Why City Council Member Called for Akron Police Chief’s Resignation: ‘Direct Threat’

Days after Freedom BLOC called for the resignation of Police Chief Brian Harding following his support of officers involved in the controversial body slam and arrest of an Akron woman, an Akron City Council member is joining the chorus of voices who want new leadership.

Akron City Council Representative Eric Garrett called the police chief’s response a “direct threat to the safety and well-being of our community” in a statement released Thursday.

Harding recently rejected independent police auditor Anthony Finnell’s April report that recommended disciplinary action and investigations against the officers involved in the Dierra Fields case. The police chief described the operation as appropriate and the arrest as appropriate.

In June, Fields was acquitted by a jury.

“Chief Harding’s actions send a dangerous and alarming message to our community,” wrote Garrett, who called for Harding’s resignation to the Akron Police Department.

“His rejection of the comptroller’s recommendations suggests that he is willing to tolerate officers beating, choking, disrespecting and even killing Black residents without consequence.”

Earlier this year: Garrett criticizes the hiring process for Akron’s police chief

During the search for a new police chief, Garrett was deeply critical of Mayor Shammas Malik’s hiring process, which only considered two white male APD deputy chiefs.

In his letter, Garrett said he was concerned about the costs of defending and settling federal lawsuits alleging police misconduct, including lawsuits that were recently settled, are currently pending and are likely to be filed soon. He mentioned Jayland Walker’s family’s $45 million lawsuit that could soon be settled; Protesters complain about unlawful arrests and violence; possible lawsuits filed by Fields; the 15-year-old was shot by an officer earlier this year; and the family of the man killed by officers in August.

“We must recognize that the reforms sought by the citizens of Akron will remain elusive without strong, moral leadership,” Garrett wrote. “The chief’s recent actions contradict the promises he made during his bid process and leave many wondering when the mayor will step in and right these injustices.”

Malk sent Finnel a copy of Harding’s rejection of the Fields recommendations on Sept. 30, but has not yet publicly expressed his own opinion on the officers’ conduct. In a letter to Finnell, he vaguely acknowledged that he had “recurring concerns” about the use of force and resistance to arrest policies, but did not say whether he himself shared those concerns.

His office would not say whether the mayor agreed with the police chief’s assessment.

Press conference planned next week

On Friday afternoon, Freedom BLOC announced that it would host a press conference on Monday “calling on Akron Police Chief Brian Harding to resign after failing to hold the Akron Police Department accountable at the risk of the citizens of Akron.” to pull.”

The group’s executive director, Ray Greene Jr., will speak alongside Garrett and attorney and organizer Imokhai Okolo, who successfully represented Fields in her criminal trial in June. Judi Hill, president of the Akron NAACP, is also scheduled to speak, although she told Signal Akron that she is not specifically calling for Harding’s resignation. She said she wanted to express her displeasure with the police chief’s release of the officers involved in the Fields incident.