AKRON, Ohio — At the Summit County Court house where a special grand jury is meeting, the city of Akron is locking down the area like a fortress.
Early in the evening on Sunday early, business after business boarded up their windows in anticipation of protests following a decision from the grand jury this week.
For Eric Brzezinski, it is as if the city was waiting for a big storm, "When someone comes into a community, that's first thing they see. It's not good."
On April 10th, the grand jury began hearing evidence to determine whether or not eight Akron police officers will face criminal charges in the shooting death of Jayland Walker. Walker was shot and killed last June after a traffic stop. He was unarmed when officers shot him 46 times.
Akron Mayor Dan Horrigan released the following statement to 3News on Monday: As we prepare for whatever is to come from the grand jury as they make decisions in the officer involved shooting of Jayland Walker, we remain committed to listening to our residents and making space for their voices and concerns, while also prioritizing everyone's safety. At the beginning of this process, I asked our community to have patience with the investigation and we are now getting very close to some answers. I have an overwhelming amount of faith in the Akron community and I know we will lean into our partnerships and relationships through the uncertainty of the days ahead.
Students from the University of Akron are aware of the impending potential unrest. One of those students, Sam Finley, said this, "It's just college. We are just trying to get through and you walk down the street and you see this and say whoa. Yeah a little bit."
When Walker was killed, some business in downtown Akron sustained damage from protestors. Now nearly 10 months later, businesses are trying to get out in front of the potential protests to protect their buildings.
Luke Houston understands why, "It's good to see them taking precaution for anything that can potentially happen."
And what could happen, all 8 officers could be charged, or some of the 8 could get indicted, or the grand jury could decide not to charge the 8 officers at all, but until a decision is made this is downtown Akron's new normal.
Brzezinski says he understands and wishes it were not like this, "It's not a good look for a city when you are trying to build something."