January 2021 · Vol 8 · Issue #1 · thedevilstrip.com
PAGE 9: Who owns Summit Lake’s story? Residents speak
PAGE 18: After layoffs, what’s next for the University of Akron?
FREE
PAGE 24: Farewell to Tangier, a Beloved West Hill Landmark
WE CAN’T SHOW YOU any more of
THIS PAINTING. IT HASN’T BEEN EXHIBITED I N N E AR LY 1 5 Y E A R S . You can only see it until March 7. When you do, you’ll never forget it. Dancing in the Light is an original exhibition of outstanding American Impressionist oil and watercolor paintings, capturing the brilliant effects of light and color in everyday scenes. Many of these paintings are rarely exhibited anywhere — because they’re in private collections. See renowned masters such as Robert Blum, Ralph Curtis, Childe Hassam, Edward Potthast, John Singer Sargent and more. All too vivid … too spirited … too important to try to describe.
Drifting with the Tide, Venice, 1884 by Ralph Wormeley Curtis. This painting is rarely exhibited (but has been seen in Paris, London, Boston, and New York).
C A N T O NA R T. O R G
T h i s e x h i b i t i o n i s p r e s e n t e d w i t h g e n e r o u s s u p p o r t i n p a r t f r o m ...
SEE DOWNTOWN CANTON IN A WHOLE NEW LIGHT! An animated, immersive light show exhibition presented by ArtsinStark and Visit Canton Coming this January – February 2021 • GET ENLIGHTENED AT CANTONLIGHTFESTIVAL.COM
© 2020 Canton Museum of Art
O N L Y A T C M A and O N L Y I F Y O U GET TIMED-ENTRY TICK ETS
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IN THIS ISSUE Akron News, Art & Culture:
Summit Artspace 140 East Market Street Akron, Ohio 44308 Board of Directors: Philathia Bolton, April Couch, Emily Dressler, Sharetta Howze, Rita Kelly Madick, Dominic Moore-Dunson, Bhakta Rizal, Hillary Stewart, Audrey Worthington directors@thedevilstrip.com
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Publisher: Chris Horne chris@thedevilstrip.com Editor-in-Chief: Rosalie Murphy rosalie@thedevilstrip.com Audience Development Director: Floco Torres floco@thedevilstrip.com
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Membership Director: Jessica Goldbourn jessica@thedevilstrip.com Reporters: Public Health: H.L. Comeriato HL@thedevilstrip.com Equity and Inclusion: Noor Hindi noor@thedevilstrip.com Economic Development: Abbey Marshall abbey@thedevilstrip.com
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Digital Manager: Sonia Potter sonia@thedevilstrip.com
7 IN THE STUDIO WITH METALSMITH SHANI RICHARDS 8 THAISOUL FUSION 9 ‘WHO OWNS SUMMIT LAKE’S STORY? AND WHO IS WRITING THE ENDING?’ 16 FURNITURE DESIGNER JESSICA SKINNER BUILDS IN HONOR OF HER GRANDFATHER 17 PEACHCURLS PULLS THE LOCAL MUSIC SCENE TOGETHER 18 COVID-19 PROMPTED THE UNIVERSITY OF AKRON TO LAY OFF DOZENS OF FACULTY MEMBERS THIS SUMMER. BUT THE STORY STARTS MUCH EARLIER 22 WHAT AKRON’S “YES” ON ISSUE 2 MEANS FOR YOU 24 VINTAGE STRUCTURES: GEORGE’S TANGIER 26 ONE AKRON FAMILY COPES WITH THE LOSS OF A LOVED ONE TO GUN VIOLENCE 28 THE NATIONAL CENTER FOR CHOREOGRAPHY TURNS 5 30 INSIDE THE I PROMISE VILLAGE 32 NORTH HILL’S HOMEBREW SHOP IS THRIVING
Art Director: Chris Harvey harvey@thedevilstrip.com
Essays, Humor & Creativity:
Client Solutions: Director: Anna Adelman anna@thedevilstrip.com Assistant: Allyson Smith allyson@thedevilstrip.com
33 SOBER CHRONICLES 34 COFFEE TALK 35 CROOKED RIVER REFLECTIONS 37 UNENCRYPTED 38 DEVIL STRIP DISPORT
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Distribution Manager: Derek Kreider derek@thedevilstrip.com
Want to help make The Devil Strip? Write to rosalie@thedevilstrip.com.
Family Editor: Megan Combs family@thedevilstrip.com
Find us online: www.thedevilstrip.com Facebook: facebook.com/thedevilstrip Twitter: @akrondevilstrip Instagram: @thedevilstrip
Copy Editors: Megan Combs, Dave Daly, Emily Dressler, Shannon Farrell Freelance Contributors: Emily Anderson, Angie Agnoni, Nahla Bendefaa, Debra Calhoun, Julie Ciotola, Kyle Cochrun, Lauren Dangel, Zaïré Talon Daniels, Nic deCourville, Ace Epps, Ken Evans, Charlotte Gintert, Aja Hannah, Charlee Harris, Matthew Hogan, Jillian Holness, Todd Jakubisin, Jamie Keaton, Laura Lakins, Ted Lehr, Marissa Marangoni, Sandy Maxwell, Brandon Meola, Vanessa Michelle, Yoly Miller, Brittany Nader, John Nicholas, Brynne Olsen, Susan Pappas, Ilenia Pezzaniti, Arrye Rosser, Mark Schweitzer, Marc Lee Shannon, Allyson Smith, Karla Tipton, Paul Treen, Steve Van Auken, Pat Worden.
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Akron’s Community-Owned Magazine
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Our Mission The Devil Strip connects Akronites to their neighbors, our city and a stronger sense of purpose by sharing stories about the people who make this place unique. The Devil Strip is published monthly by Random Family LLC. Distribution: The Devil Strip is available free of charge, limited to one copy per reader. Copyright: The entire contents of The Devil Strip are copyright 2020 by Random Family LLC. Reproduction in whole or in part without permission of the publisher is prohibited. Publisher does not assume liability for unsolicited manuscripts, materials or other content. All editorial, advertising and business correspondence should be sent to the addresses listed above.
January 2021 · Vol 8 · Issue #1
The Devil Strip |
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A NOTE FROM OUR TEAM:
H
appy New Year, readers and members!
We are so grateful to be starting a new year with a successful 2020 membership drive behind us. November and December capped off what was, to say the least, a year of learning how to work remotely and flourish. I now know with certainty that we can get through anything! We are pleased to share that we almost reached our goal of 1,000 members. We were a bit overzealous on New Year’s Eve, having reported that we hit our goal, and for that, a heartfelt apology. It may have been the excitement for 2021 on the horizon. Still, we flew past the 900 mark of active members. We exceeded our revenue goal by nearly 25%. It humbles us to know that there are so many friends and neighbors in Akron who love what we are doing, see the value in it and believe in us enough to offer financial support so we can continue our work. In the new year, we will look to you to continue to help us grow. We will be reaching out asking for your help. Talking to you is what keeps us on
our toes! We want you to get involved. Share what’s happening in your neighborhood with us. Ask those neighbors to become members. Help us reach parts of the community who will be seeing us for the first time. The Devil Strip started as a small group of people who just wanted to get involved in their city and didn’t know where to start. I’m so grateful that they had the idea, and so excited to open the magazine to anyone Summit Lake residents Levi, age 4; Lauryn, age 6; and Noah, age 8 outside the Summit who wants to get Lake Nature Center on a fall day. Their mother, Jetora Carter, appears in the story by Noor involved. Remember Hindi that begins on Page 9. This photo was taken by Noor Hindi and is used on our we are here for each cover with permission from Carter. other. That’s what makes this a city I want to live in and share with others. showcase all the interesting people who live here and everything they are Thankful for you and thankful for You can join our membership at any doing to make the city we love better Akron, time during the year. If you haven’t for everyone. made the leap yet, visit thedevilstrip. Jessica Goldbourn com/be-a-member. The more we I can’t wait to see what our Director of Membership grow, the more we can do to contributors bring to us next!
ON THE COVER
What we believe:
STORIES MATTER. We believe the most important stories are the ones we tell ourselves about ourselves, and that this is as true for cities as it is for individuals. For better or worse, every city’s chief storyteller is its media. We take responsibility for our work because we know it shapes the way Akronites see each other, and the way we see each other influences how we treat one another.
OUR WORK IS FOR AKRON. This is our reason for existing, not merely our editorial angle for stories. We are advocates for the city of Akron and allies to its people, so we may be cheerleaders, but that won’t keep us from challenging the city’s flaws. What’s the point of being part of the community if we can’t help make it a better place to live?
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OUR WORK SHOULD BE DONE WITH AKRON. We would rather build trust through cooperation and collaboration than authority. Our place in the community is alongside it, not standing outside looking in or standing above it looking down.
WE CARE ABOUT YOU, NOT JUST YOUR EYEBALLS. Sometimes, we love a good fight with the status quo. But conflict and antagonism will never be a way of life for us, especially not to boost clicks, views, comments, shares and “eyeballs.” We are watchdogs to hold our leaders accountable, not to keep the neighbors up all night with our barking. WE LOVE OUR NEIGHBORS. Our stories humanize the people in our city. We not only want to counter sensationalized
and alarmist reporting but to eventually render it obsolete. We advocate for justice, freedom and equality because those qualities make this city, and our lives, better. JOURNALISM SHOULD LIVE BEYOND THE PAGE. Information without context or connection is inert. We believe journalism can connect people to each other, our city and even a sense of purpose. Though our work begins on the page, both printed and web, we promote and plan events so people can meet faceto-face where real life still happens. PEOPLE OVER PROFITS. The local businesses, nonprofits and civic organizations who support The Devil Strip are part of our community and are as vital to our culture as our artists and musicians. That’s why we don’t accept ads for national chains, things in large metros outside Summit County or businesses that profit from the exploitation of women. We are not a coat hanger for advertising.
January 2021 · Vol 8 · Issue #1
WE GET ONE SHOT AT LIFE, SO LET’S HAVE FUN. We want our readers to fall in love with Akron (again and again and again), to buck the temptation to only live vicariously through the people they follow online. One thing that makes art, dance, theatre, music, film, food, civic engagement, biking, hiking, and public space so great is that all these things can bring us together, helping us find new friends and have fun with the ones we already have. That makes us all a little happier. That’s what it’s all about.
What is a devil strip? The “devil strip” is the strip of grass between the sidewalk and the street. The precise origins of the term are unknown, but it’s only used in Akron. Today, the devil strip is what connects residents to the city — its public space, its people and its challenges. The Devil Strip seeks to do the same thing.
