Freedom BLOC calls for Akron police chief to be fired for use of force

AKRON, Ohio – During a press conference Monday afternoon, the executive director of The Freedom BLOC (Black Led Organizing Collaborative) called for the firing of Akron Police Chief Brian Harding.

Ray Greene made the statement after Harding rejected the findings of the city’s independent police auditor in connection with a use-of-force case in which a woman was physically beaten by Officer Thomas Shoemaker last January. The incident was captured on body-worn cameras.

“We demand the immediate firing of Police Chief Brian Harding. His inability to hold his officers and supervisors accountable is a glaring flaw in a broken system,” Greene said.

The woman was charged with obstructing official business and resisting arrest, but was ultimately found not guilty by a jury in June.

The incident occurred during a chaotic family dispute at a home in Akron’s Kenmore neighborhood.

The woman attended the press conference but her lawyer Imokhai Okolo said she would not make any statements. The attorney said he plans to file a federal civil rights lawsuit against the police department and the officer.

Okolo also believes Harding should be fired.

“This police chief, Brian Harding, has chosen to continue this ugly tradition of justifying his department’s actions regardless of the truth,” Okolo said.

The examiner, Anthony Finnell, said the officer’s actions were “objectively inappropriate” and recommended disciplinary action be taken against Shoemaker.

“I believe the officer used excessive force when he threw her to the ground by striking her in the body,” Finnell told News 5 during an interview over Zoom.

In response to the police auditor’s findings, Harding said he agreed with the department’s initial internal investigation, which found Shoemaker justified.

“Officer Shoemaker stated that as he handcuffed the woman, he pulled her right hand away and turned toward him. “In the past, other people have made a similar move and then tried to attack him or flee,” Harding wrote.

The case was the first test of the authority of the Police Auditor and Citizens Police Oversight Board, which were established by Akron voters after the fatal police shooting of Jayland Walker in 2022.

“These recommendations were ignored. Mayor Malik and Chief Harding have failed to listen to the cries of the community,” Greene said.

Judi Hill, president of the Akron chapter of NCCAP, is not recommending firing the chief but is calling for a Justice Department investigation into APD.

“What happens when a city — when systemic change occurs — through this pattern and practice investigation, is when the Department of Justice intervenes. That’s what I want to see,” Hill said.

Finnell said he did his job by making recommendations and viewed the process as progress, even if the chief disagreed with his suggestions.

“It’s not a failure. It creates space for the community to contribute now,” Finnell said.

However, Okolo considers the decision not to discipline the officer a “slap in the face” to Akron residents.

“This is a message to all police officers in this department if they can physically attack black women in the city and nothing will happen,” Okolo said.

A request from News 5 to interview Harding on Monday was declined. He is expected to attend a news conference on Wednesday where crime statistics will be discussed. It is unclear whether he intends to respond to calls to lose his job.

Akron Mayor Shammas Malik released a statement expressing support for Harding: