The City of Akron has agreed to pay $747,000 to settle a federal civil rights lawsuit filed by 24 people who were arrested at protests in the wake of Jayland Walker’s killing in 2022.
The settlement covers 22 of the 24 plaintiffs in the lawsuit. Two people have continued the suit against University of Akron police officers.
The figures, first reported by Cleveland.com’s Adam Ferrise, were confirmed to Signal Akron on Tuesday after attorneys for the city and the plaintiffs met in a video conference. On Jan. 22, U.S. Magistrate Judge James E. Grimes Jr. said in court records that the two sides had “agreed to a resolution in the case” and that a settlement agreement would be finalized by Feb. 2.
“As with any settlement where there are civil rights abuses, no financial sum can make somebody whole for experiencing that kind of trauma and that kind of chill to their First Amendment rights,” said Elizabeth Bonham, one of the attorneys for the plaintiffs.
“But this kind of monetary relief is, I think, a measure of justice. That’s our hope and we’re glad to have that resolved. We also certainly hope that we can establish some reforms and that in the future, the city and other communities in our region do better when they’re interacting with peaceful protesters.”
Signal Akron broke the news on Monday that the case was being settled, but the terms were not yet known.
“After mediation, the City of Akron Law Department recommended that this case be settled based on the potential cost associated with continuing to litigate it,” Akron Mayor Shammas Malik said in a statement Monday. “This decision was made with the fiscal responsibility of our taxpayers’ hard-earned money in mind, and we take that duty very seriously.”
Lawsuit: Curfew was unlawful, along with use of force, mass arrests and prosecutions
The complaint states that the 24 plaintiffs in the case were either peaceful protesters or bystanders who were all wrongfully arrested between July 3 and 7, 2022, in the days after Jayland Walker was killed by Akron police officers.
“To silence these protesters’ speech, the City of Akron and its Police Department devised, coordinated, and executed a policy of suppressing protests by issuing an unlawful curfew order and enforcing it through unlawful uses of force and mass arrests and prosecutions,” the complaint states.
“Akron subjected Plaintiffs to a vague, overbroad, and otherwise unlawful curfew. Akron police beat, teargassed, pepper sprayed, or otherwise violently seized Plaintiffs in violation of their rights. Police then swept Plaintiffs into mass arrests and detentions. Finally, Akron brought and maintained sham charges against Plaintiffs and put them through nearly a year of criminal litigation until the charges were dismissed.”
In connection with the Jayland Walker killing, the City of Akron still faces a federal lawsuit filed by Walker’s family that alleges excessive force and seeks $45 million in damages and another lawsuit brought by the Akron Bail Fund for excessive use of force on protesters.
Plaintiffs in the now-settled case include:
- Michael Harris
- Jacob Blake
- Bianca Austin
- Cortez Rice
- Nemet Alrawajfeh
- Javonna Beasley
- Jay Boden
- Quinton Byrd
- Devante Clark
- Devonna Culver
- Janae Fort
- Mykia Johnson
- Ayomide Manns
- Damean Martin
- Caleb Mays
- Jordan Mays
- Harrison Mills
- Evan O’Reilly
- Harshita Ray
- Natalia Robanhode-Wyrd
- Brandon Robinson
- Jack Rohrer
- Emily Terry
- Brandon Wright
