AKRON, Ohio — An Akron City Councilman is looking for answers after he witnessed law enforcement use pepper spray on protesters marching for Jayland Walker.
RELATED: Police deploy gas canisters, pepper spray on Jayland Walker demonstrators on third night of protests
“I shared with the chief, they’re in their community, they're not going to tear up their community,” Akron City Councilman Russel Neal said.
Neal is trying to figure out exactly how things went down in his ward and so is News 5.
Akron police declined interview requests until they find out more.
Several witnesses spoke with News 5 Investigators including Neal who just happened across Wednesday night’s protest and tried to intervene for the community he serves.
Cellphone videos like the one shared with News 5 are blowing up on social media.
In one, you can see sheriff’s deputies walking the street and spraying chemical irritants at protesters.
The video, which now has tens of thousands of views, was taken by a man who fears for his safety and only wants to be identified by his Twitter handle, “Comrade Ohio.”
“For a minute I was hyperventilating and wasn’t able to breath,” he said.
News 5 showed the video to Neal.
“Those are the sheriff’s,” Neal said.
Neal said he didn’t know the protest was happening in his ward off Copley Road and East Avenue and that the county would be there.
He first thought with all the flashing lights, there might have been a shooting so he went to check things out.
“By the time I started walking up the first canister had been dispersed. As I started to get close my eyes started to burn and whatnot,” Neal said.
Franklin Ragsdale said he usually leads “Walker Wednesdays,” honoring Jayland Walker and marched with people upset about the special grand jury decision to not charge the eight Akron officers who killed him.
“Justice for Jayland,” yelled a passerby.
“There was more so people just voicing their opinion and voicing their outrage,” Ragsdale said.
More video, obtained by News 5, shows marchers along Copley road.
“It was the majority of people who live in this neighborhood who was out here on the streets cars and people who marched,” Ragsdale said.
The Summit County Sheriff’s office said there were large groups of people in the area and bottles, bricks and rocks were being thrown.
The Sheriff’s Office said several orders were given instructing an unlawful assembly and to leave immediately before pepper spray, tear gas and smoke were used.
“After they tear gassed us after they tear gassed us yes I’ve seen some bottles thrown. Water bottles were thrown at police,” Ragsdale said.
The community expressed their frustration with law enforcement’s actions 24 hours later.
“They tear-gassed maced us there’s kids over here. We weren’t doing nothing but peacefully protesting,” one man yelled from his car.
“I saw a woman that was on the sidewalk you know venting her frustration,” Neal said.
Neal said he went to speak with police to see what he could do for the community he serves to calm things down.
“While I was walking away I turned to look back at the area I just left and I saw her get sprayed,” Neal said.
He said he’s getting different messages about what happened with the community saying police came up behind them. He also spoke with officers about their concerns.
“Because the protests took up all the lanes of the street they wanted to clear the street,” Neal said.
Neal said a swat truck and officers with weapons looked intimidating.
“We just have to give everybody their space,” Neal said.
He knows how tough this time is right now in Akron and understands the concerns of a mass group but said he hopes law enforcement will follow the lead of the police who know the community better.
“We have to collaborate better even when it’s with people who may have a different opinion of how thing should be done so we can avoid this situation in the future. Cause it could have been a lot worse,” Neal said.
The Sheriff’s Office said they were there for the safety of people and property and called in by Akron police recently as a mutual aid request.
The Akron Police Department released this statement to the community:
I have received many inquiries asking for information related to the protest on Copley Rd. last evening and the protest in Highland Square. I've heard many concerns from the media, councilmembers, our residents, and beyond and I understand your concerns. I am 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. As soon as I can confidently determine the exact circumstances of how last evening unfolded, I will make that information available to the public. If we made mistakes, we would improve upon them, and if the officers’ actions were reasonable, wemwould share that information as well.
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