Church leaders and Akron business owners are calling for unity and peace as the grand jury continues its work in the Jayland Walker case.
The decision of whether to indict the eight officers who fatally shot Walker last year is expected by the end of this week. Akron activist groups plan to organize protests as soon as the decision is announced.
In a press conference Monday, Michael Murphy Sr., the pastor of Prevail Church and chaplain for the Akron Police Department, called for protesters to “honor Jayland” by remaining peaceful.
“The path forward here is not divisive energy or destruction of property,” Murphy said. “Still, communication and collaboration can serve as a model to other cities moving forward so we can improve our city and our resilience.”
In the days following Walker’s death, protests erupted across the city, particularly in the downtown area. Though many protesters remained peaceful, some property damage was reported, including broken windows.
At Monday’s press briefing, which was held at the Alphi Phi Alpha Homes, Inc. headquarters just south of downtown, some downtown business owners urged protesters not to destroy property.
Renea Wood Baylor, owner of The Tea Lady, said her business was affected by the protests last summer.
“Not just in revenue but in property, property damages and all of that. We know that was not our hometown family,” Baylor said. “So, it's up to all of us, even if you're out there protesting, to protect us as well.”
Baylor does not intend to board up her business’s windows, she added.
Several faith leaders at the press briefing echoed Baylor’s statement that “outsiders” were responsible for the damage last year.
Pastor Lorenzo Glenn of Macedonia Baptist Church on Akron’s east side said violence does more harm than good.
“It adds insult to the injury, to start breaking windows because the outcome was not where we wanted it to be. That doesn't help anything,” Glenn said.
A network of Akron churches plans to provide mental health, grief and other counseling services in the coming days, Murphy added. Some pastors plan to go to the downtown “demonstration zone” and counsel people directly.
The zone, which stretches on South High Street in Downtown Akron, was set up to create a space for potential protesters to gather without having to worry about vehicular traffic, city officials said.
But so far, community groups have avoided protesting downtown and have organized elsewhere.
On Friday, dozens of people marched through the streets in Akron’s Highland Square neighborhood. At times, protesters stood in intersections and organizers helped redirect traffic.
Murphy told Ideastream Public Media that in future protests, police are prepared to step in if they receive a call about protesters destroying property or blocking traffic.
“Akron Police are not just driving around looking for protesters,” Murphy told Ideastream Public Media. “There’s going to be a citizen that calls and says ‘hey, they’re yelling at my car, they’re kicking my car, they’re throwing things at my car, they’re not letting me through,’ and that’s what’s going to create a response.”
