Readers remain concerned by council vote on Imokhai Okolo | Voice of the People

Okolo treated unjustly by council

We are hopeful and excited about the passage of Issue 10 in Akron. We celebrate the eight selected members of the Citizens’ Police Oversight Board. We have worked with many of the board members and we trust their hearts for the community at large. They have shown a certain level of care and concern for the marginalized community in Akron.

Though we are hopeful and excited, we also have concerns about the process and future selection of the ninth position on the board. The unjust treatment of Imokhai Okolo leaves an impression that we may have a City Council leading without grace. While we are certain that the City Council has grace, it is difficult to see it in this instance. We believe evaluations are written in pencil but judgments are written in ink. We hope that our city leaders show humility and love, and give advice to Okolo and other future leaders in our community when anger overtakes logic.

We ask that in the selection of the ninth position of the board, the City Council remembers the widespread diversity that the board should depict. Our ask is that the search for the representation of a Black male between the ages of 18-35 is still a priority. This person should be from the community and have the ability to respectfully speak truth to power and convict the conscience of any power structure that does not put the community as its highest priority.

Remember that being uncomfortable does not mean you are in danger. Dealing with ethnic differences can seem frightening and dangerous, but those differences might be more an indication of discomfort than physical or psychological danger. Lastly, we will not be able to see love in power when we forget the power of love.

Pastor Deante Lavender on behalf of the Love & Justice Coalition, Akron

Don’t destroy 30 years of success at Miller South

It is with deep concern that I have read the articles regarding Akron public school buildings and what to do with them. Miller South School for the Visual and Performing Arts is one of the schools in question.

It is my understanding that downtown administrators and board members would like to change this to a middle school for sixth through eighth grade. Obviously, they do not remember that when the school was founded in 1993, articles were researched, visits to others arts schools were made and best practices were used to establish the grade levels of fourth through eighth.

Fourth grade was selected because that is when a full curriculum starts and children show a strong interest in one or several of the arts. Miller South has won many national, state and regional awards. It has always been one of Akron’s top performing schools in attendance, state test scores and the number of students coming from other school districts. The school always has made Akron proud. Please leave well enough alone.

Akron spends a lot of money on students who need extra help in reading and other skills, and rightly so, but please do not forget our talented students who need a place to shine. Also, please keep in mind that the proper art facilities are needed, including an auditorium with technical equipment, dance studio, art rooms, choir and band rooms and a small theater.

Margo Snider, founding Miller South principal, Peninsula

Ohio Republicans can’t be trusted

With regard to the article in the March 16 edition of the Akron Beacon Journal titled “Ohio lawmakers mull education overhaul,” I would like to make the case why this would be a bad decision and why any overhaul deemed necessary should be left to education experts.

On Jan. 7, 2021, five Ohio Republican members of Congress voted to reject Joe Biden’s Electoral College certification. This action was taken shortly after a right-wing mob stormed the U.S. Capitol in a violent attempt to overturn the presidential election results. This “insurrection” was based on the belief that the presidential election was stolen.

No evidence of any type was presented for the “stolen election.” It was based solely on the words disseminated by Donald Trump, the My Pillow Guy, Rudy Giuliani and others. By remaining silent during the ensuing spread of what is now known as the “Big Lie,” most of the remaining Ohio GOP politicians have become complicit.

Should Ohio’s GOP politicians, who displayed such poor judgment and questionable ethics by putting our democracy in peril, be entrusted with restructuring how we educate students in the great state of Ohio?

I noted that the proposed overhaul called for mandatory reading of, among other documents, the Declaration of Independence. Surely, some sharp student would eventually bring up the observation that “All men are created equal” is not consistent with the fact that 41 of the 56 signers were slave owners. Personally I would rather have a history professor provide an explanation for this rather than a politician.

Curt Hofmann, Akron

Okolo deserves seat on review board

In a recent column on Akron’s police review board, Timothy Champion pointed to a comment made by Imokhai Okolo in which he characterized police officers as pigs and union pawns.

I taught at the University of Akron school of law for 35 years. I also knew Champion as a law student. I have known Okolo for 14 years. I first came to know him as a high school student. He is now a member of a respected law firm in Cleveland. I spoke with Okolo about these circumstances. He admitted that he made a mistake in using the words he chose after the shooting of Jayland Walker and discussing the matter with a local prosecutor.

We all make mistakes. There are unprofessional individuals among doctors, lawyers, accountants and law enforcement. But not all members of these professions are unprofessional. Okolo agrees with that proposition. I accept his statement that his writing was done in a moment of anger. As a young Black man, it makes perfect sense that one would be upset by the death of another young Black man. I have done civil rights work for both injured citizens and police officers and municipalities in similar cases. My experience tells me that there are no simple solutions to the problem of young Black men being shot by police officers.

Other members of our local government in Akron have used intemperate language to describe these shootings. I am confident they would retract those statements once the anger passes.

My experience with Okolo strongly indicates that he is a person of high integrity who has accomplished much in his young career. The best decisions in a democracy come when governmental bodies are made up of people with different experiences, from different racial and cultural backgrounds and of different genders. By failing to vote for Okolo, the city has missed an opportunity to include a person whose views may be different from others. In a democratic society, differences of opinion are critical to the making of reasonable policy determinations. Okolo is worthy of being on this board.

J. Dean Carro, UA emeritus professor, North Canton

Frustrated by police review board vote

There is a sizable number of citizens in Akron who don’t understand the actions of the Akron Police Department. People get frustrated when they see what can be perceived as excessive force. There is someone that is being kept off the newly formed police review board because in a moment of frustration he said something he regrets. In my opinion, this is a voice that needs to be on the board to represent all those frustrated voices.

Michelle Morris, Akron

Retired teachers deserve better

The State Teachers Retirement Fund (STRS) has been hit with a $27.7 million dollar loss with the collapse of the Silicon Valley Bank. This follows the loss of $10 million last year when FTX went up in smoke. Many Ohio teachers are not eligible for Social Security benefits when they retire. Those who are eligible will find their Social Security benefits subject to the Windfall Elimination Act or the Government Pension Offset, both of which can substantially reduce any Social Security benefits.

I hope our legislators will demand accountability, not only from the people who mismanaged the funds at FTX and Silicon Valley, but also the fund managers at STRS who made these risky investments.

Sue Rice, Munroe Falls

More mature politicians needed

Politicians are supposed to represent all the people in Akron. All of them should be mature enough to accept the outcome of democratic votes.

Not everything is going to go your way. Just because a vote doesn’t go your way, you don’t need to call people names, racist, etc. You are supposed to be mature adults and set example for all the people, not to be calling people names. You represent all the public.

Dianne Keckler, Akron

This article originally appeared on Akron Beacon Journal: Imokhai Okolo treated unjustly by Akron council, letter writers say