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THANK YOU FOR YOUR SUPPORT! We are so grateful for our community’s support! Active members are those who are currently supporting The Devil Strip. Vested co-owners are those who have donated $330 or more over their lifetimes, or who have earned their share by contributing to The Devil Strip as writers, delivery drivers, photographers, salespeople, staff members and more. Once a share has vested, it is the owner’s for life. If you don’t see your name on this list, check your email — you may have a note waiting from Director of Membership Jessica Goldbourn asking for your name and address! *Asterisks denote board members. ACTIVE MEMBERS A.E. Bonetti A.J. Harris Aaron Brown Aaron Stefanko Aaron Trexler Abbie Chandler Abby Poeske Adam Birdsall Adam Miller Adam P Schweigert Adam Schmitt Adele Dorfner Roth Adrienna Frazer Aimee Phillips Akilah Johnson Alan Fortnoff Alec Saelens Alessandro Perego Alissa Hazlett Alita Rogers Allyson Boyd Alyssa D’Amico Alyssa Maguire Alyssa Mauser Amanda Lehmann Amanda Rabinowitz Amy Alspach Amy Hecky Amy Hollis Andi Williams Andrew Blascovich Andrew Williams III Andy Taray Angela D. Miller Angie Berresford
Angie Laakso Ann Manby and September Howat Ann Snyder Anne Marie Rapacz Kimmins Anthony Crislip April Couch* Asa Herron Ashley Wain Audrey Wallace Barb Greene Barb Metzger Bay Gaillard Beth Knorr Beth Smith Betsy Hartschuh Betsy Walker Bhakta Rizal* Bob Gippin Bob Richardson Bob Wollyung Bob Worstall Brad Wagner Brenda BorisukMcShaffrey Brenda Cummins Brenda Leighton Brennen Ott Brian Harrell Brian Ross Brian Wooley Brittany Charek Bruce Lightle Byron Delpinal Caitlin Rambacher Candice Fortman Carina Studer-Dyer Carol Dobbins Caroline Williams Carolyn Bagley and Connie Kramer Carolyn Thompson Carrie Felder Carrie Habel Carrie Williams Casey Newman Cate Hill-Williams Charissa Soful Chelsea Monty-Bromer Cherry Dudley Cheryl Cannatti Chris Donohoo Chris McIntosh Chrissy Macso Christa Smith Christel Silas Christine Duplay Christine Meneer Christopher Bues Christy Bolingbroke Christy Ramsey Chuck Auerbach Cir L’Bert, Jr. CJ Thompson Codie Millhone Connie and Robert
Akron’s Community-Owned Magazine
Harrison Corey Haren Cristina González Alcalá Cyndi Ott Cynthia Peeples D Hu Dan Minder Dan Stefancik Dana Setting Daniel DeAngelo Daniel Hoyler Daniel Jones Daniel Kephart Daniel Keuchel Daniel Paparella Danielle Lowry Danielle Staeger Dannae Rowe Dara Harper Dave Finley Dave Komito Dave Rich David Benson David Esakov David Loar David Siko David Swirsky Dawn Bishop Dawn Lawson Dawn Scott Debbie Blankenship Debbie Casey Dele Olabisi Denise DiDomenico Dennis Moncrief Derek Stone Derek Tholt Deter Clawmute Diana Farnen Diana Wheeler Diane Kilivris Dominic Moore-Dunson* Donna McFadden Dyan Boli Dylan Price Eddie Gancos Edward Amann Eileen Connor Elaine Schleiffer Elizabeth Ernst Elizabeth King Ellen Harrington Emily Anderson Emily Butler Emily Ulm Emma Lieberth Osborn Eric Browning Eric Harmon Erica Keenan Erica Snowden Erin Winslow Eve Pearlman Foxie Neptune Frank Varka Frederick Berry Gale Cain Garrick Black
January 2021 · Vol 8 · Issue #1
Gary Dean Gina Mendiola Ginger Christ Ginnie Abell Grant Gallo Greg Milo Gregg Ashley Gregg Harris Gregory Creighton Harvey and Dolli Gold Heather Cross Heather Hillenbrand Heather Pariso Heidi Dressler Hilary Plum Holbrook Riles III Holly and Mike Klein Holly Christensen Ian Alexander Ian Fess Iris Steinen J Ackerman J Hudson James Carney James McCaulley James Mosier James Pollack James Slowiak Jamey Heinzman Jami and Heather Meeker Jamie Laubacher Jane Young Janel England Janet Green Janet Klein Janet Pera Janet Schwan Janis Worley Jason Dzik Jason Haas Jay Allred Jean Henriott Trawick Jeanne Marshall Jeff Klemm Jeff Walter Jeffery James Jen Meredith Jenn Kidd Jenn Richards Jennie Giaconia Jennifer Kelley Jenny Baird Jeremy Leighton Jeremy Varner Jerry D’Antonio Jerry Egan Jess Forrest Jessica Boley Jessica Grable Jessie Sanders Jill Cabe Jill Pildner Jim and Louise Harvey Jim Crutchfield Jim Weyrick Jinny Marting JJ Chapman
JJ Rhoades Joanna Mack Jodie and Ned Delamatre Joe Bartholomew Joe Bonnell Joe Evangelist Joe Howell John Adams John Dretzel John Evrard John Judge John Knops John Marshall John Sapp John Wiggins Jon Fiume Jon Orr Jonathan Hemingway Jonathan Morschl Joseph Amditis Joseph Mario Micale Joseph Wayand Josh Isenberg Joshua Bellis Joshua Gippin Julie Cajigas Julie Ellison Julie Good Julie Pryseski Julie Robbins June Rice Justin Mosley Karen Adams Karen Chancey Karen Gates Karen Heffley Karen Perch Karen Starr Karin Lopper-Orr Kate DeAngelis Kate Green Katelyn Freil Katherine Bengston Katherine Ramsey Katherine Widness Kathleen Folkerth Kathryn Sasowsky Katie Beck Katie Fry Katie Kraft Katie Robbins Katy Miller Keith Freund Keith Hunt Keith Seher Kelli M. Davis Kellie Brown Kelly Davis Kelly McHood Kelly Thomas Kelsey Misbrener Kenneth Averiett Kevin Friend Kevin Kovach Kevin Lockett Kevin Meisner Kim Moore The Devil Strip
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Kim Plaatje Kimberly Edge Kimberly Haws Falasco Kora Sadler Kris Barnette Kristen Ashby Kristin Diaz Kristin Lindsey Kristin McNamara Kyle Julien Kyle Tipton Lance Knobel Lara Becker Larry Smith Laura Andrews Laura Hertzfeld Laura Lakins Laura Roland Laura Shawlson Laura Villwock Lauren Blue Lauren Marsh Laurence Fennelly Laurie Hoffman Lei Ramos Leslie Mccrea Leslie Nelson Libby Archinal Linda E. Bunyan Linda O’Connor Linda Riazi-Kermani Lindsay Powley Lindsey Kelly Lisa Beck Bakeman Lisa Craig Lisa King Lisa Mansfield Lisa Palmer Lisa Steigmann-Gall Liz Denholm Liz Miskalo Lori Pesci Lyn Williams Lynn Farmer Mac Love Maddy Dolezal Magnus Darkhan Mandy Brooks Marcella Lucile Chapman Marcia Adelman Marcus Gilmer Margo Erme Maria Adamowicz-Hariasz Maria Duvuvuei Marissa Little Mark Johnson Mark Perkins Mary Clark Mary G Wilson Mary Harold Mary O’Connor Mary Quade Mary Sitko Mary Tvardy Mary Yund Marybeth Poder Matt Headland Matt Miller Matt Mitchell Matt Weinkam Matthew Jenkins
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Matthew Wachter Matthew Wilkening Matthew Yoder Maureen Capellas Max Davitt Megan Delong Melanie Rak Melissa Andrews Melissa Brooks Melissa Safran Meri Skiera Micha Kraus Michael Shreffler, Jr. Michele Aranda Michelle Bisson Michelle Schisler Michelle Tenney Mike Kolasky Mike Kormushoff Mike Souza Millie Vaughan Miyah Greenwood Molly de Aguiar Molly Wilkins Nancy Babyak Nathan Hill Nathaniel Orndorf Ned Parks Neil Nagy Nichole Booker Nichole Terrett Nick Fulton Nicole Mullet Nicole Woodford-Shell NL Hayes Paige Krabill Pam Shell Pamela Decker Pat Millhoff Patrick Worden Patti Auber Patti Doychak Paul Kapusinski Paul Kunce Paul Schlueter Paul Wilkie Paula Gearinger Paula Guran Peter Marinos Philathia Bolton* Quin Aw Rachael Reynolds Rachel Dissell Rachel McConaha Rachel Whinnery Ray Roos Rebecca Guzy Woodford Rebecca Thomas Rich Stammitti Rich Weiss Richard Dee Richard Frantz Richard Lampasone Richelle Wardell Rikki Vesy Rita Kelly Madick* Robert Coon Robert M. Cuellas Robert Tully Roberta Aber Robin Goist
Robin Merideth Robynne McKee Roger Riddle Roza Maille Ryan Vallette Ryan Labay Ryan Weir Sagarika Naik Sam Spradling Samantha Richardson Sammy Roth Sanda Katila Sara Finan Sarah Nero Sarah Urbank Scott Backus Scott Dudek Scott Jones Sean Stevens September Howat Shannon Cullero Sharetta Howze* Sharon Connor Sheila Pearson Shelby Boyd Sherri Makar Hart Silvia de Cardenas Simon Galperin Simon Toth Stefanie Manley Steph Miller Stephan Wertz Stephen Colotto Stephen Knittel Stephen Ondecker Steve Felix Steve Hays Steve Lederer and Laura Fink Steve Millard Susan Guy Alsobrook Sylvia Trundle Tamara James Tami and JJ Rhoades Tangela Barnette Taylor Burnette Taylor McKinnie Taylor Oser Tedi Fink Tessa Gaffney Thomas Pillitiere Thomas Shultz Tim Harrison Tim Murray Tina Boyes Tina Ughrin Todd Zverloff Tom Phillips Tom Rataski Tracy Varner Travis Fain Tyler Buchanan Valerie Mader Victoria Kemper Warren Hershberger Wendi Thomas Wendy Duke Wendy Greathouse Wendy Turrell Yvette Diaz Zachary Forney January 2021 · Vol 8 · Issue #1
Zachary Thomas VESTED SHAREHOLDERS Abbey Marshall AJ Macso Aja Hannah Allyson Smith Andrew Beard Andrew Leask Angela Chaffin Miller Anna Adelman Anne Giffels Anoo Vyas Anthony Boarman Arnold Tunstall Audrey Worthington* Barb Hanselman Barbara Marie Minney Beirne Konarski Beth Boggins Bill Lowery Bill Stone Brett Treier Brian Caperones Brittany Nader Bronlynn Thurman Carley Millhone Carol McCullough Charlee Denise Harris Charlotte Gintert Chris Bennet Chris Eck Chris Harvey Chris Horne Chris Zacheese Chrisitan Odadzin Christine Mayer Christopher Butler Christopher Morrison Claude Christensen Clint Arrington Colleen Pallone Dave Daly Dave Lieberth Deborah Monaco Denise Lundell Derek Kreider Dominic Cardarelli Dominic Falcione Don Gordon Donae Ceja Ed Brown Elaine Moore Elizabeth Arn Elizabeth Bartz Emily Dressler* Emily S Durway Gina Burk H.L. Comeriato Heather Braun Heather Johnson Hillary Stewart Nagy* Holly Brown Ilenia Pezzaniti James Hardy Jane Bond Janet Palcko Jason Eshelman Jay Fazek
Jeff Davis Jeff Lingel Jeff Worthington Jen LaFleur Jessica Cherok Jessica Forrest Jessica Goldbourn Jill Bacon Madden John Fitzpatrick John Nicholas John Stegall Jonathan Knapp Josy Jones Julie Costell Justin Phillips Kara Kirby Katie McCarthy Keeven White Kelley Gifford Ken Evans Kevin Williams Kristi Tabaj Kyle Cochrun Lisa Kane Marc Lee Shannon Marissa Marangoni Mark Auburn Mark Schweitzer Martha Belden Martha McNamara Mary Murphy Megan Combs Meghan Goetz Melinda Gallaher Michael Gintert Michael Terry Michelle Krocker Nahla Bendefaa Nic DeCourville Nick Petroski Noor Hindi Paul & Davey Treen Peggy Graham Rick Murphy Robin Stevens Rosalie Murphy Ruth Gilligan Ryan Hankins Ryan Pritt Ryan Rimmele Sam Falletta Sandra Kurt Sandy Maxwell Shane Wynn Shannon Farrell Siobhan Kirn Sonia Potter Sophie Franchi Steve van Auken Svetla Morrison Ted Lehr Tom Ghinder Tom Lesiczka Torrie Fischer Wendy Turner William Jordan Yoly Miller Zaïré Talon Daniels
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News, ARTS & Culture
Journalism about Akron, by Akronties
Creative cuisine made with love at ThaiSoul Fusion Grill REPORTING, WRITING AND PHOTOS BY BRYNNE OLSEN
M
eeting on a blind date when they were 15 years old, Tawon and Patricia Burton put the “soul” in soulmates. The owners and chefs of ThaiSoul Fusion Grill entice Akron’s Kenmore neighborhood with unique flavor combinations. The smell of stir-fry and fried chicken drift through the air as I sit down with the couple. “It’s always been just us. He’s the Thai and I’m the Soul,” Patricia says. This interview has been edited for brevity and clarity. Brynne Olsen: What’s your first memory of your love of cooking? Tawon Burton: It all started when I was 3 years old and in the kitchen with my grandmother. I wanted to be a drummer like my older brother so I used to beat on her pots. But my grandparents couldn’t sleep with that, so they took the pots away from me. I was still in the kitchen, though, so my grandmother, who was a beautiful Jamaican woman, told me to go get those pots. She taught me how to cook by first having everything chopped up already in bowls. She would be reading, watching TV maybe, and
she would say, “OK, put that bowl in for me.” Then a few minutes later, another one. Then the chicken. I wasn’t allowed to stir or touch the pots, but she would let me put the ingredients and spices in. So by the time I was 5 years old, I knew when it was time to put the basil in. By the time I was 8 years old, I was doing it all for her. Every day after school, I would cook dinner with her. That’s what started my love of cooking. I was falling in love with it and didn’t even know it. I started doing Thai because when I was around 12 years old, we moved to Ellet, and there was a Thai family next door. So that’s where I was after school. They showed me how to use a wok, and we cooked together. And I’m still connected with them to this day. My mom was an excellent soul food cook. She passed away from complications from COVID-19. She left me with many good memories. The soul food I tie in is because of her. Every time I cook, I’m with her. She taught me a lot about life and food. My first full restaurant, which was on Romig Road, was her dream. For the last three years, I got to spend it with her. She was at my restaurant every day. I’ve been really blessed with food with my family. All she wanted to do was come to my restaurant. I thank
Akron’s Community-Owned Magazine
God for that chance, that she was there with me. Food was her love and her passion. She passed it along to me. Patricia Burton: That was my buddy. I was like her daughter and he was like my mother’s child. She was one of my biggest inspirations. BO: What would you tell your younger self? TB: Patience. Do not rush into things. I ruined a lot of opportunities because I was in a hurry. When I was in my 20s, I acted like I wasn’t going to make it out of my 20s. I would tell that to any young person. And never be jealous of what somebody else has because you don’t know where it comes from. BO: What are your most popular menu items? TB: Everything. I’m not joking. We keep track in our point-of-sale system of the categories. We often sell out. I don’t ever get to eat my food because we are so busy. BO: What sets your restaurant apart from others? TB: The flavor combinations. You can only eat like that here. People order fried rice, fried lobster tail, macaroni and cheese, and sweet potatoes. You wouldn’t think these would go
January 2021 · Vol 8 · Issue #1
together, but they eat it and love it. We have a big menu too that I worked on for six years and it takes you to different places in the world. We take you to Atlanta, on to Italy, then we take you to Thailand. This is year five, over 20,000 dishes and we have only had 16 complaints. PB: We’re honest with people, we don’t cover it up. We make mistakes, we’re human. BO: What is it like working alongside each other? PB: We’re always in sync. We know what the other is about to do in the kitchen, even if we’re working at different stations. People ask us how we can handle being together 24/7, with living and working together. It’s fun, we enjoy each other! We were friends first, then partners and then partners again. We are always laughing at each other at work. We have a really good relationship, so it doesn’t bother us, working together. ThaiSoul Fusion Grill is located at 992 Kenmore Blvd in Akron. Order carryout at (330) 937-8846. Learn more at www.facebook.com/ theofficalThaiSoul330 // Brynne Olsen is a wanderer who enjoys eating dessert first, writing, photography and meeting the demands of her fur children.
