AKRON, Ohio — More than 200 peaceful demonstrators gathered in Highland Square Friday night to protest the verdict in the Breonna Taylor case. A grand jury did not charge any officers in the shooting death of 26-year-old Taylor in her apartment in Louisville, sparking protests nationwide.
A former Louisville officer was indicted on three counts of wanton endangerment, but the charges applied to the gunshots he fired into the neighboring apartment and not the gunshots that killed Taylor.
In Akron, the protesters held signs and wore masks. They heard several speakers before taking the march down West Market Street to the Summit County Courthouse.
Regional field manager for Planned Parenthood Traci Vaughn energized the crowd with chants.
“Empower yourself so that you can empower others,” she urged the crowd to repeat. The main messages of the rally encouraged attendees to vote, run for political office and encourage their neighbors to do the same.
Vaughn called out to marchers as they set off to stay on sidewalks and stay alert for cars, which have careened into protesters in marches cross the country.
Akron Police positioned cruisers along the roadway to shield marchers from traffic.
The march was organized by members of the Big Love Network, Akron Planned Parenthood, Akron NAACP and The W.O.M.B, an Akron wellness center. Summit County Councilwoman Veronica Sims asked protesters for help in identifying possible issues with guns in their communities.
From left to right: Edward Gibson, Veronica Sims and Tracy Vaughn
“We need to know how it is possible a young person at 13 years old can put his hands quicker on a gun than a summer job,” she said.
Sims said a war is being waged on Black women.
“We need system changes,” she said, pointing to the county’s resolution in June that declared racism a public health crisis. “We can’t do this alone. We need you to lift your voices and declare enough is enough.”
Freedom Bloc Executive Director Raymond Greene urged protesters to canvas a 10-block radius in their neighborhoods to encourage neighbors to register to vote ignite interest in social change.
His organization, which stands for Black Led Organizing Collaborative, works to build political power for the Black community, encouraging African Americans to not just vote, but run for office
Greene urged protesters to enroll in the group’s free, online leadership course, which teaches the basics of running a campaign for elected office.
“Breonna Taylor’s case was lost a long time ago,” he said, pointing to a lack of political representation for the Black community. “This marching is good because it shows we’re fed up, but we got to take it from being fed up to creating a master plan that we’re going to follow through on!”
On the periphery of the crowd, Akron residents Tara Colando and Ryan Lohr held their baby son, two-month-old Abbot. The pair came out to support Black Lives Matter, they said.
Tara Colando and Ryan Lohr
Colondo said she was troubled during her pregnancy with the racial inequities in the country.
“It’s terrifying, and it’s really sad that I was grateful he was white while I was pregnant,” she said, “and that’s not a good feeling. It’s really, really sad.”
Lohr agreed.
“We can’t even believe we still have to support things like this,” he said. “It’s insane.”
Nearby, Kate and Jefferson Hodge held their infant son, August. The family recently moved to Akron from Tennessee, they said, where they participated in protests.
Friday night was their first protest in Ohio.
“I think it’s important that people around the country come out in solidarity with Breonna Taylor and to just bring attention to the injustice as it exists here in Akron,” Kate Hodge said.
Police departments should have their budgets cut, Jefferson Hodge said, not eliminated.
“We need to move toward a society without the American criminal justice as it’s been,” he said. “What police have meant in the United States needs to change fundamentally and the path to do that starts by reducing their budget.”
The money should go toward youth and family development, he said
Handing out food, water and hot coffee, two young men, Colin and Mike, hosted a Food Not Bombs table. They declined to give their last names for personal safety reason, they said.
Food Not Bombs is part of a nationwide network that travels to protests, counter-demonstrations, picket lines and vigils to support protesters, handing out food, coffee, water, sunscreen and medical supplies. The group accepts donations but was not overly seeking them
“We’ve been autonomously going to different communities and giving them the resources they need,” Mike said.
Akron’s protest was one of many that happened throughout Ohio Friday. In Cincinnati, families marched throughout downtown, calling on police to reopen cases that involved police brutality or gun violence. In Columbus, hundreds attended a vigil for Taylor outside the Ohio Statehouse wearing all black.
Friday marked the third night of protests in Louisville—the city at the heart of Taylor’s case.
