Nearly a year after arrests at protests following the death of Jayland Walker, 24 plaintiffs, including several well-known activists, have filed a federal lawsuit against the City of Akron, Mayor Daniel Horrigan, Police Chief Stephen Mylett, Deputy Police Chief Jesse Leeser and dozens of Akron police officers.
The plaintiffs, represented by civil rights law firm Friedman, Gilbert + Gerhardstein, allege that, between July 3 and July 7, 2022, Akron police engaged in mass arrests and unnecessary violence — including the use of chemical weapons and beatings — against peaceful protesters and bystanders.
“Akron took extraordinary and unconstitutional efforts to shut down peaceful First Amendment protected protests in the wake of Jayland Walker’s death at the hands of their own police department,” said attorney Sarah Gelsomino in a statement. “The city showed an extreme disregard for the law when police officers indiscriminately arrested people throughout downtown – including activists, students, people just trying to get home, and bystanders who had nothing to do with the protests.”
Walker, 25, died on June 27, 2022 after being shot 46 times by Akron cops. (A grand jury declined to bring charges against the officers.)
More than 75 people were arrested during protests.
Among the plaintiffs are Bianca Austin, aunt of Breonna Taylor; and Jacob Blake Sr., father of Jacob Blake Jr.; and national activists Michael Harris and Cortez Rice. Taylor and Blake co-founded Families United Against Police Brutality, a nonprofit dedicated to supporting survivors and families of victims of police brutality.
“The plaintiffs had to defend themselves for months against bogus criminal charges, brought against them for the purpose of justifying the illegal acts of the police department,” Gelsomino said.
Gelsomino and attorney Elizabeth Bonham, also with FG+G, previously filed a motion for a temporary restraining order against the city, which was entered on April 21. The firm has also represented several others who were charged after being arrested during protests in cases that were eventually dismissed or won.
“No police department should be permitted to trample on people’s Constitutional rights and the City of Akron and the officers named in this suit must be held to account for the harm they caused,” said Gelsomino.
The full complaint can be read below.
Akron Protestor Complaint by Maria Elena Scott on Scribd
This article appears in Jun 28 – Jul 11, 2023.