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In the studio with metalsmith Shani Richards
REPORTING, WRITING AND PHOTOS BY NOOR HINDI
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hani Richards is “not interested in making precious objects.”
A low-lit basement studio on West Market Street is where the 41-year-old metalsmith artist works — brainstorming ideas for future projects, reading the work of bell hooks and creating art that challenges viewers. Her work, which actively dismantles racism, sexism and colonialism, is meant to make you uncomfortable. “I’ve been working through this white gaze in my work for years,” she says. “I’m making work to challenge the viewer to see the world for what it is. And as a Black artist, I push that narrative because the root of this country is slavery. When you’re making art under such horrible circumstances, you’re rebelling, you’re fighting back, you’re resisting.” Growing up in Akron, Richards didn’t always know she wanted to be an artist. In fact, she describes her entry into the art world as haphazard and almost by mistake. Even at the Myers School of Art, where she graduated in 2006, Richards has always felt that she’s not a “traditional artist.” When most people think about art, she argues they think of a serene painting on a wall. In contrast, she
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sees her work as inherently political and rooted in resistance. One of her pieces, Bulletproof?, features a hoodie made of aluminum cans and jump rings. The piece is inspired by the murder of 17-yearold Trayvon Martin, a Black teenager murdered in Florida while walking through the streets of his neighborhood wearing a hoodie. “[A hoodie] is an attempt at protection. It’s a battleground to be a teenager, especially a Black teenager,” she says. After graduating from the Myers School of Art, Richards moved to New York City for six years. In those years, she dabbled in a few art forms: Fashion, photography and music. Richards describes her time in art school and after as “lost.” She was making art that resisted the status quo and confronted an art world that often felt elitist and unwelcoming to Black artists. Meanwhile, she was also trying to survive in a very expensive city. “I’m never lost in my work. I know what I’m doing. I feel lost in being a human being and what I’m going to do to survive and live and make money in this racist system. “This is why I love metalsmithing and I get caught in the theory of it,” she adds. “When you think about plundering and slavery and collecting,
the things that are collected that are in museums, who decides that? Rich people, for the most part. A certain class of people that identify as white. And this is why I had my crisis after grad school — because I didn’t want to and I still don’t want to be a part of the system, but that’s unrealistic. I have to survive.” Richards moved back to Akron in 2013. This is when her political activism and art took shape. She plunged herself into community projects and helped advocate for Issue 1, which sought to make charges of drug possession and use misdemeanors rather than felonies in 2018. Ultimately, the issue failed, but Richards says she regained her “power as an artist.” Richards was also an art fellow with the League of Creative Interventionists, which awards stipends to artists doing communitybased art projects. The fellowship has given her the time and space she needs for her work to continue thriving. Right now, she’s a fellow through Akron Soul Train. Though she says she’d “be a fool” not to miss New York City, Richards says Akron has been more conducive to her artistic process. “NYC… it’s distracting,” Richards says. “The reason why I like Akron is the reason I ran away from it in the past. It’s really easy to seclude yourself and hide if you want to,
January 2021 · Vol 8 · Issue #1
which I’ve done for years. I like that it’s affordable.” In the future, Richards wants to return to the “lovely bubble” that is academia and teach at the college level. “I want to argue with old white men,” she laughs. Keep up with Richards by visiting her website at shani-richards.com. Her upcoming exhibitions include: Suffrage: Inequality. Persistence. Justice. Emily Davis Gallery at the University of Akron, through Jan. 22. “Suffrage: Inequality. Persistence. Justice. honors the women who fought and continue to fight to protect and defend women’s right to vote.” United. Akron Soul Train, through Jan. 31. “In order to move forward, Americans need to stop dancing around the conversation on race relations. We need to finally discuss with one another in order to try to reconcile with the complexities of our multicultural world and to stop being blind to the caste system that rules our society. United is an exhibition of pendents of racial slurs, ethnic slurs, sexual orientation and gender pronouns.” // Noor Hindi is The Devil Strip’s equity and inclusion reporter. Email her at noor@thedevilstrip.com. thedevilstrip.com
‘Who owns Summit Lake’s story? And who is writing the ending?’ SUMMIT LAKE HAS ENDURED YEARS OF DISINVESTMENT. TODAY, IT’S ON THE UPSWING. BUT WHO CONTROLS THE FUTURE OF SUMMIT LAKE: RESIDENTS, THE CITY OF AKRON, NONPROFIT FOUNDATIONS? WHAT WOULD WORKING TOGETHER LOOK LIKE? REPORTING, WRITING AND PHOTOS BY NOOR HINDI
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hen looking out from her porch, what Shirley Finney thinks about most is snow. Thick, gleaming pockets of snow enveloping all corners of Princeton Street, where she’s lived for more than 20 years. In these moments, Finney remembers the way the snowstorms would quiet the otherwise rambunctious streets of Summit Lake. Finney, now 72 years old, moved to the neighborhood with her family in 1963, and later bought two homes in the late 1990s. The stairs leading up to her bedroom are lined with countless shoes, each stack representing four generations
of Finneys who have resided in Summit Lake. The clutter of photo albums, plants and furniture are evidence of a home well lived in, a life animated with laughing kids, breakups with boyfriends and crucial community work for the neighborhood Finney loves. In Summit Lake, Finney says, “We hold each other as family.” Princeton Street “has held on through every storm,” every “promise not kept.” If there’s defensiveness in her voice, it’s coming from a place of deep love for Summit Lake and a distrust of outsiders. Summit Lake, she’ll tell you, is the “mother of Akron that the city gutted out like a hysterectomy.”
“What I want for Summit Lake is for the city of Akron to take pride in the south side of Akron so the south side of Akron and Summit Lake can take pride in the city of Akron. You owe us. We’re the last at the table, but you owe us,” she says. Her suspicion of outsiders, of systems and of “white men in suits,” is not uncommon of Summit Lake residents and community leaders. In dozens of interviews The Devil Strip conducted in the neighborhood in 2020, time and time again, residents relayed a feeling of being “forgotten,” of “a legacy of things done to and not with,” and of living in a neighborhood which the City of Akron has “turned its back on.” Over the years, Summit Lake has
endured a loss of industry; the construction of freeways that split the community in half; urban renewal projects, both within and outside of the neighborhood, that contributed to a large amount of people settling into an overcrowded Summit Lake; and a staggering amount of dilapidated homes that were later demolished. Today, Summit Lake, which was once one of the most densely populated neighborhoods in Akron, is now the sparsest. Those demolished homes, once energized by family barbecues and music blaring from driveways, are now blankets of grass shaded by overgrown trees. But recent years have seen renewed energy in revitalizing the lakeshore of
Shirley Finney on her porch and in her home on Princeton Street. (Photos: Noor Hindi)
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Summit Lake. . Over the last five years, through foundational support from the Knight Foundation, the GAR Foundation, the Akron Civic Commons project, and various other investors, $1.6 million has been invested in the lakefront of Summit Lake. Most recently, through the Summit Lake Vision Plan, $10 million is projected to be invested in the lake. The next round of funding will be focused on adding a 35-acre park to the north shore. And though city leaders say the decisions they’ve made so far regarding Summit Lake have been led by residents of the neighborhood and will continue to involve residents in the future, some community members are uncertain. The City of Akron owns hundreds of lots in the neighborhood, and residents fear decisions about that land will be made without their input, to their detriment. “Everyone seems to have the best of intentions, but many neighbors mistrust the process since the city is holding onto land and not revealing a development plan,” says Dr. Elizabeth Patterson Roe, a resident and social work professor at Malone University. “I think they’re good-hearted people, but how are they going to help the neighbors have a voice in the development process?” In May, for example, the City of Akron announced the Mow to Own program. The program made 250 parcels of vacant land available to residents to own if they mowed those lots for six months. Despite Summit Lake having about 1,500 parcels of vacant land, no lots from Summit Lake are available to residents. When resident Mary O’Connor asked why Summit Lake was not included in the program, there was confusion. At points, says O’Connor, it sounded as if the city already had a plan for
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Summit Lake that it was waiting to unveil. At other points, it sounded as if the city was waiting to create a plan alongside residents, but the timeline was unclear. The lack of transparency “robs you of the desire to do anything,” O’Connor says. James Hardy, Akron’s Deputy Mayor for Integrated Development, says the city plans to work with residents in 2021 on a land-use plan. The plan will focus on all publicly owned vacant lots and zone them as residential, commercial or green space. The plan will be created by and for Summit Lake residents, Hardy says. Additionally, he affirmed the city’s commitment that Summit Lake “should remain a residential neighborhood.” “The land-use plan, once it’s done, would rezone [Summit Lake] so it fits and matches the land-use plan,” Hardy says. “That also is a protective measure against speculative development...We could take some giant leaps here to say, ‘our No. 1 goal is to build wealth for the existing residents of Summit Lake, and invite new residents and new businesses to come in, but not at the expense of the people who stay.’ “But I recognize this is a lot of talk. I’m bullish on Summit Lake. I am. But I also recognize that there is no reason for the residents of Summit Lake to believe me right now. But I’m determined to change that.” When asked if the city had communicated their proposal to co-create the land use plan in 2021 to residents, Hardy said, “no,” and acknowledged their lack of communication with residents is “disempowering.” Duane Crabbs, founder of South Street Ministries, says Summit Lake has to become more than “a
Monopoly board” for city planners. “I do feel skeptical, but skepticism doesn’t mean they’re doing something evil. But there comes a point where they do need to show their hand, and you have to ask, what are the conditions and why would they not? What is their purpose? There’s a part of me that says, ‘ehhhh.’ When people are dealing in the abstract, when city planners look at Summit Lake, they look at a map. They don’t see like we do, where, ‘oh, this is where Chris was staying,’ or this family across the street, or the history of this house. We know the particulars. It’s a Monopoly board for them and they’re moving pieces and they’re trying to think of stuff,” says Duane Crabbs, founder of South Street Ministries. Finney adds, “I’m hoping that the City of Akron rights their wrongs. I’m hoping, because they own the majority of the land over here, that they will do right for the next generation coming up.” ‘A very large and sudden relocation of families’ The year is 1938. It’s May and the sun is setting and there are fireworks exploding over Summit Beach Park, “Akron’s Fairyland of Pleasure.” The new rollercoaster, Skyrocket, promises to shoot you 66 feet in the air. Opened in 1917, Summit Beach Park attracted thousands of people each year. Visitors could ride a Ferris Wheel “high up in the clouds,” watch wrestling shows, and visit the “palace of illusions.” For a long time, Akron’s swimming pools, including Summit Beach Pool, were closed to Black residents. Akron historian David Lieberth says admission to Summit Beach Park was probably open to Black Akronites, but
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he doesn’t know whether they were welcome at all attractions. Census data about Summit Lake’s Ira Avenue shows that of the 844 people residing on that street in the 1940s, only six were Black. This changed by the 1960s when many white families left for the suburbs. Additionally, the construction of the Innerbelt and Interstate 76, as well as urban renewal projects around Akron, displaced more than 8,000 households throughout the city. Lieberth says families who were displaced by those urban renewal projects likely couldn’t afford housing in different areas of the city, so some settled in Summit Lake. “I’ve seen the maps of the areas that were previous to Route 59, and when you look at that intersection of where Route 59 joins I-77, that’s right at the northern edge of Summit Lake,” says Lieberth. “We know there were intact neighborhoods there. We know it was mostly Black families who were relocated because of urban renewal. We can speculate, with some confidence, that there were several hundred families who had to be relocated when Route 59 went in… That did cause a very large and sudden relocation of families crowding into low-cost housing available in the Summit Lake neighborhoods.” The influx of those residents “changed the character of Summit Lake, probably forever,” Lieberth adds. In her lifetime, Finney’s family members have been displaced three times by urban renewal and highway construction projects. Finney herself was displaced once. “Every time it’d happen, the city would send a letter, and I’d say, ‘Again!?’” Finney says. ‘You could feel the streets coming thedevilstrip.com
alive’ The urban renewal projects, along with the mass layoffs from the rubber industry in the 1970s, led to a large number of Summit Lake residents who were unemployed and now living in an overcrowded neighborhood. By the mid-90s, Summit Lake was one of the most densely populated areas in Akron, says Duane Crabbs, who moved into the neighborhood around that time with his wife, Lisa. “You could feel the streets coming alive,” Duane says. “The cars back then had the huge speakers and you’d hear this ‘thump, thump, thump.’ It rattled the house.’” Lisa Crabbs remembers the sound of children playing in the streets, fights breaking out between couples, the chatter of neighbors and the general humdrum of noise penetrating her home. Resident Jason Blakely remembers car tires screeching in the street, cans of Faygo pop, Little Debbie cakes and empty bags of Doritos littering the street. Back then, Summit Lake had the city’s largest elementary school, Lincoln School, which served as the hub of the neighborhood. “There’s so much history at Lincoln,” says Catera Davis, who grew up in Summit Lake. “I remember how fun
it was going there, and with the proximity to the lake, [learning] how to tread [water] was important.” Lincoln was a community hub, too. It was the site of public meetings and after-school programs for kids. When the school closed in 2010, it devastated the neighborhood. “Lincoln School was the pivot point. It was the anchor in the neighborhood. So even if it was an under-resourced neighborhood, if you are a family, a mom, a dad, a grandma, you knew your kids were going to get a good education, and the staff really cared,” says Lisa Crabbs. Today, the site is a plot of grass owned by Alpha Phi Alpha, a nonprofit that provides housing. Though Summit Lake’s music was sometimes too much, many longtime residents now grieve the loss of its sounds. “The energy is gone,” Lisa says. “This used to be an active neighborhood, and now it’s all rental property. There’s not a sense of connection. It’s the remnant of the neighborhood we had.” Many of the residents who previously owned their homes passed away, and now, as one of few neighborhoods in Akron without an elementary school close by, Summit Lake is no longer
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ideal for families with young children.
