Akron councilman says bomb threats canceled in-person meeting, but protesters not told

An Akron City Council member raised alarms about potential threats that forced Monday night's council meeting online, questioning why city leadership did not release that information publicly as citizens gathered outside City Hall during the meeting.

Following a statement regarding the death of Jayland Walker, who was shot and killed by Akron police on June 27, Akron City Council announced in a press release it would be moving Monday's meeting — the first since the police shooting — to virtual only.

The decision was made due to "threats," Vice President Jeff Fusco revealed during Monday's meeting, though he did not specify what kind of threats.

But Akron Police Chief Steve Mylett said Tuesday he and his staff were unaware of any bomb threats involving Akron City Hall that potentially could have endangered people outside the building on Monday.

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Ward 4's Russ Neal told the Beacon Journal he was concerned by Thursday's press release, which was made without consulting all members of council, saying he wanted to provide citizens the opportunity to speak in-person.

He said he called President Margo Sommerville later that day, who told him there had been bomb threats made to City Hall.

Although the meeting was virtual, protesters gathered on High Street anyway, as they have been for weeks, unaware of threats. An afternoon protest turned into a council watch party as they projected the meeting on a screen outside City Hall.

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Following the meeting Neal sent an email at 11 p.m. to Sommerville, copying the Beacon Journal and detailing his concerns.

"After reflecting on the statement you shared with me, that we canceled our in person meeting due to a bomb threat," he wrote, "I question why would we allow citizens to gather outside City Hall, the location of the potential threat, and put their lives at risk?"

"Folks were right up against the municipal building," Neal told the Beacon Journal. "If there was serious concern about a bomb threat, why didn’t we let them know to gather in another area? If that was real, can you imagine what it would look like: council protects itself but not its citizens?"

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Sommerville directed questions of specific threats to Gert Wilms, Mayor Dan Horrigan's chief of staff, who could not be immediately reached for comment around midnight Monday.

"There were threats given directly to City Hall," Sommerville said. "The building has been receiving threats to my knowledge for the last couple weeks ... We didn't want people to get ideas and actually do something."

Sommerville said she could not discuss the nature of the threats, though Neal said "she most definitely said bomb threat" in their discussion last week.

"We didn’t know anyone was going to be around the building. We were asking everyone to not be in the building because of the threats we have been receiving," Sommerville said. "The fact that they showed up, we didn’t know that. I didn’t know that."

Reporter Abbey Marshall is a corps member with Report for America, a national service program that places journalists into local newsrooms. Learn more at reportforamerica.org. Contact her at at amarshall1@gannett.com.

This article originally appeared on Akron Beacon Journal: Jayland Walker: Neal questions protests allowed despite threats