A small group of Akron activists gathered ahead of Monday’s city council meeting and encouraged citizens to speak up about police brutality and other topics.
The event, “All Call to City Hall,” was one of several gatherings held over the past week to call for justice for Jayland Walker, who was fatally shot by Akron Police on June 27, 2022.
The group set up a table outside the Akron Municipal Building and offered pizza and public comment forms.
Akron City Council holds a “public comment” portion at the end of each of its regular meetings. Citizens are permitted three minutes to speak.
During Monday’s meeting, nearly every citizen who spoke criticized the Akron Police Department’s use-of-force incidents. They mentioned Jayland Walker but also discussed a recent instance that occurred over the weekend.
"We just witnessed, on July 1, another young Black man being beaten," said resident Lillian Barnes. "What is going on? I have never seen this in my whole life."
Videos circulated on social media July 1 of two Akron police officers punching a man later identified as Jordan Ely Sr. multiple times while attempting to arrest him.
While patrolling West Akron, police did a “registration check” on Ely’s car, finding he had multiple outstanding warrants, according to the Akron Police’s report on the incident. When the two officers approached him in the parking lot of a Family Dollar on Copley Road, he began to try to step away from them.
“Verbal commands were given to Ely to put his hands behind his back and to stop resisting. Ely did not comply, and officers continued to try to separate his hands to safely handcuff the suspect,” said Akron police spokesman Capt. David Laughlin in the report. “During the 2-minute struggle to get Ely into custody, strikes were used in addition to the physical grappling."
Officers found a bag in Ely's car containing a powder that tested positive for fentanyl, Laughlin added in the report. In addition to the outstanding warrants, Ely was charged with obstructing official business, resisting arrest and felony possession of drugs.
The use-of-force incident is under investigation and will be forwarded to Akron’s Citizens’ Police Oversight Board for review when completed, Laughlin said.
Several councilmembers addressed some of the citizens’ comments after the public comment period.
Councilmember Russ Neal called the video of Ely's arrest “troubling” but declined to speak about it further until more information is released.
Councilmember Jeff Fusco read statistics provided by the Akron Police Department, which show there were 52 recorded citizen complaints out of more than 140,000 calls in 2021.
“We have good men and women that go out every day to keep our city safe, our streets safe, our homes safe. These men and women have families that pray for them to come home,” Fusco said. “Mistakes will be made, problems will occur, in a big organization such as this … and I would stack Akron Police Department to any police departments in the state of Ohio. I believe they do a great job.”
The council meeting comes less than a week after about two dozen citizens attended Akron’s Citizens’ Police Oversight Board meeting to share grievances with the board’s work thus far and call for more accountability in the police department.
Some residents asked for more time to speak during these meetings. The CPOB follows a similar structure to city council: three minutes per person, but while city council holds its public comment period at the end of meetings, the CPOB holds its forum at the beginning.
Citizens also encouraged the board to adopt a broad investigatory power in its official rules and procedures. Later that meeting, the board voted that it should have both investigatory and subpoena powers.
The board’s rules must now be approved by city council. They expect to present them during city council’s July 17 meeting in two weeks.
Council also held public hearing
City council also held a public hearing to consider the LeBron James Family Foundation’s request for a medical clinic it is planning near the I Promise School. Council unanimously approved the request.
The foundation and its project team asked to construct an addition on the building that will be used for the clinic, which is located across the street from its House Three Thirty facility on West Market Street.
The clinic will be called I Promise HealthQuarters, according to the conditional use request.
It will be operated by Axess Pointe, a community health center, and open to the public.
The center would offer primary care, dental, vision and behavioral health services, according to the request.