From left: Mary O’Connor in her home on Princeton Street; Catera Davis; Charles and Elizabeth Roe; Duane
In fact, between 2000 and 2010, Summit Lake experienced more population loss than any other neighborhood in Akron, losing nearly 27% of its residents. “A lot of people who owned the homes were elderly,” says Duane Crabbs. “Homeownership dropped from 2000 to 2010 as people died or as people went to nursing homes. Or they turned the house over to their kids and their kids either didn’t know how to care for it or didn’t want to live in Summit Lake.” ‘Broken teeth’
and Lisa Crabbs. (Photos: Noor Hindi)
Summit Lake residents, or Catholic Worker, which houses new Americans in Summit Lake. More often than not, those who are buying homes end up spending more than a house is worth to fix it up, and must have cash readily available since banks are hesitant to lend in Summit Lake. Additionally, city data estimates that from 2008 to 2018, 344 residential units in Summit Lake were demolished by the city.
Today, only 31% of Summit Lake residents own their homes, according to city data. Additionally, many homes “are showing signs of deferred maintenance and are surrounded by vacant lots or abandoned buildings,” according to the city planning department.
In the years prior to that, residents remember widespread demolition after fires, many of which, they say, were caused by arson. The result of these fires is vacant lots spread throughout Summit Lake, a phenomenon city planners call “broken teeth.”
“Right now there is an incredible appraisal gap to build a house in Summit Lake. No banks are lending to build or fix up a house in Summit Lake,” says Hardy.
“How are you going to get rid of the house if it has no value and renovations cost more than it’s worth?” says Mary O’Connor. “You couldn’t get the value out if you sold it, so if you have insurance, you can get the money out from there.”
Many of the residents who’ve purchased homes in Summit Lake in recent years are either connected with South Street Ministries, which was founded by Duane and Lisa Crabbs in the late 1990s to serve
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Walking through the neighborhood now, resident Bob Irwin says it’s “depressing sometimes” seeing empty lots where homes used to
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stand. For some Summit Lake residents, the experience of seeing a home burnt down is all too common. “There was a house my daughter called ‘the fire house,’” says Jason Blakely. “The house caught on fire and we would drive by it sometimes. It took a while before they tore it down.” Sitting on her back porch, Lisa Crabbs recalls the number of houses she used to be able to see from here. Lisa and her husband used to run South Street Ministries from their backyard. “I can take a look right here and tell you that house burnt down, that house burnt down,” she says, pointing. “Nature wins in the long run. It’s all trees now.” ‘Rich in talent, rich in love, rich in community, rich in neighborly presence’ Pockets of Summit Lake where homeownership is high is where most of the activity exists. On these streets, like Princeton, you find the heart of Summit Lake: Neighbors sitting on their porches, community gardens shared by all and kids playing basketball in the street. These spots are also where Summit Lake’s generosity is most apparent. If you sit on anyone’s porch long enough, a neighbor will drive by, honking and waving. Someone will stop in, offering tea or cake. Maybe it sounds idyllic, but if you ask Summit Lake residents, they’ll tell you, “that’s just Summit Lake.” “I wish people knew how much of a family feel is here. People have your back. People look out for you,” says Bob Irwin, who grew up in the neighborhood and currently works with South Street Ministries.
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Jason Blakely, who has lived in Summit Lake his entire life, feels that there’s a “stigma” to living in the neighborhood. “The people of Summit Lake are resilient. They’re perseverant. Powerful. Dedicated. Determined,” he says. “But we always have to prove ourselves. That’s where that perseverance comes from, where that resilience comes from... People know what they’re dealing with on the inside. But they also take how they think other people feel and they have to deal with that too. That can be just as heavy as what you’re dealing with.” For decades, newspapers characterized Summit Lake as “the most crime-ridden neighborhood in Akron.” Most stories portrayed Summit Lake as a community with an abundance of “burglaries” and “crack houses” and highlighted poverty or the number of kids receiving free and reduced lunch. But Summit Lake residents say these narratives have created false myths about the community they love. “I see Summit Lake as a really rich place,” says Eric Nelson, executive director of Students With A Goal, an after-school mentoring group for Summit Lake kids. “Rich in talent, rich in love, rich in community, rich in neighborly presence.” Where outsiders see boarded-up homes with dilapidated roofs, Summit Lake residents see neighbors who are willing to lend a cup of sugar. Where outsiders see hauntingly empty lots, Summit Lake residents see opportunities for community gardens and bright red tomatoes harvested in the middle of summer. Summit Lake, in many ways, is defined by this tension as much as
it’s defined by its sense of grit and its enduring nature. “I see the potential of what [Summit Lake] could be, but I think a lot of outsiders are scared. Scared of what they read or what they see,” says Catera Davis, who grew up in Summit Lake. “You leave Summit Lake and people ask, ‘Where do you live?’ And when you tell them, they make a face and say, ‘Oh, really?’ And it’s hurtful.’” ‘Like a war’ between residents and city officials Summit Lake residents don’t deny the challenges in their community. They know average incomes and home values are among the lowest in the city. They know their neighbors struggle. But they wish these challenges, created by the City of Akron’s lack of investment, wouldn’t be all anyone sees or thinks of Summit Lake. In the early 2000s, the City of Akron, under the leadership of former Mayor Don Plusquellic, began quietly buying up property in Summit Lake. But the breakdown of those conversations led to Summit Lake not receiving any investment for more than a decade. What the city wanted to do, says Marco Sommerville, who represented Summit Lake on City Council at the time, was to attract investment to the neighborhood by building newer housing next to older houses. But rather than meeting with community members about the plan and gathering feedback, Duane Crabbs says the city came to Summit Lake with a plan. The community responded in fear and anger. They were afraid urban renewal would displace them, yet again, through
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eminent domain. They were also fearful that new businesses and housing would raise property values, and they would be unable to afford their homes. Sommerville can remember no plan at the time to freeze property taxes to prevent displacement. He describes the tension between Summit Lake residents and the city “being like a war.” “The mayor had a mission,” remembers Duane Crabbs. “He was buying up houses throughout the city…So we held a meeting at Lincoln School, and that’s when we got in trouble. “We kind of ended up blocking the city, the residents did, and then the mayor from that point on — Plusquellec is a very vindictive guy — he said, ‘Summit Lake is not going to get any money,’” Crabbs continues. “He said there would be no more investment in this neighborhood at all.” Plusquellic tells The Devil Strip that his plan was to use federal funding to build newer housing on vacant lots, then offer to move Summit Lake’s elderly population into those new homes. He says his plan was to have the city appraise a resident’s current home, apply that amount to the newer home, then give back credit to pay for the difference in the two homes. Upon sale of the house, or upon death, the city would take back the difference of the money they’d spent. “We had a lot of women, in particular, their husband worked in the rubber factory, and after outliving their husband for 20 years or so, their pension just wasn’t that good,” he says. “So what I came up with at Summit Lake was unique, and I thedevilstrip.com
From left: Photos of the Summit Lake Build
thought this was the greatest thing since sliced bread. I came up with an idea that we will buy your house because it’s old.” But after the housing plan failed to materialize, Sommerville says, “we just walked away from the neighborhood.” By the time former deputy Mayor Dave Lieberth joined the City of Akron in 2002, he remembers a lot of tension between Plusquellic, Sommerville and Crabbs. He also confirms that investment in Summit Lake was stalled and remembers hearing Plusquellic say, on multiple occasions, that they were not going to “deal with Summit Lake.”
Corps in the home of Stephanie Leonardi; Bob Irwin; Jason Blakely. (Photos: Noor Hindi)
Eric Nelson, director of Students with a Goal (SWAG), says there’s a continuum of care working for youth in the neighborhood. Youth typically attend AMHA’s SPARK program from preschool to kindergarten, before transition to South Street Ministries’ Rich Kids Program from kindergarten to fifth grade, and then SWAG from grades six to 12. During off hours, neighbors like Stephanie Leonardi have their doors open and their backyards full of trampolines and basketball hoops for kids who stop by.
“I admit fully I may very well have said that,” Plusquelic says. “In context, it meant, ‘we spent the money somewhere else.’ I mean, you didn’t want it! We did something for you that was unique, and you didn’t want it.
“One of the things Summit Lake does better than anywhere is we truly collaborate,” Nelson says. “Duane Crabbs specifically created this vision that, when there would be no external support, that there was a way for us to support each other.”
“So we walked away from Summit Lake and said, ‘OK, we’ll take the money and invest it somewhere else.’ I don’t remember what neighborhood replaced it.” Plusquelic continues. “We figured the value proposition of spending money there fighting everybody, and battling was so overwhelming that Marco and [Planning Director] Warren [Woolford] just said, ‘Yep. We can spend it somewhere else.’”
Currently, Summit Metro Parks is investing $600,000 to turn the Pump House, a previously abandoned building along the lakeshore, into a permanent Nature Center through a grant from the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation.
‘I see the future of Summit Lake, if we do it right, being in the hands of the residents’ Right now, Summit Lake is home to a plethora of organizations that are working for the betterment of the neighborhood. Most of these organizations were created by and for residents.
