AKRON, Ohio — A deadly shooting at a street party in Akron last month led the mayor to cancel all the events planned during the week of Juneteenth. Now, one is back on for this weekend.
RELATED: City of Akron cancels all large public events for upcoming weekend due to safety concerns
The city told organizers they could join Akron’s official downtown celebration or reschedule their own. One organizer chose the latter, and this weekend, they're ready to party.
Brittany Bell is already planning her juice menu for the weekend. Bell owns The Juice Hive, and on Juneteenth, she was supposed to be a vendor at an event at Joy Park in Akron, but after everything got canceled, she had to regroup.
“So I actually posted on my social media 'where can I sell my cold pressed juice?' And a lot of people reached out and said 'Hey, you can come here, you can go there,'” Bell said.
Now, just weeks later, the original celebration put on by Tara Mosley, sponsored by B&V Family Community Resource House, is back on for this weekend.
“So, Saturday, we'll be having a Joy Park Community Day at Joy Park to replace the cancellation of the Juneteenth festival,” said Tara Mosley.
Akron’s Juneteenth celebrations, along with every other event that weekend, were canceled due to safety concerns following a street party shooting.
The shooting happened in early June, where more than two dozen people were injured and one dead. Following the city's cancelation, it also announced a city event where organizers could either join or reschedule. Mosley felt her community needed its own celebrations, so she moved it to this Saturday.
“We thought it was really important not to just forget about the day and celebration that was canceled, but for us to come back full circle and do something for that neighborhood,” said Mosley.
The celebration was kept at its original location, which is also the same street where the shooting happened.
“We can't live in fear and I've said that all along. I never thought that that community was in harm's way. We've never had an issue at our event in the five years that we've hosted it,” said Mosley.
For her, safety was never a concern. Every event, she works with the police department to ensure security and she did the same for this one as well as the city.
Akron Mayor Shammas told News 5, he is excited that they were able to schedule the community day. Adding that safety officials have been in contact with the organizer and he's supportive of the community coming together for a fun occasion.
For the event, Tara contacted the same vendors planned for before and got calls from many others who were affected. She wants to help bring some relief and see those businesses thrive. She also hopes to see her neighbors and her city celebrate at one
“This event is really about bringing our community together, letting them know that we are here. We want to celebrate our neighborhoods, celebrate our communities celebrate each other," said Mosley.
The Joy Park Community Day will be at Joy Park on Saturday, July 20, 2024, from noon to 5 p.m.
