AKRON, Ohio — Three days after a grand jury decided not to indict eight Akron police officers for the shooting death of Jayland Walker, businesses in the community are buckling down and boarding up following days of demonstrations.
A number of shops in Highland Square were impacted during Wednesday night's protests. Thrown objects smashed in windows at Wally Waffle, Irie Jamaican Kitchen, and Chipotle.
By Thursday afternoon, those businesses were forced to pivot, patching up the damages with plywood for now.
Throughout this week, business in the downtown Akron area has significantly slowed down. Some shops are remaining open, but closing earlier.
3News crews walked down both Highland and Market streets on Thursday and spoke with a number of business owners. None wanted to talk with us on camera. Off camera, they told us that they feel like they're stuck in the middle. They support the demonstrations, but want to protect their stores, fearing that talking on camera might put a target on their backs if protests continue.
Since there are several small businesses in and around downtown Akron, 3News' Carmen Blackwell reached out to Ohio's Small Business Development Center, which serves Summit County. Specifically, we wanted to know what the office is doing to support these businesses during this time. The center declined to comment.