The Pump House was activated in 2017 when Leonardi began installing art in the boarded-up windows. Previously, like many empty lots in Summit Lake, the area surrounding the Pump House was being mowed and used as a community garden space by Let’s Grow Akron. The garden will remain in place after the completion of the Nature Center. Let’s Grow Akron has worked in Summit Lake for more than 20 years, and has created hundreds of small community gardens.
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“It’s about the beauty of seeing things growing in otherwise vacant and or blighted spaces. It’s uplifting,” says director Lisa Nunn. In 2016, with funding from the Knight Foundation and other funders, the Akron Civic Commons (ACC) project started in Akron. The initial grant was worth $5 million, which was split between downtown Akron, Ohio Erie and Canal Park and Summit Lake. Dan Rice, president and CEO of the Ohio and Erie Canalway Coalition, was appointed to work in Summit Lake upon the launch of the Akron Civic Commons initiative in 2016. When he began working in Summit Lake, there was immediate suspicion. “What we learned early on in our relationship-building is, unfortunately, there’s been a legacy of things done to and not with, and things promised and not delivered to neighborhood residents in the Summit Lake neighborhood. There was mistrust,” says Rice. After countless community conversations and resident input, the eastern shore of Summit Lake was given a facelift. There are picnic tables and chairs, barbecue grills, lighting and more. Resident Jetora Carter, who rents a home next to the lake and what will soon be the Nature Center, has seen Summit Lake transformed before her eyes. Five years ago, looking out from her window, she saw an abandoned house, countless overgrown trees and the boarded-up Pump House. Today, she can see the lake and the construction of the Nature Center. Jetora is a single mom of four kids. Her oldest daughter, Alicia, 16,
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is helping install artwork in the Nature Center alongside Leonardi’s organization, Summit Lake Build Corps. “I can’t wait for the Nature Center to be done so the kids can have somewhere to play and learn,” she says. “All of the change has been positive.” The lake used to represent a place of fear for some residents. Poet and resident Jason Blakely remembers an incident of a woman driving into the lake as a suicide attempt. Some residents also remember people hiding their guns in the lake, or, rumor had it, dead bodies. Today, Summit Lake is a source of inspiration. “It’s a place where you can come with your family, barbecue, and sit out on the lake and swing and have your kids play on the playground. There’s fishing and a walking trail. As a family, with my kids and my wife, we would walk on the trail when it was warmer. It’s so peaceful,” Blakely says. Initially, these changes were difficult to make. In Summit Lake, residents say there’s a legacy of thinking the community doesn’t deserve good things, or that residents won’t take care of good things. This proved to be false once changes around the lake started to happen and residents took ownership of the space. While everyone The Devil Strip spoke to praised the work being done on the lakeshore, some felt that safe, affordable housing and economic development are still lacking in the neighborhood. “The interior of Summit Lake has a story to tell as well,” says Joe Tucker,
who is the executive director at South Street Ministries. “A lot of focus right now is on the lake,” adds Catera Davis. “But what about the rest of the neighborhood? Yes, you’ve made this attraction, this thing that’s going to draw people here, but what does that mean for us? And it’s a conversation no one wants to start or have. “This part of Summit Lake,” adds Davis, pointing to the neighborhood, “— it’s not pretty. It’s real and it’s raw and it’s complicated. We live in it every day. We go through the bad and we go through the good. And it all sounds easy on paper... Add businesses, add this, add that. But the core of it is the people. And you can’t heal people’s pain and the struggles they go through by adding a new store. You can’t build a nature center and expect that to solve the rate of homelessness.” While Summit Lake has an abundance of nonprofits and churches helping in the neighborhood, there’s a lack of economic activity. There are no gas stations or sit-down restaurants. The closest grocery store, Save A Lot, is on the edge of the neighborhood. When residents need something quickly, they walk to a corner store, like Princeton Market and Steve’s Market. And while Akron Civic Commons has updated the walking and biking trail, Summit Lake is not walkable. Sidewalks are missing in some parts of the neighborhood. Many of the sidewalks that exist are broken or have overgrown trees and grass extending through them. This forces residents into walking through the streets, and in some cases, not walking at all. The narrative that’s emerged
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following improvements along the lakeshore, says Stephanie Leonardi, is one that’s so positive it often ignores the realities of Summit Lake that Catera Davis refers to. She says this story about Summit Lake isn’t the “whole story, or the only story,” either. “There is Summit Lake, the body of water and what’s surrounding it. And then there is Summit Lake, the neighborhood. They’re not the same thing. One singular narrative isn’t the whole story,” Leonardi says. “Brene Brown says something like, ‘If you own your story, you can rewrite the ending.’ So in this context, I’m asking, ‘who owns Summit Lake’s story? And who is writing the ending, or better yet, what’s next?’” For many renters living in Summit Lake, who frequently bounce from rental to rental and are consistently facing homelessness and poverty, it’s hard for them to imagine their place in Summit Lake as this wave of changes hig the lakefront. Most recently, funders have pledged an additional $10 million dollars for the north shore side of Summit Lake, which hasn’t been touched since the freeways were built. So far, $7.5 million has been raised, with significant funding from the Knight Foundation and the City of Akron, says Rice. James Hardy says the city will gather feedback for its new land use plan by holding community meetings, having community events where they generate feedback from residents, and possibly hiring people to knock on doors. He says there are ways for the city to equitably plan and ensure current residents who own properties in Summit Lake are prioritized in the thedevilstrip.com
From left: Lisa Nunn; Stephanie Leonardi; a
process — for example, by freezing property taxes for current residents to prevent displacement and strictly zoning the neighborhood to ensure it remains residential. As for renters, which make up the majority of people residing in Summit Lake, Hardy says the city is still “thinking through how to put renters in a stable position ahead of investment in the neighborhood,” and that “no one strategy has been determined yet.” And as for Civic Commons, Hardy says that process was never meant to transform the whole of the neighborhood. “I do believe strongly that by activating the lake itself, and the investments we’re going to make there, will undoubtedly aid in the redevelopment of the neighborhood itself. It does so through creating an attractive neighborhood, it does so through creating amenities that people want in a livable neighborhood, and we did it through and with the residents. “The work around the Civic Commons is not the end of the story,” Hardy continues “Right now, it’s gotten a lot of publicity, there’s been a lot of very legitimate pride from all sides in the work that’s being done there, but it has not and was never necessarily intended to completely transform the dynamic of people’s lives. That can only be done through a full-scale redevelopment of the neighborhood.” “But this is not an ACC project. This is a city and Summit Lake relationship project with the whole neighborhood,” he adds. Ward 3 councilwoman Margo Sommerville says the city is “considering ACC as the process to
Halloween CAREavan preparing to walk through the neighborhood distributing food, treats and resources. (Photos: Noor Hindi)
creating the redevelopment plan for Summit Lake.” Rice says the city has asked for ACC’s assistance. Until the city begins its land use project with residents in 2021, cityowned land continues to be off limits to residents, many of whom continue to feel skeptical because of the city’s lack of communication. In the meantime, Summit Lake residents continue to invest in their neighbors, advocate for their community and fight for truer narratives about Summit Lake to emerge, so that ultimately, they can finally write the end to their own story. “I love the attitude of the people,” Blakely says. “They’re resilient. There’s a lot of eyes that look down on the people of Summit Lake, who dismiss the people of Summit Lake. As someone who lives here, and others too, we take that as a challenge. We’re just as worthy as other neighborhoods in town with the projects that are going on, roads that need to be fixed, buildings that need to be built, houses that need to be constructed. This area is not without its troubles, but it has so much more to give and to offer and to be recognized for.” // Noor Hindi covers equity and inclusion for The Devil Strip. Reach her at noor@thedevilstrip.com. Editor’s note: Hillary Stewart, Treasurer of The Devil Strip’s Board of Directors, also serves on the board of South Street Ministries. Stewart was not involved in the reporting or editing of this story and did not see it before publication.
Akron’s Community-Owned Magazine
Jessica Skinner lounges one of her original woodworked benches.
(Photo: TJ Hicks. Used with permission.)
Furniture designer Jessica Skinner creates functional art inspired by her family roots J BURGESS DESIGNS SHOWCASES THE SELFTAUGHT ARTIST’S WOODWORKING, UPHOLSTERY SKILLS REPORTING AND WRITING BY BRITTANY NADER
W
hen Jessica Skinner was a little girl, she and her brother would take family trips down to sunny Pensacola to visit their grandparents. Her grandfather, whom she called “Papa,” was a farmer who would work magic turning raw materials into functional structures that lit a creative fuse in Jessica. Her company, J Burgess Designs, is named after her grandfather, who would build dog houses, barns and fencing from ordinary pieces of wood. The summers visiting her grandparents and observing her Papa’s ability to transform raw materials into beautiful, functional structures left an impression and helped inspire her vision to start her own furniture design company.
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“The overall goal is to help people be able to make their home be a beautiful space, visually and intangibly,” Jessica says. Jessica’s grandparents lived next to a paper mill and would gather wood pallets to repurpose into new, useful items. She says her Papa’s legacy lives on in her work, as she adopted his resourceful nature and began mimicking his craftsmanship to serve her own life and needs. “I think my woodwork is also the thing I’m most proud of. There’s nothing to me like being able to envision something and then be able to bring it to life,” she says. Jessica is a self-taught woodworker and upholsterer, and her designs provide surface storage and seating options for people’s homes, but they are also intricate, textured, multilayered designs that are often repurposed from scrap material. Recently, she debuted a handmade mirror from her archives on the J Burgess Designs Instagram page. She says it reminds her of the beach in
Pensacola. She made the mirror two years ago, and it uses elements of art deco, geometrical shapes, stained glass and layered angles. The monochromatic layers and textures have become her signature. While the designs are intricate, symmetrical and involved, she says she’s only recently started sketching out ideas before she begins building. Prior to that, she was just doing it intuitively. “I would say I’m 90% an intuitive creator,” she says. “I just get started.” Jessica is an artist and a mother to three children. She has been homeschooling her kids for five years and says her furniture business has helped her teach her family entrepreneurship and creativity skills. “It’s something I incorporate into our schooling, and then also a way for them to figure out ‘What things do I like to do? What kind of business can I start?’” she says. Jessica began her journey as a
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furniture designer out of necessity — she married her childhood best friend at 20 years old and wanted to make their house feel like a home without spending a lot of money. She says she got a “hodgepodge” of different furniture from her family, but she ultimately decided it wasn’t the right look or feel for her space and this new chapter of her life. She started off trying to master upholstery projects she saw online, then she began honing her skills in creating more original layered, textured designs. Her great aunt did some upholstery, and her years observing her grandfather’s woodworking inspired her to learn how to make her own furniture and décor. Jessica says she is 100% self-taught, and YouTube videos were a big help in taking her ideas to the next level. “Learning how to use power tools, that will make you feel unstoppable a little bit,” Jessica says. She has honed her craft repurposing, designing and creating furniture more than a decade later. She has spent the last 10 years doing upholstery and the past five honing her woodworking skills. thedevilstrip.com
She uses fabric and wood scraps to create smaller items as well, including fabric bowls, which she says are some of her best-selling items. “I try to be zero waste, so I try to use every piece,” Jessica says. “That’s how I got into fabric bowls and baskets.” She says in the early days of her marriage, when money was tight and her home was sparse, she collected items from dumpsters and thrift stores. She realized she loved making tables and chairs and creating textures in fabric and woodwork. A lot of her pieces have a “built up” quality that make them stand out from other artists’ creations. Jessica sells her original pieces online and has made use of social media this year since in-person events and opportunities to meet with customers have been limited.
“The major shift for me, I kind of anticipated this being the year that . I did a lot more art shows, and of ) course those things got canceled,” she says. “Prior to 2020, I wasn’t really big on social media because I like to connect with people in person more. I’ve increased the amount of videos I make so people still feel connected to me and to the things that I make.” Jessica is hosting virtual lessons so others can learn furniture making from her “years of trial and error,” she says. “The overall goal is to help people be able to make their home be a beautiful space, visually and intangibly… [...]if they’re in a similar situation I was in, married at 20 with not a lot of money,” she says. Social media has helped Jessica feel more connected to the community and share her designs. She does commissions but says she likes helping others learn how to do what she does. “There’s nothing to me like being able to envision something and then be able to bring it to life,” she says. Follow Jessica Skinner on Instagram at @jburgessdesigns and view her current pieces for sale at jburgessdesigns.com. // Brittany Nader works, writes and lives in Akron, Ohio.
