In the first public meeting since Thursday, when a grand jury declined to indict Officer Davon Fields for killing Jazmir Tucker last year, relatives and supporters of the 15-year-old packed Akron City Council chambers before gathering outside City Hall to call for the officer to be fired. Their sentiments were echoed by some council members, including Margo Sommerville, Eric Garrett and Jan Davis.
“Something has to be done — something has to be done, this cannot continue to happen,” said Ashley Green, Tucker’s mother, at the public comment podium as three generations of her family looked on and others in the crowd cheered her on. “We do not need Davon Fields as a police officer in Akron. He needs to resign or you guys need to let him go.”
Imokhai Okolo, a criminal defense and civil rights attorney who frequently represents clients in federal lawsuits against the city, chastised Mayor Shammas Malik for perceived inaction on addressing police abuses.
“People are asking for justice, for something to be changed and transformed for Black lives to matter, and that’s not happening,” Okolo said, before shifting his passionate address from the mayor and City Council members to the attendees filling the rows of wooden benches. “And we know that because that’s really on us — because they’ve showed us what they believe. They’ve showed us they support pigs doing harm in our communities, so it’s up to us to figure out what are we going to do about it.”
Okolo was the last of eight public speakers — all but a few attendees walked out of council chambers at that point to gather in front of City Hall to chant and rally while the rest of the meeting played out over the next half hour.
Internal investigation into Fields’ actions to take 2 to 4 months
As chants of “Jaz-mir Tuck-her” emanated from the street and echoed throughout chambers, Malik approached a microphone to explain that now that the criminal investigation is over, the city will investigate Fields to determine whether he violated any departmental policies that could eventually lead to punishment or termination. That process should take between two and four months, he said. The mayor also talked about the review his administration has been pushing for of the department’s use-of-force policies.
The mayor said the community shouldn’t “give into cynicism” about efforts for systemic change on police use of force in Akron. He also took issue with Okolo’s use of the word “pigs” to describe police officers. Okolo has used the term in the wake of Jayland Walker’s killing — it ostensibly cost him a seat on the newly formed Citizen Police Oversight Board in 2023.
“When you hear Imokhai’s comments here … I think the word he used to describe the police is wrong. It’s the very word that was the reason he was not appointed to the oversight board,” Malik said. “And I think that the reality is we have to find ways to create trust in our community, and no one of us has a monopoly on doing that. … When we come together we can tackle these problems, we can make real progress, we can all cite instances of that, but it is not a straight line. It has never been a straight line. That is my hope for the community and something we can all embark on together.”
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Okolo, in response to the mayor’s criticism, said he’s not cynical: “Day by day we are working to organize people and resources in our community to address the problems we face. We are our own liberators.”
Fields’ actions, Okolo said, are consistent with the Black Panther Party’s description of a “pig” because “he has no regard for law, justice or the rights of people. He has committed violence against people he took an oath to protect and serve.”
Council members call for Fields’ firing
After Malik spoke, Council Member Eric Garrett expressed frustration about continually being asked to be patient when it comes to police misconduct. He wondered why the officer couldn’t be immediately fired for any number of reasons, including not turning on his body-worn camera, his dozens of other use-of-force cases and for not providing medical attention to Tucker after shooting him.
Council Member Johnnie Hannah said he was appalled that the grand jury wouldn’t indict an officer for shooting a fleeing teenager in the back: “What did the grand jury see or hear that we cannot see or know?” he asked.
Council Member Jan Davis called the situation “do or die” for the department.
“I don’t like to see anybody lose their job, but Davon Fields has to go,” Davis said. “… He’s got to go. He’s got to go — because if he doesn’t, this is just the beginning” she said as she pointed in the general direction of the protesters outside.
Council President Margo Sommerville said that she and Garrett stood with Tucker’s family outside Akron City Hall on Friday, the day after the grand jury’s decision.
“As a mother, my heart breaks for Mrs. Green,” she said. “And when I stood there on the corner, I began to think about my own children. I began to think about my little brother.”
She emphasized City Council doesn’t have any say in the internal investigation or whether Fields ultimately is fired or penalized. But she said that helping pass legislation requiring Akron police officers to wear body-worn cameras was one of her proudest moments in office.
“Mayor, I just want to say, the community is asking for Fields to be terminated,” she said, looking at Malik, who was sitting along the wall in council chambers. “And for me, a violation — a failure to turn on your body cam — is enough to fire Officer Fields.”
