Akron police criticized after officers remove 'Justice for Jayland' signs

Activists calling for police reform in Akron are crying foul after Akron police were seen removing a sign calling for Justice for Jayland Walker, a young Black man fatally shot following a police chase in June.

Signs placed by resident Terrence "Terry" Riddle had been disappearing for some weeks, said Autumn Riddle, his daughter. On Monday, a McKinley Avenue resident said she saw an Akron police officer cut down one of those signs from a utility pole on the street.

Akron police Lt. Michael Miller said the department is investigating the situation, but he could not elaborate.

"We're looking into that internally to see what the concerns were," he said. "We're aware of it, but we want to know more, what the circumstances were."

The city administration said an ordinance prohibits the placement of posters in the public right-of-way, on lamp posts, utility poles, other structures, or trees in the public right-of-way. The offense is a minor misdemeanor.

However, activists shared a video that shows police carrying the sign to a cruiser, drawing numerous disparaging comments about police. Some pointed out that Terry Riddle, who had been posting the signs since July, recently died.

Terry Riddle, 69, died Nov. 19 from lung cancer. His daughter said he had placed about 300 signs around the city with messages including "Justice for Jayland Walker" and "No Justice, No Peace." She said that in addition to being removed by police, signs in other parts of town have been covered with spray paint by unknown people.

"His main goal was just justice for Jayland," Autumn Riddle said. "We never knew the Walker family, but he didn't deserve to be shot that many times in the back − that's what my dad always said."

Eight officers involved in the shooting are currently under investigation by the Ohio Bureau of Criminal Investigation for their use of deadly force, but they have not been charged. That decision will rest with a Summit County grand jury at the end of the state investigation, which could take months.

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Amanda Bryant, the resident who shot the video of the sign being removed, said she had noticed signs were disappearing in the area but had not seen anyone actually removing signs until police were called to an incident on her street.

"Probably within the last month I'd say, I've noticed some have been taken down around the neighborhood, but I took that as just like reckless kids, or the wind, or something like that because it was just slow-paced," she said.

"They were just responding to a call on our street and I was being the nosy neighbor and I just happened to be looking out the window when I saw one of the officers take a box cutter and start slicing down the edge of the poster, so I grabbed my phone and started recording what I could," she said.

Autumn Riddle said most of the signs weren't attached to poles with nails or staple.

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She said her father was a U.S. Army veteran who met and married his wife, Patty, 49 years ago in Germany. The couple had seven children, 16 grandchildren and five great-grandchildren.

"My dad said, 'You know, a white male would not have been shot that many times,'" she said. "With 16 grandchildren ... our family is very diverse. My dad always thought that it could have been his grandson or great-grandson."

As recently as last summer, Riddle was fit enough to be able to swim across Portage Lakes. He became ill in September.

"It happened, literally, in six weeks," Autumn Riddle said.

His obituary calls him "a free soul, everyone's favorite hippy, and the most selfless man you would ever meet."

"He was a father figure to many kids in the neighborhood," it continues. "He welcomed everyone with open arms and an open heart. He never judged a soul. He knew love has no color or gender. Terry was great at having conversations with those who needed advice and would always know the exact Bible verse that would fit their needs. Terry and his wife were known to march and fight for injustices and stand up for what they believed in, a trait he proudly passed to his children."

Eric Marotta can be reached at emarotta@gannett.com. Follow him on Twitter @MarottaEric.

This article originally appeared on Akron Beacon Journal: Akron police criticized for removing 'Justice for Jayland' signs