Akron council members criticize mayor’s cancellation of weekend events

Akron City Council members criticized Mayor Shammas Malik’s decision to cancel all events on city property over the weekend, saying it was “his only decision.”

Malik canceled 11 events Friday night after receiving a letter from eight council members calling it “irresponsible” to hold city-sanctioned events while the suspect(s) in a recent mass shooting are still at large , he said during a press conference on Friday.

No “credible threats” have been reported, Malik added.

In a press release issued Saturday, council members wrote that their concern was the insufficient police presence planned for the June 19 events.

“We want to be clear that we have not asked the Mayor to cancel all large gatherings on city-owned property,” council members wrote in the statement. “We have written a letter expressing our concern about the organization of the events of June 19 after a previous attempt to express the extent of these concerns, in particular regarding the unfairness of the ratio of police personnel for the different events, which proved unsuccessful.”

Eight City Council members signed the initial letter: Council President Margo Sommerville, Council Vice President Jeff Fusco, Ward 2 Councilmember Phil Lombardo, Ward 1 Councilmember Sam DeShazior, Ward 2 Councilmember Ward 10 Councilmember Sharon Connor, Ward 6 Councilmember Brad McKitrick, Ward 4 Councilmember Jan Davis and Ward 5 Councilmember Johnnie Hannah.

While the initial letter specifically requested the cancellation of three June 19 events, Malik said during Friday’s press conference that it would be unfair to cancel some events but not others.

“What I’m not going to do is sit here and say that the Juneteenth events are canceled, but other large gatherings can go ahead because the reasoning in the letter applies to all big gatherings, right?” » said Malik.

Council members were particularly concerned about the events of June 19 because “shootings and gun violence are a daily reality in the African American community,” they wrote in Saturday’s statement.

“Gun violence has an alarming impact on Akron’s African American community,” council members wrote. “Those who do not share such experiences are challenged to fully understand and appreciate the fear and trauma experienced by those for whom gun violence is an everyday occurrence. »

Ward 4 council member Jan Davis, who represents Akron’s west side where two of the Juneteenth events were planned, added that the mayor did not consult with council members about the security plan for the weekend.

“Ultimately, the request was to suspend the events due to the inequity of the police presence,” Davis said in the release. “I learned that Mayor Malik had conversations with the event organizers, but not once did he or his staff contact me as a representative of the neighborhood.

Ideastream Public Media reached out to the mayor’s office for comment but has not yet received a response.

Akron Police Chief Brian Harding said Friday he was “comfortable” with the security plan he and other security officials developed before the events.

Malik is working with vendors and organizers of canceled events to “restore” them financially, he said Friday. Authorities are also working to reschedule events, it said in a statement this weekend. The North Hill 5K race has already been postponed, he said.

The city is planning a seventeenth anniversary celebration Wednesday at the John S. Knight Center. Organizers and vendors are welcome to participate, Malik said in the release.

Read Saturday’s full press release from city council members below:

“We maintain our concern expressed to Mayor Malik. We want to clarify that we have not asked the mayor to cancel all large gatherings on city-owned property. We wrote a letter expressing our concern about the organization of the June 19 events after an earlier attempt to express the extent of these concerns, particularly regarding the unfairness of the police manning ratio for the various events, which proved unsuccessful. The decision to attribute the extent of the concerns to all events held on city-owned properties and to also cancel those events was Mayor Malik’s decision and his decision alone.

While there may have been no known credible threats to the events of Juneteenth this year, the fact remains that shootings and gun violence are a daily reality in the Afro-American community. -American. Gun violence has an alarming impact on Akron’s African American community. Those who do not share such experiences are challenged to fully understand and appreciate the fear and trauma experienced by those for whom gun violence is an everyday occurrence. A young man was shot and killed during a Juneteenth event last year and his life will be forever scarred. His shooter has still not been arrested. Shootings take place during football practices. “Events can still happen, a life lost can never be replaced,” said Ward 5 Councilman Johnnie Hannah. “We appealed to the mayor out of an abundance of caution and stand by our decision. “Ultimately the request was to suspend the events due to the inequity of the police presence,” said Ward 4 Councilwoman Jan Davis. “I have learned that Mayor Malik has had conversations with the organizers of the event, but at no time did he or his team contact me as a representative of the neighborhood.

The Mayor’s Together for Akron platform demonstrates a level of collaboration that was not evident in planning the Juneteenth events. The Mayor had the opportunity to reach out to council members to work collaboratively on planning the Juneteenth events planned for this weekend. Neither the mayor nor his head of strategy Nanette Pitt chose to do so. Additionally, the oft-mentioned security plan was not shared with the appropriate Council members. We had the opportunity to attend yesterday’s press conference, but were informed by Head of Strategy Nanette Pitt that the Council was not invited. Asked twice about our absence, the Mayor did not respond.

“Our constituents call us when problems arise and to express their fears, and the administration is reluctant to share information with the Council that could help ensure that residents’ concerns are adequately addressed,” said the President of the Council, Margo Sommerville. “We must do better; our city deserves better.