Dozens arraigned on charges from Jayland Walker police shooting protests

Dozens of people were arraigned Tuesday on charges stemming from protests over the Fourth of July holiday weekend in response to an Akron man who was shot and killed by police.

The protesters, who face misdemeanor charges, pleaded not guilty via video in Akron Municipal Court and were released on either signature or very low bonds. Several more were to be arraigned Wednesday morning and at least one was given a summons to appear in court at a later date.

Jayland Walker: Akron arrests nearly 50, declares curfew after Jayland Walker protests turn violent

Police said 49 people were arrested when protests that had been peaceful turned violent late Sunday night. Property damage to downtown business included shattered windows, overturned fixtures and plant stands and several small fires being set. Officers deployed tear gas to disperse crowds of protesters.

"We respect and support a citizen's right to peacefully protest but cannot condone violence or property destruction," Lt. Michael Miller, an Akron police spokesman, said in a statement.

Most defendants from Jayland Walker protests are from Akron

Of 44 who made initial appearances in Akron Municipal Court on Tuesday, all but 10 listed Akron addresses.

They were both male and female and ranged in age from 18 to 36 years old.

One defendant was homeless. The defendants also included two from Cuyahoga Falls, two from Tallmadge, two from Canton, two from Youngstown and one from Atwater.

Most faced charges of riot, disorderly conduct and failure to disperse during the protests and marches in and around downtown Akron. Others face charges of misconduct at an emergency and inciting violence. None were charged with felonies.

One defendant is accused of causing damage during a related protest at the Arlington Plaza.

The protests were in response to the death of Jayland Walker, who was shot by police more than 60 times June 27 after officers attempted to stop him for a traffic violation and he fled. Police say he fired a shot while driving, then jumped from his vehicle and ran. Police said officers attempted to use Tasers then fired bullets at Walker, fatally injuring him.

In response to the protests, the city of Akron declared a state of emergency, initiated a curfew from 9 p.m. to 6 p.m. and canceled several events, including the popular Fourth of July fireworks.

More: Akron plans to drop downtown curfew Wednesday if peace maintained

After there was no turmoil Monday or Tuesday afternoon, Akron announced the curfew would be lifted as of 6 a.m. Wednesday.

Were Jayland Walker's family members arrested?

Miller said he's gotten many questions about whether anyone from Walker's family was arrested for protesting. He said police don't know.

"We have no way to know that short of a DNA test," he said.

Miller said one vocal protester who claimed to be a family member turned out not to be.

Akron Councilwoman Tara Samples posted on Facebook Tuesday afternoon that no one from Walker's family has been arrested. She advised people not to give to funds set up to help the family with their defense.

"Looks like there might be some scammers out there," she said.

Jayland Walker Protest organizer says arrests were unwarranted

At least one protest organizer thinks the arrests were unwarranted and that the police were the ones who escalated the situation.

"The definition of protest is to disrupt the peace," said Ray Greene of Freedom Black Led Organizing Collaborative (BLOC), one of the groups that helped organize the weekend protests. "There have been non-violent and non-incident protests."

The Freedom BLOC, Serve the People Akron and the Cleveland Black Lives Matter Chapter raised money to help pay for protesters' bonds. The groups also provided people with rides when they were released from the Summit County Jail on Tuesday.

Some protesters were held at the Stark and Portage county jails because of space constraints in the Summit County Jail.

"We use other facilities in situations involving mass arrests," said Inspector Bill Holland, a spokesman for the Summit County Sheriff's Office.

The arraignments Monday morning, which normally take about an hour, lasted nearly four hours.

Judge Annalisa Stubbs Williams gave most of the defendants a signature bond or a very low bond, such as $250. She set a date for their next appearance in Akron court in the next two weeks and warned them that a warrant would be issued for their arrest if they failed to show.

Assistant Akron Prosecutor Jessica Connell asked that a condition of the defendants' bonds be that they obey Akron's curfew.

National group to organize Jayland Walker protesters' defense

Andrea Whitaker, the Summit County public defender, said all of the people who were arrested were from Northeast Ohio and most had no criminal records.

Whitaker said the National Lawyers Guild, which often gets involved with assisting with mass protests, were coordinating the protesters' defenses, likely with assistance from Akron-area organizations and attorneys.

"We're still trying to figure out how that will be handled," Whitaker said Tuesday.

Stephanie Warsmith can be reached at swarsmith@thebeaconjournal.com and 330-996-3705. Craig Webb can be reached at 330-996-3547 and cwebb@thebeaconjournal.com.

This article originally appeared on Akron Beacon Journal: Dozens plead not guilty on charges from Jayland Walker protests