‘Working together was natural’ PEACHCURLS SHOWCASES NEO MUSICIANS ON NEW ALBUM ‘MEADOW’ REPORTING AND WRITING BY LAURA LAKINS
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J Maclin, a Cleveland artist known as Peachcurls, recently released Meadow — a ninetrack album that genre-blends hiphop, rap, alternative and R&B – and exemplifies the talent of multiple Northeast Ohio musicians. When asked who helped make Meadow what it is — other than himself, as he handled all of the songwriting and producing – Maclin highlighted a handful of area artists. His list includes Akron bassist Matthew DeRubertis, Akron trumpeter Tommy Lehman, and mixing and mastering specialist Spencer Martin, whose work originated in Northeast Ohio but is currently working out of South Korea. He also listed Cleveland duo Jon and Bri Bryant, who add their powerhouse vocals to the title track, “Meadow,” and Sulyiman, a Chicago-based artist, who adds synthesizer to the track “Born Without You.” The interconnectedness of the Northeast Ohio music scene is impressive, especially when you hear about it firsthand. From social media to live shows to word of mouth – it seems that all of the underground musicians in the area have a way of finding one another. Take for example Maclin’s ties with DeRubertis, also known as SEER Music, which date back to nearly 10 years ago. He connected with DeRubertis at a Dave Hammer’s Power Supply show after opening for the band. This later resulted in him joining Maclin in his band at the time, Thaddeus Anna Greene. Even though the bands have taken
Akron’s Community-Owned Magazine
different routes, the two have stayed connected. You can hear DeRubertis’s deep and thunderous bass lines on the tracks, “Born Without You,” “New Clothes,” “Go Home,” and “Cuban Link.” “Our working relationship has continued to grow over time. Matt is one of my best friends.We work well together,” Maclin says. Not long after, Maclin met Lehman while they both were enrolled in TriC’s jazz program. They collaborated together on a project while there, and since then they’ve continued to help each other out. “He saw something in me and I saw something in him, from there we just stayed connected. Us working together was natural. I had done some songs for him, and then sent him some of mine. He did it no question,” Maclin says. Peachcurls is featured on a handful of Lehman’s singles and vice versa. Lehman adds his smooth yet vibrant trumpet to the track “Go Home” on Meadow. As far as the connection with Martin goes, Maclin credits social media for that. DeRubertis, who has teamed up with Martin himself, had posted an Instagram story of him working on the bass line for “Cuban Link,” one of the tracks on Meadow. Martin inquired about it, and the rest is history. He mixed and mastered all of Meadow. “We all work together, but none of our individual music sounds like the others. All of us just really love music, and are able to communicate and adapt to each other. The talent level is so high, and I feel like that gets overlooked,” Maclin says.
In past years, Maclin has put out a couple EPs, Missing Piece and Eastside. Both of these showcase his rapping abilities, but Meadow takes it to the next level and showcases both his rapping and singing. “I thought ‘What if I stopped compartmentalizing my sound, and allowed myself to just put it all onto one thing?’” Maclin says. Once he followed his intuition to do just that, Meadow came to life. The album opens up with “See About Me,” a rap track that Maclin describes as “loud, disorienting, and jarring, but also harmonically pleasant, warm, and full sounding.” He then closes with “Meadow,” in which Maclin’s soulful vocals wind down the album. In between the two, you’ll find a good mix of rapping, singing and his upbeat, yet smooth sound. To support and lift up our local musicians, be sure to check out their work on Bandcamp, which is a music platform that fairly pays artists. You can find Meadow and other music by Peachcurls, as well as work by SEER Music, Lehman, Martin and every other musician from the area that you love. Their music is also available on all other streaming platforms, but ‘tis the season to buy local. To keep up with Peachcurls you can check out his website, www. peachcurls.com. There you will find links to stream his music and to follow him on social media. // Laura Lakins is an educator and freelance writer from Akron, OH. Photo: By Zoë Mountain. Used with permission from Peachcurls.
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‘We don’t have the reserves to wait out a volatile situation’ HOW COVID-19 EXPEDITED UNIVERSITY OF AKRON’S BUDGET CRISIS REPORTING, WRITING, PHOTOS AND GRAPHICS BY ABBEY MARSHALL
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he University of Akron made deep cuts this past summer, laying off 18% of the faculty and consolidating programs and colleges, citing a projected $65 million budget shortfall and $360.4 million in debt. It’s easy to blame a global pandemic: Fall 2020 enrollment was expected to drop at nearly every university nationwide amid Zoom classes, virtual coursework and socially distanced instruction. But deep cuts were inevitable at the University of Akron, university administration says, after student enrollment declined by a third in the past decade, state funding was decreased, and the university was locked into debt payments after heavy investment in campus amenities.
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Those cuts, says university spokesperson Cristine Boyd, were expedited by the anticipation of financial losses from an enrollment drop and less state funding due to COVID-19. The faculty blames university administration, including six presidents over the past six years, for what some call budget mismanagement and financial recklessness without regard for students or academics. Some faculty members claim the university is misrepresenting its financial position altogether, saying COVID-19 is an excuse to purge more positions than necessary — even filing a complaint of unfair labor practices against the university. “It’s taken a really ugly turn this summer,” Pam Schulze, president of Akron-AAUP, UA’s collective bargaining unit, says of the tensions between the union and the
university over collective bargaining negotiations. “I’ve never felt this kind of division between faculty and administration we have now. Never. And it’s been bad before.” To understand the financial challenges facing the university, The Devil Strip analyzed previous budgets, reviewed previous financial decisions and spoke with more than a dozen faculty members, both currently employed and laid off. Many were hesitant to use their names publicly out of fear for retaliation, but their accounts informed this reporting. UA spent in preparation for 40,000 students. There are now fewer than 18,000. In a press conference on July 15, the day layoffs were finalized by the board of trustees, President Gary Miller said the financial crisis set up years prior meant a reduction in staff was inevitable. The university told The Devil Strip they were facing $360.4
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million in debt as of June 30, just weeks before the layoffs. That crisis was in part spurred by the “Vision 2020” initiative launched by former university president Luis M. Proenza in 2012, the year after enrollment peaked at just shy of 30,000 students. The vision was for UA to be a university competitive with other highly enrolled state universities, aiming for upward of 40,000 total students, including more students who lived on campus. Even in 2012 when enrollment levels were at 28,771, the goal was lofty. The university’s student base was traditionally made up of commuters who lived nearby and drove to classes each day or attended school parttime and worked. Proenza, faculty members recall, was adamant about changing that image, pushing the university’s facilities to grow and grow. Additionally, the university pursued thedevilstrip.com
At left and on next page: University of Akron faculty members protested on campus on July 15, 2020, the day layoffs were
university ushered in — and promptly out — six acting, interim and permanent presidents in six years.
finalized. (Photos: Abbey Marshall)
campus modernization projects that came with a $630 million price tag throughout Proenza’s 15-year tenure. Not only did the university sink more than $60 million into a new, 27,000-seat football stadium that opened in 2009 — despite a loss of approximately $21.52 million per year on athletic programs for the last 10 years, the faculty union says — the administration also purchased Quaker Square for $22.7 million in 2007 with an additional investment of $700,000 to renovate for student use. On top of all that, the school tore down and rebuilt residence halls. “The university was poised to be very successful 10 years ago,” says Sue Ramlo, former Akron-AAUP Vice President and a laid-off professor in what was formerly the Applied College of Science and Technology before it was dismantled this summer. “We had so many nontraditional students,” Ramlo continues, noting that many students were commuters in their mid to late-20s who took courses in tandem with a job. “That was the path of success. That got blown up by mismanagement.”
Following Proenza, the board of trustees hired Scott Scarborough, who had financial and management expertise. Scarborough made a series of unpopular decisions among faculty and students, which included sweeping cuts to help dig the university out of debt. In 2015, Scarborough and the board approved a plan to reduce $40 million in university costs, including cutting the baseball program, outsourcing dining services, negotiating health care plans and slashing 215 jobs — a fourth of the university’s staff. The board also allocated $950,000 to renovate the presidential home despite a $60 million deficit. No faculty layoffs occurred at that time, however, and revenue from graduate and undergraduate tuition fees increased by $10 million. Scarborough was removed from office in 2016. Three presidents, some of whom served interim terms, stepped in until Gary Miller took the reins in October 2019, only months before the COVID-19 pandemic wreaked havoc on campuses nationwide and talks of another round of sweeping cuts began.
Boyd says the university believes Proenza stepped down in 2014 and enrollment can increase “modestly” the university abandoned Vision 2020 in the coming years through due to “long-term effects” of the aggressive marketing and 2009 economic crisis, Boyd says. At recruitment. She says the previous that time, significant debt had already vision of 40,000 students was been racked up. undone by long-term effects of the 2009 economic crisis. The new facilities were built in anticipation of 40,000 students. But even in the face of another But in the past decade, student economic crisis, she says the enrollment has declined by more than university is working to not only a third. At present, enrollment is just retain students but increase over 17,800 students. enrollment through application fee waivers, eliminating the admissions By 2020, the year the university requirement of standardized turned 150, the university was facing test scores and offering a $500 a budget crisis — and faculty were scholarship as an incentive to those facing major cuts as a result. who complete the application process. After Proenza stepped down, the
“In the midst of the pandemic, recruitment and retention of students are more difficult, but we are optimistic about our future post-COVID,” she says. “We remain invested in serving our students and our Akron community and fulfilling our promise to them for a better future.” COVID-19 expedited inevitable layoffs, administration says Universities across the country felt the blow COVID-19 delivered, though University of Akron’s situation was exacerbated by its already poor financial situation and already declining enrollment. In July, the university announced an estimated $65 million budget shortfall in the budget for the 2021 fiscal year. They acted fast to offset that loss by gutting academic programs and their instructors. Payroll constitutes 60% of the university’s total budget, Boyd says. While enrollment decreased 34% since 2010, adjustments to personnel had not kept pace with that rapid decline: The size of the faculty had fallen by 18.5% and full-time, nonfaculty employment decreased by 25.7%. On July 15, only a month and a half before fall semester began, the board of trustees unanimously authorized the elimination of 178 positions, including 96 bargaining unit faculty, 70 of whom were tenured or tenure-tracked. An additional faculty member worked in the law school, which is not part of the bargaining unit faculty. The remaining positions were staff and contract professionals.
Akron’s Community-Owned Magazine
January 2021 · Vol 8 · Issue #1
Additionally, 21 faculty members opted to voluntarily separate via retirement or resignation. Faculty size reduced by 25.7% between falls 2019 and 2020 between layoffs and voluntary separations, falling to 421 from 567. The general fund budget for the 2021 fiscal year, approved in August with expenses totaling $186.1 million, detailed $44 million in cuts and an additional $29.6 million in lost revenue compared to fiscal year 2020, which ended June 30. $35 million of those cuts came from payroll and other employee compensation. A separate auxiliary enterprises budget includes housing, dining services, and athletics. That budget shows a $23 million anticipated loss of revenue from 2020 to 2021. Athletics incurred a $4.4 million budget cut to help mitigate the losses, though many faculty members have advocated for more cuts to athletics, including a shift from Division I to Division II. “We’ve tried all summer to work things out,” Schulze says. “They’re so determined to cut… They said that they had some plan to address [the budget crisis] maybe 3 years down the road, but because of COVID, they say they had to accelerate the pace of what they already planned to do.” In a virtual press conference that took place on July 15 after the board finalized cuts, President Gary Miller confirmed that because of the university’s financial crisis prior to COVID-19, a reduction in staff was “something that would have to happen anyway.” The Devil Strip
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university for 11 years. “I have four graduate students at the University of Akron who are still seeking their PhDs. When you have a group like that, they’re really your family. I very much felt like I was abandoning them.”
“Under normal circumstances, we would’ve taken three to four years of normal processes and making strategic decisions,” he said. “The COVID situation placed a burden on the institution to act immediately. We don’t have the reserves to wait out a volatile situation.”
The university maintains the same position it did in July, Boyd says.
“The University has not waivered on its analysis and the need to cut costs in all areas,” she says. “Given our financial challenges brought on by pandemic, coupled with our overall enrollment decline and our debt burden, it was critical that we were proactive and used every opportunity available to us to create sustainable financial stability for the University.” Projected financial situation does not match the reality
Schulze told The Devil Strip multiple times this summer that she believed the university was misrepresenting and overexaggerating their financial situation to make sweeping cuts. Indeed, so far, the university’s projections have not come to fruition. UA initially said they anticipated a 15% drop in enrollment — or a $20 million loss — and an 8.8% reduction in state funding, or an $8.9 million loss.
