Editor's note:

This story was updated from its original version to reflect new information about the Lock 3 cancellation, which was not related to any specific security threat. It was part of a larger cancellation of events by the city in response to concerns from Akron City Council members about security at Juneteenth events this weekend.

The concert scheduled for tonight at Lock 3 park has been canceled by the City of Akron after what appear to be security concerns were raised by members of City Council. 

Local artist Floco Torres, who was scheduled to open the evening with his band Free Black for Draw The Line, The Aerosmith Tribute, said on his Instagram page that “apparently there’s been a threat” and that “our show specifically was being targeted. We don’t know why we don’t really know what’s going on. But the show is canceled.”

“Everybody be safe out there. Be safe out there.” 

Torres said on Instagram the threat was related to the June 2 mass shooting in East Akron that killed one person and injured 27 others. Torres told Signal Akron he was setting up for a sound check at 5:30 p.m. when Lock 3 staff members took them “away.”

“Everything happened so fast,” he said. “We didn’t even get to sound check.… I didn’t even unpack my stuff.”

Torres said his group didn’t believe what was happening at first. “We thought it was some sort of joke, but then I looked around and I was like ‘Nah, people are moving too quick for that, there’s too much going on for people to be joking like that.’”

Signal background

Later, Torres said he was told there was no actual threat to the Lock 3 event — it was part of a much larger cancellation made by Akron Mayor Shammas Malik after he received a letter from eight City Council members that expressed safety concerns about holding this weekend’s scheduled Juneteenth events.

Malik canceled all large events on city-owned properties in response to the concerns, although he and Akron Police Chief Brian Harding stated there were “no credible threats” received related to the events.

“When I get a letter like what I received, I have to take that seriously,” Malik said during a Friday night press conference. Malik, a former Ward 8 council member, said that, as the representatives of their neighborhoods, council members should be listened to.

Akron City Council President Margo Sommerville told Signal Akron she didn’t know what led to the concert’s cancellation. She said she hadn’t expressed concern about the Friday night event but did express concerns about potential threats during this weekend’s Juneteenth celebrations.

Earlier this week, the city assured residents it would have a police presence at several Juneteenth-related events (now canceled), that included:

  • The Akron Black Coalition’s 26th Annual Juneteenth Festival on Saturday, June 15, from 1 to 7 p.m. at Stoner Hawkins Park
  • The Ward 5 Fifth Annual Juneteenth Festival at Joy Park Community Center on Saturday, June 15, from noon to 5 p.m.
  • The West Akron Parade, which begins at Buchtel Community Learning Center, on Sunday, June 16, from noon to 1 p.m.
Juneteenth-Objection-Letter-to-MayorDownload

Government Reporter (he/him)
Doug Brown covers all things connected to the government in the city. He strives to hold elected officials and other powerful figures accountable to the community through easily digestible stories about complex issues. Prior to joining Signal Akron, Doug was a communications staffer at the ACLU of Oregon, news reporter for the Portland Mercury, staff writer for Cleveland Scene, and writer for Deadspin.com, among other roles. He has a bachelor’s degree in political science from Hiram College and a master’s degree in journalism from Kent State University.

For routine messages, feel free to contact Doug Brown at doug@signalakron.org. If you have privacy concerns and/or want to share sensitive information, you can reach him on the end-to-end encrypted messaging app Signal (no connection to Signal Akron) under username @dbrown.2010 and encrypted email account db159@proton.me 

Editor-in-Chief (she/her)
Zake has deep roots in Northeast Ohio journalism. She was the managing editor for multimedia and special projects at the Akron Beacon Journal, where she began work as a staff photographer in 1986. Over a 20-year career, Zake worked in a variety of roles across departments that all help inform her current role as Signal Akron's editor in chief. Most recently, she was a journalism professor and student media adviser at Kent State University, where she worked with the next generation of journalists to understand public policy, environmental reporting, data and solutions reporting. Among her accomplishments was the launch of the Kent State NewsLab, an experiential and collaborative news commons that connects student reporters with outside professional partners.