Feb. 18 Ward 10 meeting
Covered by Documenter Brittany Nader (see her notes here) Correction: An earlier version of this story misidentified the Akron Community Action Network.
Neighbors in East Akron and Middlebury gathered in the Family of Faith United Methodist Church for a town hall meeting Feb. 18 to speak on issues affecting their communities — and learn how to turn their concerns into collective action.
Led by Neighborhood Network and Ward 10 representatives, the discussion spanned urgent topics such as homelessness, food security, zoning and street safety, which shape daily life in Wards 5 and 10.
Arell Tee, Neighborhood Network’s central Summit County manager, opened the discussion by emphasizing the importance of fostering unity among neighbors.“What does it look like to have a growing, thriving and improved Middlebury?” he asked attendees.
Meaningful change doesn’t always come from the top down, Tee said. It often begins at the grassroots level through community engagement and collaboration.
Residents raise community concerns
After a presentation, attendees engaged in table discussions over dinner, sharing their perspectives and ideas. From these conversations, Pastor Marc Tibbs from Centenary United Methodist Church in Akron compiled a list of key community concerns, including:
- Zoning to support housing solutions for the unhoused population
- WM transfer station concerns
- Public safety
- Vacant lots and housing
- Food security
- Litter
- Universal basic income
- Fire safety
- Improved street lighting and sidewalks
- Safety escorts and emergency phones
Tibbs highlighted the importance of organizing at the community level. He said many valuable groups in Akron work independently rather than as a united force.
He cited his own church, which distributed more than 105,000 pounds of food in 2024, as an example of the ongoing need for assistance. Many organizations, nonprofits and volunteers are working to help end hunger in the city, but addressing the fragmentation is key, he said.
Community benefits agreement as a model
Tibbs stressed how government decisions directly impact daily life and the critical role community organizing plays in driving change. He used the ongoing waste transfer station issue in Ward 5 as an example, discussing how the proposed project has raised concerns among Middlebury and East Akron residents.
A community benefits agreement is a strategy, he said, that ensures communities receive compensation or protections in return for when businesses move into their neighborhoods.
He said Cleveland’s Community Benefits Ordinance could be used as a model. Companies such as WM, which wants to build the waste transfer station, must outline their community benefits before receiving public funding.
The community organizing cycle
Tibbs outlined key steps in the community organizing cycle:
- One-on-one conversations: Building relationships and identifying shared values.
- Listening for shared interests: Finding common ground among diverse groups.
- Distinguishing problems vs. issues: Focusing on systemic, long-term solutions rather than short-term fixes.
- Power analysis: Identifying key decision makers who influence issues such as affordable housing.
- Campaign action and evaluation: Organizing efforts to push for meaningful policy changes.
“Community organizing gives ordinary people a voice at the table when decisions are being made that shape our lives,” Tibbs said.
One resident raised concerns about zoning and homelessness, expressing frustration over the lack of safe public spaces for Middlebury residents.
Tibbs said that Akron Community Action Network (CAN), a nonprofit group, can advocate for residents to push the city for solutions. If city officials failed to respond, he said, they would escalate the issue to the local council member.
By the meeting’s conclusion, residents said they had identified pressing issues affecting their neighborhoods and gained an understanding of how to mobilize their collective power.
How to get involved with Akron community organizing
For those looking to engage in community organizing and advocacy, here are some organizations in Akron making an impact:
- The Freedom BLOC: Focused on empowering Black communities through civic education, leadership development and economic reinvestment, Freedom BLOC works to strengthen Black political infrastructure and encourage active civic engagement.
- The Big Love Network: An environmental and social justice organization that fosters community-driven sustainability efforts. Big Love leads creative placemaking projects and offers organizing training sessions to equip residents with the skills to drive change.
- Akron Organizing Collaborative: Formerly housed in the W.O.M.B. headquarters on East Market Street, this coalition is made up of neighborhood circles, civic groups, churches and social service agencies. It actively shares resources and ways to organize to advance social, racial, and economic justice in Akron’s communities.
- People Feeding People: Dedicated to uniting community resources, empowering neighbors and taking action. Guided by the values of collective work and shared responsibility, volunteers coordinate weekly food and grocery distributions to support those in need.
- Akron Community Action Network (CAN), a nonprofit focused on bringing these types of efforts together to advocate for policy changes with a unified voice.
- Neighborhood Network is part of Habitat for Humanity of Summit County. This group focuses on neighborhood revitalization as a long-term solution that involves residents in under-resourced communities. They work to ensure their work is “driven by those with lived experience.”