Akron protesters push back on violence narrative, leave red carnations at Justice Center

About 50 people marched to the Stubbs Justice Center in downtown Akron carrying red carnations Monday night. This is just the latest demonstration calling for justice for Jayland Walker, who was shot and killed by eight Akron police officers last summer.

“We’re going to the Justice Center, set our flowers on the steps," Autumn Riddle said, instructing a group of people clutching red carnations on the chilly Monday night in downtown Akron. Riddle organized the demonstration after feeling demonized by Akron police and the city for the protest last week on Copley Road she attended that was dispersed by police using tear gas and pepper spray.

"I was just really sick of how they were making us seem like we were violent protesters on Copley Road, so I said, 'Well let's try to do something that they'll find more peaceful,'" Riddle said. "So we're going to bring flowers, because we're mourning. And we want justice. We're just showing that we're not violent."

She wants the city and the police to know that the protesters are peaceful, which is why she chose flowers as the symbol of this protest. The flowers symbolize peace and mourning, she said.

“They’re red, because I feel like, well we all feel like APD has blood on their hands," Riddle said.

A grand jury decided not to indict the officers involved in Walker's killing last week, a decision that has been widely criticized by the community.

1 of 2  — Jayland Walker red carnations

Three protesters leave red carnations beneath police barriers outside the Stubbs Justice Center on Monday, April 24, 2023.

Ygal Kaufman / Ideastream Public Media

2 of 2  — Red carnations Jayland Walker

A row of red carnations left by dozens of protesters on the curb beneath police barriers outside the Stubbs Justice Center in Downtown Akron on April 24, 2023.

Ygal Kaufman / Ideastream Public Media

The protesters set 200 red carnations in front of the Justice Center after holding a moment of silence and then chanted demands for justice for Jayland Walker.

Riddle and other protesters demanded serious changes to the Akron Police Department, starting with firing the eight officers involved in the killing of Walker last summer.

“It would be really nice if they actually hired officers that live in Akron and not officers that live in Hudson, Wadsworth, other places that do not care about our city," Riddle said. "We need officers that are from Akron that care about our community.”

Riddle said they will continue to protest peacefully until justice is served.