AKRON, Ohio — Nearly 24 hours after law enforcement used pepper spray to break up a Jayland Walker protest, Akron Police Chief Steve Mylett said he is not ready to provide specific information about what took place.
In a statement issued on Wednesday evening, Mylett stated that he is "waiting on video footage from a few of our partner law enforcement agencies to help clarify some confusion. Before I explain what happened, I need to be sure of the timeline of events. If information is released prematurely and without the facts, that misinformation could cause irrevocable damage."
Mylett says once he can "confidently determine the exact circumstances of how last evening unfolded," he will make the information available to the public.
"If we made mistakes, we would improve upon them, and if the officers' actions were reasonable, we would share that information as well," Mylett closed in his letter to the community. You can read the entire letter below.
The protest on Wednesday evening took place two days after a grand jury declined to indict the eight officers involved in Jayland Walker's death.
According to officials, a peaceful march initially began near Copley Road and South Hawkins Avenue, and the crowd eventually made its way down Copley to East Avenue over the course of the next hour-plus. Around 8:30 p.m., police claim some members started throwing objects like rocks and bottles at officers, and eventually members of law enforcement deployed pepper spray to disperse the assembly.
It is not known at this time which agency deployed the tear gas, but members of the Akron Police Department and Summit County Sheriff's Office were both at the scene. Some protesters have posted videos from the gathering, claiming the event was peaceful before police began spraying the irritant.
Ideastream's Ygal Kaufman was at the protest, and filmed his own video of authorities "spraying anyone in the street or too close on the sidewalk" as well as the use of multiple smoke bombs.
In response to complaints from protesters regarding the actions of officers during the protest, Akron police told WKYC a 70-car caravan was part of the gathering and reiterated reports from Chief Steve Mylett that members of the crowd were surrounding officers and throwing things.
On Thursday, the Akron Police Department received criticism for its response by both community and political leaders. Akron City Councilwoman Tara Mosley, who is also a candidate for Akron mayor, denounced the police's use of pepper spray and questioned what was "unlawful" about what the demonstration.
"There are no reports of any injuries or property damage before the officers declared the assembly to be unlawful," Mosley wrote. "What, then, was unlawful about this assembly? The city claims that the officers issued orders to disperse because 'officers were having bottles thrown at them from marchers.'
"But, from the available evidence—and there is much of it online—the protests were peaceful before the officers ordered the people to disperse. The people were calling for accountability. Nothing more, nothing less. The people were protesting the Jayland Walker decision. They were crying out for healing. They were standing up for their neighbors and community and families and children. This assembly was not unlawful; it was demanding to be heard."
Ray Greene Jr. of The Freedom BLOC went a step further, referring to the police response as "gestapo tactics."
"As over 100 peaceful protesters marched down Copley Road in Akron, they were met with a barricade of police dressed in SWAT gear, cars, and tanks. As protesters continued to peacefully protest and onlookers cheered, clapped, and blew horns, the police department began dispersing tear gas into the crowds and streets where protestors were marching.
"The very violence that this inept administration and Black leaders are calling on to not happen is continuing to happen by them. These gestapo tactics will not deter us from the streets in Summit County. We will continue to march until the 8 officers who killed Jayland Walker are fired.
"I’m personally asking the Deputy Mayor Marco Sommerville and Chief Steve Mylett to call off his militia from torturing citizens and just do the right thing — fire these officers immediately before someone gets seriously hurt and more lawsuits get filed against our city," Greene wrote in a statement.
In addition, the Freedom BLOC is calling on Akron City Council to ban the use of tear gas in the city.
Protestors returned to March on Thursday, but the demonstrations were much more peaceful, with no reports of clashes with police or property damage.