Akron residents gathered at Summit Lake Park Tuesday night on the anniversary of Jayland Walker's death. Walker was shot and killed by eight Akron police officers last June after failing to stop for a traffic stop and leading police on a car and foot chase.
About three dozen people attended the cookout and vigil. Although marking a tragedy, the event wasn’t somber. Instead, people celebrated Walker’s life, with grills filled with hamburgers and children giggling on the nearby playground.
Javonna Beasley is the sister of Walker’s fiancée, who died in a car accident just weeks before the shooting. She still doesn’t think people understand what happened to Walker.
“They say that it was suicide or whatever by cop, but suicide by cop don’t involve somebody running," Beasley said. "He was running. He was scared.”
At dusk, the group made its way to the shore of Summit Lake and began lighting tea candles on lily pads. Fighting the wind, they began placing the lit candles on the water.
"I'm grateful to be here at Summit Lake with the people who are actually centering Jayland Walker and his family's experience since many of us couldn't be in Washington D.C.," said Akron resident Jodi Henderson.
The community is continuing to push for justice for Walker. A group of about 100 residents protested in front of the Department of Justice Tuesday afternoon, calling on the department to open an investigation into the practices of the Akron Police Department.
"I'm really grateful that the Freedom BLOC was able to take people to D.C. to the Department of Justice, because the city of Akron has been dragging its feet for decades now on these Akron police," Henderson said. "And it's time that the Department of Justice at the very least come in and investigate the patterns and practices of the APD."
The community isn't going to stop fighting for justice for Walker, Henderson said.
“We executed a man in Akron, Ohio," Henderson said. "Our police executed a man."
Activists have events scheduled for the rest of the week, including speaking at the Citizens' Police Oversight Board on Wednesday, a youth field day on Friday and a movie night on Saturday. Next week, activists plan to rally outside of city hall before the city council meeting on Monday. They're also hosting a block party and march on July 4.
Earlier this month, Walker's family filed a civil suit in federal court against the city of Akron, Mayor Dan Horrigan, Police Chief Steve Mylett, other department leaders and the eight officers that shot him alleging excessive use of force and a history of violence and racism in the department.
An internal investigation to determine if the eight officers involved in Walker's shooting violated any internal policies is ongoing. After it is released, the Citizens' Police Oversight Board will be able to hold their own review and offer policy changes.
Issue 10, the charter amendment creating the oversight board, was overwhelmingly passed by voters last November, with momentum for the issue sparked by Walker's death. Despite this, Javonna Beasley isn't convinced the board will bring change to the police department.
"We really don't got no hope in that system at all right now," Beasley said.
