Members of the Akron-area community have hope the region will be immune to the violence that national critics are expecting across the country following President-elect Donald Trump’s victory on Tuesday.
Trump’s win has sparked massive protests in California, Oregon, New York, Pennsylvania and Texas. Protesters burned an American flag in front of Trump Tower in New York City and shut down a busy freeway in Los Angeles. Three police officers were injured by protesters in Oakland, Calif., landing 30 people in handcuffs.
Protesters voiced concerns about controversies during Trump’s campaign that they feel belittled minorities — including women, Muslims, immigrants, the poor and the LGBT community. Many chanted that Trump isn’t their president.
Police in Summit County said there haven’t been any protests or violent outbreaks here.
If protests do break out, though, police are prepared.
“At this time, we’re not doing anything that we don’t normally do. If we’re called for assistance, we put a place on lockdown and respond immediately,” said Sheriff Steve Barry. “At this point, though, it’s business as usual.”
Akron Police Chief James Nice agreed, adding that police will respect the right to protest as long as no one gets hurt.
“It’s a right in the United States to protest, but I draw the line in Akron if they start committing crimes. We’ll jump on that immediately,” he said. “We’re not going to let people damage businesses or set things on fire.”
Though there haven’t been protests in Summit County, activists have held peaceful protests at Kent State University and Public Square in Cleveland. Both protests were small, gathering dozens who disavowed hatred and promoted peace and equality.
Trump opponents aren’t the only ones speaking and acting out. Minorities across the country have taken to social media to report incidents of alleged hate crime, harassment and violence by Trump supporters since his victory.
Muslim women reported strangers telling them they can’t wear hijabs anymore. Latina women say they’ve been told they’ll be deported, even though they’re American citizens. Black and Latino schoolchildren report they’ve been called derogatory names by other students. LGBT people say they’ve been attacked by strangers in public.
Authorities say no hate crime incidents have been reported to Akron police or the sheriff’s office.
If hate crime does spark, though, police said they’ll respond appropriately.
“We’ll respond to whatever comes our way,” the sheriff said. “I’d certainly hope it doesn’t happen here, though.”
Chief Nice said he doesn’t expect anything like that to happen in Akron. He said violence never broke out here following other national, hated debates in recent years, such as Black Lives Matter protests.
“We’ve got very responsible leaders all throughout the county, and I think because of that we haven’t seen the violence or the crime … that happened in other cities,” he said. “People show their unhappiness here legally, with protest, not with violence.”
Several Summit County community activists agreed with the chief.
LGBT rights advocate Rebecca Callahan described Summit County as a safe haven for minority groups.
“There’s a lot of trepidation about this administration and how the campaign has fed into people voicing hate. I think that’s in the forefront of our minds,” said Callahan, who serves as director of the Community AIDS Network/Akron Pride Initiative. “But I think Summit County is a beacon of light. I think what we’ve been really good at is standing up for the equal rights of all the members of our community.”
Judi Hill, president of the Akron chapter of the NAACP, said she thinks it’s too early to be concerned that hate crime could spike locally.
“Some of those thoughts are premature,” she said. “Any time that there’s a change, I think it sets people on alert.”
Ahmad Deeb, director of the Islamic Society of Akron and Kent, said he trusts in the Summit County community.
“At the moment, I think we believe in our local community so we’re hoping nothing really does happen,” he said. “But as a national Muslim community, we’re concerned. Many local communities are just waiting for the potential backlash.”
He called for unity.
“There needs to be a unified effort,” he said, “for all of us in America to come together.”
Nick Glunt can be reached at 330-996-3565 or nglunt@thebeaconjournal.com. Follow him on Twitter @NickGluntABJ and on Facebook @JournoNickGlunt .