George Floyd Protest: The View From Within An Ohio Demonstration

AKRON, OH — When Dillon Regrut and Tony Scarpitti arrived at Saturday's protests in downtown Akron, approximately 150 people were gathered outside the Justice Center on High Street. While the crowd was "rowdy," there was not yet any violence.

Within 20 minutes of their arrival, smoke canisters had been fired into the crowd and protesters were running in all directions. Both Regrut and Scarpitti breathed in smoke while running.

"It didn't burn too bad, but I could feel it in my lungs [Sunday] morning," Regrut told Patch.

Regrut, 28, is an amateur photographer and videographer who went to the protest to film the happenings and show solidarity with the protesters. When they arrived, Regrut and Scarpitti moved toward the front of the gathering and began filming.

Metal barriers lined a portion of the exterior of the Justice Center. Protesters chanted, "No justice, no peace," while a person with a megaphone accused Akron police of using tear gas earlier in the day. Within minutes of Regrut and Scarpitti's arrival, police used loudspeakers to tell the crowd to disperse.

Then the smoke canisters were fired.

"We were near the front of the crowd and took the brunt of it," Scarpitti said. He was helping Regrut capture the moment and he began running while videotaping.

"We were speculating what might have triggered police to fire the canisters. You can hear one of the metal barriers possibly being moved. But none of them got moved that I could see. It’s possible someone was rattling the bars. I don’t know what may have incited [police]," Scarpitti said.

Akron police told the Beacon Journal that protesters were throwing rocks at officers and the Justice Center. Video footage reviewed by Patch does not show anyone throwing rocks toward the Justice Center. However, businesses in downtown Akron were vandalized on Saturday evening.

After the smoke canisters were fired into the crowd, some protesters began kicking or tossing the canisters back at police, but most dispersed. Police followed groups of protesters down High Street in Akron, firing additional gas canisters.

Some protesters were arrested for vandalism, but there was no damage done to the Justice Center, the Beacon Journal noted.

Saturday's protests in Akron started peacefully in the early afternoon. In the evening, the remaining crowd and police clashed.

"It could have been a lot more aggressive than it was," Scarpitti said, reflecting on the protests. "I don’t totally understand the cops’ response. All of the footage I have of gas and smoke clouds come from the cops."