Akron officials say July Fourth plans won't be upended in wake of Juneteenth cancellations

• City Councilman Johnnie Hannah, who led group of eight that penned June 14 letter to mayor, says group is not planning to raise its concerns anew.
• Akron Police Chief Brian Harding said roughly 100 officers will be keeping watch over the events.

Two weeks after Akron Mayor Shammas Malik abruptly canceled weekend Juneteenth festivities and other events on city property due to safety concerns raised by City Council members, July Fourth events are proceeding as scheduled.

Key concerns that led eight Akron City Council members to issue a letter calling on Malik to cancel the city's neighborhood Juneteenth celebrations — absent a credible threat — haven't been resolved; the perpetrator of the June 2 mass shooting on Kelly Avenue that left one person dead and 27 injured is still at-large, and police haven't announced any suspects or arrests.

But the lead signer of the letter, Ward 5 Councilman Johnnie Hannah, said he isn't planning on writing a similar letter in the lead-up to festivities next week, including the Rib White and Blue festival and nearly three dozen concerts downtown. He explained that his thinking behind the June 14 letter was more about ensuring safety in his community.

"Number one," he said, "I'm concerned about Ward 5. That was my concern. Ward 5 is where all the mass shooting started at and ended. In Ward 5." He added he also was concerned "that the city is safe in the future for any festivals or gatherings that we have in a city."

Despite specifically urging the mayor to call off Juneteenth events, Hannah said he and other council members who signed the letter weren't responsible for the cancellations. He called the letter a recommendation, saying the decision to cancel was Malik's alone.

In the letter, council members "strongly urge[d] that the events be cancelled."

"We respectfully request that you cancel these [Juneteenth] events in the interest of public safety!" it reads.

Malik responded to the June 14 letter by canceling not just the Juneteenth events, but all events on city-owned property.

"I have a responsibility to take it seriously, especially when it comes from eight people elected to represent their constituents just like I was," Malik said in response to the letter at a June 14 press conference.

Hannah said City Council hasn't communicated with the mayor's office or the police department regarding security plans for the July Fourth week festivities.

"That's the mayor's call, because he makes the final decision as to the festivals that's going on downtown," Hannah said, adding that he hopes the police department will have a strong enough presence to deter anyone from "coming down there and disrupting the Fourth celebration."

Council President Margo Sommerville, the Ward 3 president and a signer of Hannah's letter, could not be reached for comment Thursday.

The June 14 letter also was signed by Jeff Fusco (at-large), Brad McKitrick (Ward 6), Sharon Connor (Ward 10), Sam DeShazior (Ward 1), Phil Lombardo (Ward 2) and Jan Davis (Ward 4). "The shooter(s) are still at-large and roaming our city," the group wrote. "Large gatherings and parades set the stage for a copycat or retaliatory shooting and gives an gives an already traumatized community a false sense of security in the absence of the culprits being caught."

Police chief says he's confident in safety plan for July Fourth

City spokeswoman Stephanie Marsh said that in matters of security, the mayor was deferring comment to the chiefs of Akron's safety forces.

Akron Police Chief Brian Harding said Thursday there would be roughly 100 officers spread out across three locations for the duration of the rib festival, a standard number of personnel for an event of its size. He said he and the officer coordinating the safety plans for next week haven't been in contact with the council, but that the department and council have a good relationship.

Harding said he has no reason to believe there will be a copycat or retaliatory shooting during next week's celebrations.

"I'm quite confident in the safety plan," he said, "and we're confident that people should feel safe to come out and enjoy the holiday."

Harding also said Thursday he had no updates to share regarding the June 2 shooting.

Community organizer sees dilemma created by Juneteenth cancellations

Fela Sutton is the lead organizer for the Akron Juneteenth festival in Stoner Hawkins Park. On Monday, she appeared before City Council to express her displeasure with the council's actions.

On Thursday, she told the Beacon Journal she believes two wrongs don't make a right − that the two holidays have nothing to do with one another and that she doesn't believe the Independence Day celebrations should be canceled.

"You don't just shut down the Fourth of July just because no one thought for them not to shut down Juneteenth," said Sutton.

However, she said, City Council expressed concern that the shooter was still free and used that as the rationale to shut down Juneteenth celebrations and more.

"So if that's going to be the basis of shutting down any of it, it should be held up until the suspect is caught," said Sutton. "I don't think that, you know, the Fourth should just be shut down. But if that was the decision made, and that was the reason for shutting down any of it, I guess every event in the city should be shut down until the shooter is found. So I don't think all of it makes a lot of sense."

Contact reporter Derek Kreider at DKreider@Gannett.com or 330-541-9413