Ultimately, enrollment dropped 7.2%, equating to a $10.8 million loss in
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After an “exhausting” few months of feeling steamrolled during negotiations with the administration, Schulze and the Akron-AAUP team filed a complaint against the tuition, including the savings from university, alleging breach of contract awarding fewer scholarships. through unfair labor practices used within negotiations. The complaint State funding fell by about 4.9% alleges that the university interfered between 2020 and 2021 budgets, with and coerced faculty with about half of what the university “false, misleading and threatening was anticipating, though the 2021 statements to bargaining unit budget shows the lowest level of state members.” funding since 2007. In addition, the complaint alleges “We were pleased that enrollment the university unlawfully delayed numbers increased before the start of and failed to provide an accurate classes,” Boyd says. “While enrollment portrayal of its financial situation and was not as we had projected, we would not provide data for Akrondid experience more than a 7% AAUP to independently verify the loss, as well as losses in the amount administration’s claims of severe of students residing in housing, a financial pressure that resulted in decline in food service sales, campus so many lost positions in a timely facility rentals, athletic revenues and a manner. reduction in state funding. Although the information was “The cost of cleaning, [personal eventually provided, Schulze says protective equipment], and additional the delay gave the union’s financial costs of signage, barriers, etcetera consultant, Rudy Fitchenbaum, very due to the pandemic also increased little time to incorporate those figures our expenditures,” she continues. into his report for their arbitration “We also have to plan for the possible brief. decline in the second semester enrollment, housing, etcetera. Even “The biggest thing that I would like now, we expect the pandemic to to have seen are the university’s cause additional revenue losses for the draft financial statements,” says spring semester.” Fitchtenbaum, a professor emeritus of economics at Wright State University. Faculty received notice of their layoffs He has been working as a consultant in the days following the university’s analyzing the finances of colleges July announcement, and though there and universities for the AAUP and has been a back-and-forth process published a study on UA in an in the subsequent months between attempt to verify the university’s claim the university and the union refuting of economic crisis. the decision, those faculty were definitively told they would not have “I’m going to assume they’re not jobs come fall lying and instead they’re just not semester. giving everyone the same data they use to understand the same issue,” “I wasn’t Schulze adds. “But frankly, if it is as really they say: why wouldn’t they provide surprised, the data so we could independently but I was verify and see they’re right?” very sad,” says Chelsea The university, however, insists “the MontyUniversity of Akron complied with Bromer, who every request given to us by the was laid off AAUP in a timely manner,” Boyd says. after teaching chemical After months of deliberation, the biomolecular arbitrator sided with the university’s and corrosion administration in its termination of engineering unionized faculty on Sept. 18. The 67 at the faculty members who were on the list January 2021 · Vol 8 · Issue #1
and had not since retired since the July 15 announcement are unable to return to their jobs. The ruling saved the university $6.9 million. “I was basically fired by email, and so was anyone else who was in our college,” says Ramlo, the union vice president. “I’m absolutely heartbroken. I am a 58 year old woman who was exemplary as a faculty member… in a world where there are no academic jobs.” High administration salaries amid faculty cuts raise tensions Though administrators vowed to take a year-long 10% pay reduction, Schulze says that’s not enough. She calls for a permanent 20% reduction.
According to Akron-AAUP, members of the bargaining unit faculty, which includes all full-time faculty except for visiting and law school faculty, earn a median annual salary of $81,646. Administration officials make far more: President Gary Miller takes home $427,500 annually; Executive Vice President and Provost Dr. John Wiencek makes $315,000; Interim Senior Vice Provost Dr. Joe Urgo makes $250,000; Vice Provost and Director of Academic Administrative Services Dr. Rex Ramsier makes $286,094; and Interim Chief of Staff Dr. Cher Hendricks makes $150,000, according to a university records request made by The Devil Strip.
Proenza, who returned to faculty after stepping down as president in 2014, made an annual salary of $341,445 in a contract through 2027. This October Proenza took a buyout of $850,000, foregoing the $2.5 million sum that remained on his contract.
“This is a public institution. It’s funded by taxpayers,” Schulze says. “They owe those taxpayers the clearest explanation possible of how their money is spent. They aren’t forthcoming with clear data on where the money is actually going.” // Abbey Marshall covers economic development for The Devil Strip via Report for America. Reach her at abbey@thedevilstrip.com. Editor’s note: Philathia Bolton, Vice President of The Devil Strip’s Board of Directors, is a professor at the University of Akron. Bolton was not involved in the reporting or editing of this story and did not see it before publication. thedevilstrip.com
‘A huge wrench in my plans’ UNIVERSITY OF AKRON STUDENTS ARE LOSING FAITH IN THE INSTITUTION AMID LAYOFFS AND BUDGET CRISIS REPORTING, WRITING, PHOTOS AND GRAPHICS BY ABBEY MARSHALL
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fter three generations before her at the University of Akron, senior English major Kaylie Yaceczko is getting ready to walk away.
Following graduation, the thirdr generation legacy planned to pursue her Master of Fine Arts from the NEOMFA program, a collaboration between UA, Cleveland State University, Kent State University and Youngstown State University. But now, she says she doesn’t see much of a point in pursuing graduate school at the university that laid off English faculty members — including her literary magazine’s founder and faculty advisor — in a round of deep cuts to nearly 100 union faculty positions over the summer.
“It was a big shock and difficult to deal with,” Yaceczko, the editorin-chief of the student-run literary journal, AshBelt, says. “You build a repertoire with a professor and you get to know them. They help you with your education as a student and growth as a person, and that was s taken away without any warning.” Now Yaceczko doesn’t know what to do.
“That threw a huge wrench in my plans,” she says, saying she is likely going to take a year off to consider e her options and look at other schools. “I’m really sad, because I’m leaving the university with a bad taste in my mouth that I didn’t have before this.” After a series of missteps that led to a financial crisis at the university, many students have lost faith in the university. Despite the university’s plans a decade ago to spend hundreds of millions of dollars on facilities to accommodate growing to 40,000 students, enrollment has dwindled to just above 16,000 on Akron’s main campus and about 17,800 total.
Declining enrollment coupled with what some faculty members call poor financial planning and a decrease in state funding brought about deep cuts this July, when the Board of Trustees voted to eliminate 178 positions — 96 of which were filled by faculty members, 67 of whom were tenure-track. Among that sea of numbers was Thomas’s mother, who was laid off in July. Thomas, a student who asked his full name be omitted out of fear of retaliation from the university toward his family, was struck with an unexpected burden just months before fall semester resumed: he lost his tuition waiver and health insurance with two years of school remaining. “It definitely adds a burden,” he says. “I have three siblings, and it’s just hard when it’s just coming out of nowhere. You plan out your university career and to see it disappear very suddenly is like, ‘Oh gosh. Time to think of some creative way to come up with more money.’” While he feels fortunate that he is a scholarship recipient and his dad still works, Thomas says this was another hurdle on top of an already difficult year. “I just feel like the quality of education is going to go down,” he says. “The administration keeps saying it’s not going to affect the quality, but they’re not fooling anyone — if you’re reducing your staff, we’re going to have larger class sizes. The quality will go down. It’s going to be an unfortunate experience, having to do more independent learning versus getting more time with the teachers.”
Akron’s Community-Owned Magazine
Top: Kaylie Yaceczko. Bottom: Faculty
Prior to the July layoffs, the faculty to student ratio was 18:1. Currently, it is 21:1. The average class size for 20202021 is 13, the university says. 23-year-old chemical engineering graduate student Greg Brown, who completed his undergraduate degree at the university, is leaving graduate school as a result of the layoffs. His Ph.D. advisor was laid off, and he says the school did little in the way of helping him figure out what to do next. “When [my advisor] told me she had been fired, I actually collapsed and fell to my knees,” he recalls of the days following the July 15 announcement to lay off faculty. “It was one of those things where it was like, ‘this cannot be coming from a position of logic.’ It was just so mindboggling.”
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members rally on campus on July 15, 2020. (Photos: Abbey Marshall)
Brown, who resigned from the program in December and pivoted to opening his own business focused on health and wellness, said he didn’t believe it made sense to pursue a field of study without an expert at the university. “That opportunity will not be there for future students,” he says. “Unfortunately, when the going got tough, people didn’t matter, numbers mattered.” Similarly, Yaceczko says she was given little information about what would happen to the classes she was enrolled in that were supposed to be taught by laid-off professors. She decided to drop a course altogether The Devil Strip
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— even though it would have counted as a graduation requirement. “I was already concerned about the quality of education with the pandemic, and now that there are fewer professors,” she says. “That’s the whole point of education, at the end of the day: to learn from experts. If there are no experts, what do you really have?” She also is concerned about faculty members being spread thin as the university scrambles to fill each class with an instructor, even if that instructor had never taught the course before. Not only will the faculty suffer, she says, but the students. “It’s so overwhelming because they had to take on all this extra work they didn’t sign up for or aren’t being paid to do in such a short period of time,” she says. “It’s hard to feel cared for as a student when faculty and staff are being treated the way they are.” Nathaniel Haufe, a senior majoring in cybersecurity, echoed concerns about larger class sizes and less time with faculty. This year he faced more limited options when it came to scheduling courses. Some courses, like his senior project, were replaced with what he called “inadequate substitutes.”
Akron overwhelmingly voted ‘Yes’ on Issue 2. What’s next? REPORTING AND WRITING BY NOOR HINDI
community.
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“I think it’s powerful,” she says. “You can no longer hide behind, ‘this is what happened’ when that’s not the truth. It’s one thing to say that we have transparency. And it’s another thing to actually implement rules and laws to show that we have transparency. And [Issue 2] is one of them.”
number of charter amendments appeared on Akronites’ Nov. 3 ballots, including a resolution that would change how and when body-worn camera footage would be released to the public. Overwhelmingly, Akronites voted for Issue 2, with over 80% of voters supporting the amendment. Before the amendment was passed, body-worn camera footage was released to the public at the end of a use-of-force investigation or at the discretion of the police chief. This could sometimes take years.
“This year, they’re not offering a senior project within my major,” Haufe says. “I have to take a substitute course. I know that’s not what I’m paying for and that’s not what employers are looking for. I should be taking the proper courses with the proper professors. It makes me feel that the quality of education is at times not up to par.”
Now, APD recordings of officers using force against citizens resulting in death or serious bodily injury will be released to the public immediately.
“There’s no point in going somewhere where I’m not going to get anything out of it,” says Brown, the student who left grad school. “There is no point in continuing my academic pursuit when the person I wanted to study under is no longer present. The value of Akron is ultimately in the faculty and the people that make it what it is.”
“We found ourselves having a conversation around accountability and transparency as it related to body cam footage because of the tragic death of George Floyd,” she says. “There were many protests and rallies that happened in Akron and a lot of what we were hearing was the need for transparency — the need for accountability, and some of those frustrations. We saw it as an opportunity for residents of Akron to really decide if accountability and transparency are important.”
// Abbey Marshall covers economic development for The Devil Strip via Report for America. Reach her at abbey@thedevilstrip.com.
This change, says Margo Sommerville, president of Akron City Council, shows that most Akronites desire more transparency and accountability from the Akron Police Department.
Previously, the chief of the Akron Police Department could decide if body-worn camera footage would be released before an investigation ended. Judi Hill, president of the Akron chapter of the NAACP, says this caused mistrust in the
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Above: An Akronite votes on Nov. 3, 2020. (Photo: H.L. Comeriato)
Before the end of January, Akron City Council will create legislation that addresses Issue 2. They will decide exactly when footage will be released and in what format. The Akron Police Department will need time before release to edit out any sensitive information like license plate information. Ward 8 Councilmember Shammas Malik says Akron City Council will need to decide if APD can further edit the footage before releasing it. He says it may be helpful to release an entire unedited file, and then an edited version that’s slowed down and provides the context of the incident for citizens. “I think it’s important to release both. Just having an edited video with a lack of trust raises concerns,” he says. In 2017, after years of advocacy from citizens, APD started to require that all officers wear body-worn cameras and that they be mounted on the dashboards of police cruisers. Beth Vild, an advocate through the W.O.M.B (Way of Mind and Body), helped push for all APD officers to wear body-worn cameras in 2015. She hopes Issue 2 will not only increase transparency but hold officers accountable. “We were finding that the ways officers were perceiving things happening was not the way the community was perceiving how an event happened. So the footage helps people say, ‘this is how I was
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really treated, this is what really happened.’ This allows a fighting case in court with the judicial system,” says Vild. “But it’s certainly not a fix-all. It’s one aspect of this giant machine we have to dismantle.” Issue 2 has some limitations. For example, off-duty officers working in other settings, like at grocery stores or libraries, don’t wear body-worn cameras. Neither do the narcotics and SWAT teams. For Ray Greene, executive director of Freedom Black Lead Organizing (Freedom BLOC), the passing of Issue 2 is a big win but doesn’t address larger systemic issues. Greene advocates for defunding the police and reallocating funds to local organizations that can work on crime prevention and community health programs. “Body-worn cameras are not going to stop the issues of racial profiling,” he says. “I feel good about this legislation passing because it shows me that the community is, first of all, voting, [and] that the community is understanding of policing issues. But people want police reform without full understanding that police reform will never work. We need an overhaul of the criminal justice system, period.” Akron City Council recently wrapped up their Reimagining Public Safety meetings, which were meant to address a number of issues regarding transparency, accountability, culture and prevention at APD. Akron City Council will send a report of these meetings in January. // Noor Hindi covers equity and inclusion for The Devil Strip. Reach her at noor@thedevilstrip.com.
