From inside the school where a week prior a large outdoor gathering of young people ended in gunfire, members of the 100 Black Men of Akron organization issued a “clarion call” Monday for residents in the city to work together to address youth violence.

The urgent plea from the local chapter of the mentorship-focused nonprofit came during a news conference at Mason Community Learning Center in Akron’s Middlebury neighborhood. 

The school was the site of a late-night shooting on July 7 where five young people were shot and at least a dozen more were injured by cars as they were trying to flee the scene. The incident sparked outcry from the city and community members to address gun violence in Akron.

“The time has come where we need to take a hard look at how we, collectively, can decrease these violent episodes throughout our city,” said Eufrancia Lash, 100 Black Men of Akron’s president, at the news conference. “The specter of youth violence has cast a shadow over our beloved city of Akron.”

The roughly 10 group members present, who come from various education, public safety and community leadership spaces, emphasized the need for local organizations to work more collaboratively to address such violence.

“Together, we possess a collective strength to create lasting change,” Lash said. “If we have the courage to invest more deeply, the resources to be more generous, to work more collaboratively, more than ever, the time is now. This is our moment of truth.”

Nonprofit 100 Black Men of Akron mentors students at four Akron schools

The 100 Black Men of Akron organization works closely with young people via its Leadership Academy program, where members mentor students at four schools in the Akron Public Schools’ district.

The organization is hoping to expand the program to include two more schools in the Akron area by the start of the coming school year. The group is also looking into adjusting its Leadership Academy curriculum to include topics such as conflict resolution and emotional intelligence, said Edward Smith, a member of the group who is also the head boys basketball coach at East CLC.

“I am proud of the young men that we have positively impacted over the years, but it is clear that we must model more, mentor more, and impact more,” he said. 

Police estimate that around 100 young people gathered at Mason CLC before gunfire erupted just after 3:05 a.m. on July 7. At least five young people suffered gunshot wounds and more than a dozen others were injured by cars trying to flee the chaotic scene. 

Akron Police Department spokesperson Lt. Michael Murphy said Monday that all of the young people injured in the incident have been released from the hospital.

Police previously told Signal Akron that at least some of the estimated 100 people who had been at Mason CLC were involved in a “takeover” at the Waffle House restaurant on South Arlington Street in Springfield Township that was broken up by police about an hour and a half before the shooting began.

Murphy said no arrests have been made in the shooting and police are still working to identify those involved.