AKRON, Ohio (WJW)– A demonstration of COVID-19 restrictions escalated into a heated confrontation outside of the home of Akron City Councilmember Tara Mosley Samples over the weekend.
Members of a group called Acronites for Freedom are upset about a resolution passed by Akron City Council on Nov. 16 that restricts guests in local homes to no more than six in addition to the people who normally live there.
Larry Seely said their protests started outside of city hall soon after the resolution was passed, but when demonstrators learned that council members were all working remotely, a decision was made to take the movement directly to their homes.
“Our first protest was at the mayor’s home because we figured start at the top,” Seeley told FOX 8 News “We felt that was overstepping our constitutional rights for the fact that we feel that they don’t have any right according to the Constitution to tell us how many people to have in our home.”
“We feel that our homes, our privacy, that’s our rights and they have no businesses stepping on our constitutional right telling us who we can and cannot have in our home and how many,”
Seeley said the group was gradually working through the list of names of those on council who voted in favor of the resolution, including Samples, who posted a live video of the confrontation outside of her home to social media on Saturday.
“You can say you felt like we were violating your rights and when you guys came here, a few of you had masks on, you know. Never once did anyone bring up anything about the ordinance and just coming with Trump flags and Trump memorabilia in a monkey suit, and we all know historically what that means to black people, it didn’t have anything to do with masks,” Samples told FOX 8 on Monday.
Her video shows heated exchanges, vulgarities from both sides and racially-charged chants.
Several police officers were on scene watching over the demonstrators. One of the officers can be heard in a video recorded by one of the demonstrators asking them not to use a bullhorn because they were in a residential neighborhood after dark.
During the protest, family members and others showed up to help support Samples, who admits posting a remark on social media suggesting the group would not come to her neighborhood to demonstrate.
“After the protest that we had previously, she said that we wouldn’t come to her neighborhood and hold a protest and literally dared us to come there,” Seeley said.
“They were incensed because I would not come down and conversate with them. No, I’m not going to engage with you because at the end of the day, you know, I’m the one that’s going to shoulder any responsibility, you know, if someone would have gotten hurt that would have been on me,” Samples said.
“I have to say, in my personal opinion, the protest at Tara Samples’ got a little out of hand,” Seeley said. “It was not violent in any means, there was no violence at all. There was a lot of vulgar language, a lot of things that were said that shouldn’t have been said.”
“I’m all about peaceful protest, but I don’t know too many advocates out here who peacefully protest in the evening hours when it’s dark, wearing bulletproof vest with guns on them,” Samples said. She said she believes the intention of at least some of the demonstrators was to try and create a confrontation.
“The motive wasn’t about the mask. From the day after we passed it, they started calling me, emailing me, sending threats, calling saying they were going to burn down my house,” Samples said.
Among the organizers of the protests was Ryan “King Vee” Stull, son of Tara Samples’ cousin, who said the demonstration was not about race.
“It’s about an overreaching government and an unprofessional councilwoman who insults and has her family insult and attack verbally and threaten physical harm on her constituents. Even though she’s my family member, she’s undeserving of her position.” he told FOX 8 via Facebook on Monday
Stull can be heard on a video he recorded insisting that demonstrators calm themselves down.
The group disbanded after about an hour and no arrests were made, but Samples said she believes the city should issue permits for demonstrations in the future if, for no other reason, to help pay for the police officers who are there instead of addressing other needs in the city.
Seeley said the group is organizing another demonstration outside of the home of Akron Council Vice President Jeff Fusco next Monday and everyone who is coming has to agree to a code of conduct.
“We have talked amongst our group and the other groups that join us, and decided that it’s going to be a more controlled protest without vulgarity and any kind of racial comments or anything like that at least on our end,” Seeley said.
“I can guarantee you, the things that happened out in front of our home didn’t happen in front of Mayor Horrigan’s house. I can guarantee you those things didn’t happen outside (Council President) Margo Summerville’s house. I can guarantee you that won’t happen at Jeff Fusco’s house. It’s almost like they came here itching and hoping for a fight,” Samples said.
