Charge dismissed against well-known activist Jacob Blake arrested in Akron protest

Akron has dismissed a misdemeanor charge against Jacob Blake Sr., a well-known community activist who was arrested last July during a protest of Jayland Walker’s shooting.

Blake’s trial for resisting arrest in Akron Municipal Court in March resulted in a mistrial, with jurors deadlocked 4-4.

More: Mistrial declared in well-known activist Jacob Blake Sr.'s trial related to Akron protest

Stephanie Marsh, a spokeswoman for the city, said the city doesn’t plan to try Blake again.

“The jury was pretty evenly hung for the first trial and ultimately the prosecutor’s office had to weigh the likelihood of another hung jury in a retrial and determined they didn’t want to pursue another trial at this time,” Marsh said.

Blake’s son was paralyzed in a police shooting in Wisconsin.

The city also recently dismissed charges against Cortez Rice, another well-known, out-of-state activist who was arrested related to the Walker protests. His teenage son was fatally shot during a dispute with two other students in Richfield, Minnesota, in 2022.

“They have finally made the right choice,” said Elizabeth Bonham, a Cleveland attorney who is among those representing Blake, Rice and two other well-known activists. “These charges should have been dropped long ago.”

Charges previously were dropped against Bianca Austin, the aunt of Breonna Taylor, who was shot and killed in March 2020 in a botched police raid in Louisville, Kentucky. Michael Harris, a fourth well-known activist, was acquitted in a trial in Akron court.

This article originally appeared on Akron Beacon Journal: Well-known activist Jacob Blake won't be retried in Akron