AKRON, Ohio (WOIO) – “Butchie” the Barber was prepared for last weekend, as he was set to host a Father’s Day-themed Juneteenth parade.
“We had a festival, live entertainment, sing-along karaoke, awards to give out for Father’s Day,” he said.
But last Friday night, Akron Mayor Shammas Malik made the last-second decision to cancel all Juneteenth celebrations, citing safety concerns.
Yesterday, however, the mayor announced its own city-organized Juneteenth event alongside the Akron Urban League.
That isn’t sitting well with Butchie: “How are you going to cancel ours but you’re oging to put one [an event] on? It’s not even been a full week.”
19 News reached out to the Mayor’s office for a statement, citing some of the community’s frustrations. In a statement sent to 19 News on Tuesday, a spokesperson said the Mayor cancelled last weekend’s gatherings in response to a letter the office received, signed by 8 city council members, which raised concerns over violence after an incident at a funeral last Friday.
The statement goes on to say in part “they urgently demanded a cancellation, and we did that.”
Akron NAACP President Judi Hill says the city didn’t do the right thing.
“That to me sends a different message,” she said. “The ones organized by the community last weekend were cancelled. But the ones organized by the city this week are still going.”
19 News also reached out to the councilman and councilwomen who co-signed the letter sent to the Mayor’s office. The members deferred to Council President Margo Sommerville, who has not made herself available.
With just one day before Juneteenth, Buchie says he still hopes to host his event, even if it’s later on this summer.
“I like to do things in the community,” he said. “It’s just one hiccup, but I’ll step right over it.”
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