The following item is a written record of the Akron City Council Ward 1 meeting from March 4, compiled by Akron Documenter Michelle DeShon. It is not a reported story.
Documenters are residents who are trained to observe and document local government meetings. Their notes are edited before publication for clarity and accuracy — unless quotation marks are used, all text is paraphrased.
If you believe anything in these notes is inaccurate, please email us at [email protected] with “Correction Request” in the subject line.
Summary
- Ward 1 City Council Member Fran Wilson hosted a candid discussion with Akron Mayor Shammas Malik at their March community meeting, including a talk about Akron police use-of-force policy.
- Wilson randomly selected questions from a bucket for the mayor to answer, leading to a conversation about policing, helping unhoused neighbors in Akron, AI data centers and other topics.
- Wilson and Malik presented council with a resolution to oppose forced cooperation with Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents in Akron, sharing an image of the Signal article.
Documenter follow-up questions
- Have foreign-owned AI centers come into Akron? What does it mean for an AI center to be sanctioned by the Department of Justice?
- What are some examples of actions that might come out of forming the Special Improvement District?
Akron mayor discusses police use-of-force policy
- Wilson asked what residents might see in the next three to six months regarding the Police Executive Research Forum (PERF) use-of-force study that is being completed.
- Malik said that a change is needed in Akron after a series of killings by police officers. Past PERF studies have resulted in actions such as the use of body cameras by the department, department restructuring and additional training for officers, he said.
- “We’re talking about lives that have been lost. We’re talking about families that have been impacted, whether something is ruled a crime, whether something is ruled justified or not justified,” Malik said regarding recent cases of officer-involved killings.
- He continued by saying that the law leaves a lot open to the judgment of the officer and the department reviews cases with officers and evaluates alternate ways instances could have been handled.
- Malik said the study will be completed in the next month or so and will provide recommendations to the administration and timeframes for those actions. He said the city will implement everything in the report, which will be available to the public on an online dashboard.
- Wilson asked if anything will not make the final report between when city officials review it and a plan is created. Malik said he will share anything in the report that does not make it into the final plan.
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