AKRON, Ohio — Akron neighbors are calling for peace, healing and an end to violence. The call to action is part of a “ceasefire weekend” planned by community groups for the Labor Day holiday.
Organization leaders said the weekend of community events and activities is a grassroots approach to tackling violence in the city.
“Our kids our dying so every incident of gun violence is dear to our hearts,” said Rev. Ray Greene Jr., the executive director for The Freedom BLOC.
Greene led a press conference on Tuesday announcing the anti-violence initiative. He and other leaders said their goal is for a non-violent 72 hours during Labor Day weekend.
“We’re just asking everyone to just come together, put the guns down. Let’s talk, have a good time,” said Cordel Walker, the executive director of H.Y.P.E. (Helping Young People Elevate).
The strategy is aimed at Akron’s young people and is largely led by men who can relate to the struggles they face.
“We’ve all been there before. We’ve all been through the justice system. We’ve all been involved in community violence. But when they come and see us and we speak, pour into them something positive, they just want something they can believe in,” said Non Stop Growth Executive Director Marcel McDaniel.
Tramontay Mcwain is not affiliated with the groups, but he plans to volunteer his time and experience in his home neighborhood of West Akron.
“I was part of the problem and now I’m trying to be part of the solution,” Mcwain said. “I lost friends, I did prison time. Going through that process and getting older and seeing it was my decisions that led to my consequences… I’ve still got life in me.”
The “ceasefire weekend” comes after several recent violent incidents, including a chaotic scene at Mason CLC in Akron’s Middlebury neighborhood over the July 4th holiday weekend.
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In that incident, Akron Police said more than 100 young people had gathered in the school’s parking lot for a late-night party when gunfire started.
“Probably around 3, you just started to hear rounds and rounds and rounds and rounds of gunshots,” recalled neighbor and Citizens Akron Church pastor Rev. James Talbert.
Police said five people suffered gunshot wounds, and at least 10 others were hit by cars in the chaos.
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Talbert and other neighbors said many of the young people involved in the violence were from out of town and didn’t want it to define their neighborhood. They point to positive neighbor relationships, after-school programs and investment from nonprofits.
“For a person who has lived somewhere else, come here and now called this home, Akron has gotten a worse rap than what it actually deserves,” said David Kamwesi.
Rev. Talbert added, “We’re not going to act like from time to time violent things don’t happen here or that people aren’t fighting or that things get out of hand, but I think our neighborhood is mischaracterized a lot.”
Both men agreed that violent events often overshadow the positivity happening in Akron.
Likewise, the Freedom BLOC and other organizations said they’re hoping to infuse more positivity into the community.
Rev. Greene said, “We’re going to work diligently together to curb the violence for 72 hours.”
The leaders said they’re hoping for community-based solutions and better opportunities for the city’s young people.
"They see hope when they see us because we make the change tangible," said McDaniel.
The Labor Day weekend activities will include community activities like “Hood Olympics” on Saturday, Aug. 30, a field trip to an HBCU football game at the Pro Football Hall of Fame on Sunday, Aug. 31 and block parties, reflection and conversation on Monday, Sept. 1.
According to crime statistics from Akron Police, violent crime has held steady over the past three years. There have been 14 homicides in 2025 so far, compared to 13 homicides through July of 2024.
The number of shooting and shots-fired calls has gone up about 3% from 1006 through July 2025, compared to 981 during the same time frame in 2024.
