouse.
Bobby DiCello, the attorney for the Walker family, said the windows are boarded up because “the city of Akron doesn’t trust a significant portion of its citizens.”
“It has decided that if there’s going to be violence, it will come from people who are sick and tired of a system that has ignored them and injured them for generations,” he said in a statement. “City leadership doesn’t understand where that anger comes from. It doesn’t want to have that conversation because deep down, it simply doesn’t care what they are going through.”
Mylett said if violent behavior begins, police will use “the tools and resources at our disposal to safely disperse the crowd.”
The city is preparing a demonstration zone on South High Street. It will close traffic on the road outside the Justice Center for a safe assembly location for protesters. A prayer vigil is scheduled to take place on High Street from 5:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. Tuesday.
Mylett said his department’s main goal during the protests is safety for everyone involved as well as protection of property.
Businesses downtown began boarding up their windows Tuesday morning.
Mike Sullivan, head of maintenance of the Evans Building on South Main Street, worked with his team to screw in 40 boards of plywood along the windows.
“Luckily, we still have some from last summer,” he said. “And we saved some of the art that protesters put over it. It looks better than plywood.”
Chris Sedlock, owner of the Daily Pressed, said he is concerned about the cost of possible property damage and the amount of money spent to board up the cafe on South Main Street that just opened in February.
“I’ve got a family at home and faces to feed besides myself, I have employees. Where is the compensation for that stress?” he said.
Mylett said the city will not put up with criminal behavior.
“We aren’t going to tolerate property damage, and we are certainly not going to tolerate assaultive behavior,” the police chief said. “My sincere hope and prayer is that protests remain nonviolent, and we are able to interact with the public in a productive way.”
DiCello said the Walker family is calling for “justice and a fair process.”
“As Ohio law allows, the officers will be invited to testify before the grand jury on their behalf,” the statement said. “Keep in mind that if any other Akron citizen was accused of a crime, they would not necessarily be afforded that same privilege. Simply put, it’s a process that favors the officers.”