Monday’s curfew was set at 9 p.m. in downtown Akron. Officials also cancelled a fireworks display due to protests against the police shooting of Jayland Walker, a Black motorist.
Mayor Dan Horrigan stated that the city needed to take action due to threats of violence and property destruction in its downtown district.
Sunday’s release by police of footage from the June 27 shooting was a welcome move. Horrigan thanked protestors for their first “peaceful” demonstration, which “didn’t escalate into violence and destruction.”
He said that protests “became more violent as the night fell and other people joined in,” in a statement. “There was substantial property damage to downtown Akron.”
Mayor said that small businesses along Main Street were being damaged, and that the city “cannot tolerate violence or destruction of property.”
Horrigan said, “In light of the damage done and to preserve peace in the community, I have declared an emergency, instituted a curfew, and cancelled the fireworks that were planned for tonight.”
According to an executive order from the mayor, Downtown Akron will now be subject to a curfew of 9 p.m. Monday through 6 a.m. on Tuesday.
The curfew zone is bordered on the east by Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard, state Route 8 and state Route 59 on the east.
Fourth of July fireworks had been cancelled for Akron, Patterson Park Sports Complex and Akron Fulton Airport.
Officials said that eight police officers were now on administrative leave and shot Walker after he jumped from a moving vehicle.
Walker’s family members have been asking why so many shots were fired by officers. Police said that Walker had a gun in his car, but not on Walker’s body when they fired the barrage fatal shots.
