An Akron activist organization is hosting community engagement events this week centered on calls for justice for Jayland Walker, the unarmed Black man fatally shot by police earlier this summer.
Freedom BLOC, a Black-led organizing group, holds two separate “weeks of action” each year to encourage people to become engaged in social and political issues and build community, said Ray Greene Jr., executive director of Freedom BLOC.
This week, there will be tributes specific to Walker, Greene said.
“Jayland Walker right now represents 45 other victims that have been killed by the police since 2020. So there will be a lot of tributes throughout the city next week that people will want to join in on,” Greene said.
The Justice for Jayland Walker Week of Action kicked off Sunday, Aug. 21 and runs through Sunday Aug. 28. Events are focused on housing, leadership and social justice, as well as tributes to Walker and other victims of police shootings.
On Wednesday, organizers will gather at the intersection of Grant St. and Wheeler St. to deliver petitions that call for a civilian police review board and more transparency about the Walker shooting.
Even though some of the topics are serious, the events are geared around having fun, Greene added.
“We’re a community that’s ravaged by poverty and lack of essential needs that we need, which leads to violence inside of our communities,” Greene said. “So, we want to have a week where things are just light, we’re able to learn together … but also to honor Jayland.”
One such activity includes “Texting Taco & Tequila Tuesday” at Freedom BLOC’s West Market St. headquarters Tuesday night, he said.
The full list of events can be found on Freedom BLOC’s website.
Walker’s death in late June renewed calls for police reform and overall accountability in the city.
That includes the creation of a civilian review board that would monitor complaints against police.
On Monday, Freedom BLOC will also host a joint press conference with the Akron NAACP to provide details on a campaign to put the review board before voters this fall.
Community organizers have been collecting signatures and have already met the threshold needed to get the initiative on the November ballot, Greene said.