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GEORGE’S TANGIER
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The Tangier on West Market Street. (Photo: Charlotte Gintert)
The atrium of Tangier features a domed ceiling. It has the unique effect of amplifying the voices of those standing in the space. You can hear a whisper spoken on the other side as if the person is standing next to you. (Photo: Charlotte Gintert)
REPORTING, WRITING AND PHOTOS BY CHARLOTTE GINTERT
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30-foot blue dome rises above the West Hill neighborhood of Akron, a splash of vibrant color on a grey winter afternoon. For more than 40 years, that dome has been a landmark, and the world beneath it was unlike anything else. On Dec. 14, Akron’s most unique event center announced that it was permanently closed and that the building had been sold to the LeBron James Family Foundation.
And just like that, the Tangier, as all of us in Akron know it, will be gone. The original Tangier was opened by Lebanese immigrant Edward A. George on East Exchange Street across from Mason Park. It served Lebanese-American fare and the decor was Morroccan-themed, an idea of the interior designer. It became popular with Akronites almost immediately. After a fire destroyed the East Exchange location, George decided to open a new one in West Hill. The new Tangier moved to the
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former Papa Joe’s Cafe on West Market Street in 1959. It retained the Moroccan theme, but switched the menu to steak and lobster. George didn’t stop there. He bought surrounding houses and demolished them to expand the restaurant. By 1964, seating capacity had increased from 100 to 500. In 1969, he enlarged the kitchen. Then, in 1976, the Tangier truly transformed. A $5 million remodel expanded capacity to 2,000. The goal was to create a venue that could meet every possible entertainment need. A 550-car
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parking deck, which cost $1 million alone, was added for free onsite parking. There is a Las Vegas-style cabaret, a massive ballroom, private dining rooms and multiple bars. The iconic blue dome was added to the roof during the project. The Tangier has hosted every event imaginable. There were countless proms, wedding receptions, reunions and fundraisers. It also hosted live shows, including performances by Ray Charles, Tina Turner, Gloria Estafan and Three Dog Night. More recently, it has hosted popular local events like the Halloween Charity Ball thedevilstrip.com
The Sultan’s Cabaret is a Las Vegas style performance space. (Photo: Charlotte Gintert)
The hallway leading to the ballroom is filled with memorabilia from past performers. (Photo: Charlotte Gintert)
Exterior tiled alcoves of the Tangier. (Photo: Charlotte Gintert)
the neighborhood and for Akron. Events already booked for the 2021 season will still go forward as the foundation begins the processing of turning the Tangier into House Thirty Three. Like Tangier, the new center will provide a variety of services including a financial health center and a fast casual dining space.
The Wine Cellar was one of the private dining rooms available to rent. (Photo: Charlotte Gintert)
George said the memorabilia that has hung on the long hallway to the banquet rooms will remain with the family. They also haven’t closed the door on possibly opening a new event space elsewhere in town.
The little known Casbah room was an exclusive event space with its own street entrance. (Photo: Charlotte Gintert)
and PechaKucha Akron. While a show was taking place upstairs in the cabaret, a private party could be held downstairs in the wine cellar or the Casbah room. The Casbah had a private street entrance for an extra private and exclusive experience. When I asked Ed George, who owned Tangier from his father’s death in 1976 until the 2020 sale, about the rumored tunnel that ran under Market Street from the Tangier to buildings across the street, he laughed. “No, there’s no tunnel
The Fountain Room in the Tangier. (Photo: Charlotte Gintert)
that I’m aware of.” Perhaps the story came from Prohibition when a previous business was at that location. George says the end is bittersweet. He is aware of how much the Tangier meant to Akron. However, after more than 60 years, George says it is time to close the doors. Although the pandemic did affect their business, it was not the main reason for closing. Business had slowed for a while and this just felt like the right time, George says. The idea to sell the entire complex to the
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LeBron James Family Foundation was born from the agreement for the I Promise school to use the top level of the parking deck for sports and events. He says he and James have similar community-focused values and that the two families have had a relationship for many years. One of George’s daughters went to school with James and the basketball star attended events at Tangier since his St. V days. George is confident the foundation will do an excellent job remodeling and that the Tangier’s next chapter will be a good one for
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Of course, there is always sadness when a landmark like the Tangier closes. As Lloyd, a former server, walked me through the building this week, flipping on lights so I could photograph its unique rooms one last time, there was a touch of sadness in his voice as he shared stories from his 10 years there. “It’s a shame it is closing,” he said. “It was special to have something like this in Akron.” // Charlotte Gintert is an archaeologist and a photographer. You can check out her photos at www. capturedglimpses.com. Follow her on Instagram at @capturedglimpses for more old Akron building content. She hopes you and your family have a great 2021! The Devil Strip
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D’Andre Pete’s family outside the Beach family home. (Photo: H.L. Comeriato)
‘That’s how you know how hard we miss him’ ONE AKRON FAMILY ON LOSING A SON AND BROTHER TO GUN VIOLENCE REPORTING, WRITING AND PHOTOS BY H.L. COMERIATO
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hen D’Andre Pete’s brothers talk about him, they can’t help but grin.
Marquavius Beach, D’Andre’s younger brother, waves his arms to quiet the room. “We got chased by these Rottweilers,” Marquavius says between spoonfuls of soup at the family home on a November afternoon. “It was the funniest thing. D’Andre, I swear to God, he just threw me over the fence. He hopped over the fence and he had a big old cut in his pants.” Around the table, D’Andre’s family roars with laughter. Damien Palmer, another of D’Andre’s younger brothers, holds his 7-monthold daughter in his arms. She sees her dad laugh and flashes a gummy smile. D’Andre was the oldest of his siblings. They say he protected them, encouraged them, made sure they got to school and football practice on time.
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“I feel like D’Andre bettered me as a person,” Marquavius says. “He made me not that bad little kid that I was. He made me straight.”
biological mother raised him, but Beach says it never mattered much to her that she didn’t give birth to D’Andre herself.
bunch, took D’Andre’s death the hardest. Beach says the pair took to one another the moment Vayah was born.
According to his family, life with D’Andre was a celebration — full of belly laughs and loud music.
For more than a decade, Beach has called D’Andre her son.
D’Andre and his girlfriend, Jenna Smith, showered Vayah with attention. On their Facebook pages, the trio pose together smiling. “They’d be looking like a little family,” Beach laughs, waving a hand toward Smith.
When he died two years ago, all of that changed. Over the last 11 months, gun deaths in Akron have increased by more than 20% compared to last year. As of Dec. 21, the city has seen 46 people killed in gun-related incidents, including several infants and children. The city’s spike in gun deaths has left a trail of grief and uncertainty for the friends and families of those who were killed by gunfire in 2020 — a reality D’Andre’s family has faced every day in the nearly two years since his death. Michele Beach, D’Andre’s stepmother, says he left behind an unimaginable void — an empty seat at the dinner table, an empty spot in every family photo. Beach met her stepson for the first time when he was 12 years old. For the first half of his life, D’Andre’s
In Beach’s kitchen, a grainy portrait of D’Andre sits on a shelf above the table. In the photo, he looks tough, his brow furrowed. But Beach says he was gentle and funny, a favorite among his little siblings. On his mother’s side of the family, D’Andre had six siblings. When he came to live with his dad, he gained another five. “I could always trust him with the kids,” Beach says. “D’Andre used to make sure he took care of everything. I didn’t have to worry about nothing. He’d make sure the kids was good, dogs was good, house was clean. He did everything.” On Facebook, D’Andre is tagged in dozens of photos with his younger brothers and sisters — playing with them on the living room floor, posing for selfies in the bathroom mirror, tongues out and laughing. Mar’Vayah, the youngest of the
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Now, Smith spoils Mar’Vayah in D’Andre’s place. On July 13, 2018, Kennae Baker murdered D’Andre Pete in his living room at Spring Hill Apartments in Sherbondy Hill. In the days and weeks after D’Andre’s death, Beach struggled to keep her family from unravelling. When her husband was arrested, Beach was left to care for her grieving kids alone. She worked a food service job, shuffling her kids to and from school and practice between shifts, driving a car that seemed to break down more often than it ran. The family held a memorial in the parking lot at Spring Hill. They released balloons and lit candles in D’Andre’s memory. After the funeral, thedevilstrip.com
Beach carried on with her daily routine — getting to work before 5 am, getting her younger children ready for school, cooking dinner — all the time wondering how many times D’Andre was shot, and when the police might find the man who killed him. Baker, who was just 19 years old at the time, was arrested nearly a month after the shooting. His attorneys argued that he killed D’Andre in selfdefense, but Judge Alison McCarty told the Akron Beacon Journal there was no evidence that D’Andre had a gun. Marquise James, D’Andre’s closest brother in age, says it was painful to see his older brother framed as a violent criminal during Baker’s trial. “I couldn’t not look at [Baker],” adds D’Andre’s cousin, DaJourna Hall, who was present in the courtroom while Baker gave testimony. “Like, you’re going to sit here and see this pain on my face.” In May 2019, nearly a year after he shot and killed D’Andre, Baker was convicted of murder. He was sentenced to life in prison, but he will be eligible for parole in 19 years. Because there was a mistake in the instructions given to the jury, an additional aggravated murder charge against Baker was dropped. Prosecutors opted not to retry Baker for the charge — a decision Beach says didn’t take D’Andre’s family into account. When Baker becomes eligible for parole, Beach worries she won’t be alive to fight his release. She says she’ll have to teach her youngest children how to contact the judge and the parole board. In 18 years, she fears the family will have to relive D’Andre’s death again. “I don’t understand why he gets to get out and live his life like that,” Beach says. “That’s not fair. It shouldn’t be like that.” “[Baker’s family] still gets to talk to their brother,” Palmer says. “We never get to talk to our brother again.” When D’Andre came to live with his dad, he came with a nickname already attached. He called himself Frog, an acronym he created as a kid. He told his family what it stood for: Forever relying on God. After D’Andre died, the family
bought Mar’Vayah a stuffed frog with a recording of his voice tucked inside. To hear her brother’s voice, all Vayah has to do is squeeze. At Beach’s house, a tall shelf sits in the entryway near the stairs. It’s lined with frogs of every shape and size — toys, lawn ornaments, photos, stuffed animals and statues.
Michele Beach shows family photos from DaJourna Hall’s baby shower. Just days after D’Andre was murdered, the family wore matching t-shirts in his memory. (Photo: H.L. Comeriato)
Marcus Jr., Beach’s youngest son, arrives home from school with a friend. In a blur, they toss their coats and backpacks at the foot Mar’Vayah Beach holds two ceramic frogs of the stairs, in memory of her brother, whose childhood just in front nickname was Frog. (Photo: H.L. Comeriato) of the shelf. After school lets out, Beach’s home becomes the Palmer says. “They see his photo and family’s hub. they don’t know [him].” Mar’Tazia, Beach’s oldest daughter, dashes up the stairs, getting ready to take her senior photos. Marqiyana, another of D’Andre’s younger sisters, plays with her niece, shaking a toy to catch her attention.
But the family says they’re learning to find joy in D’Andre’s memory, and new ways to keep it alive. Over the summer, Beach threw a birthday party in D’Andre’s honor. On Aug. 3 he would have turned 27 years old.
Life hasn’t stopped for the family in the two years since D’Andre’s murder. Hall, who was pregnant with her first child when D’Andre died, now dresses her son in T-shirts with D’Andre’s portrait on them. For Palmer, who became a father for the first time this year, watching his daughter grow up without her uncle has been difficult.
With more than 50 guests, Beach says the family blocked off parts of the street. In photos from that day, the family pose together smiling.
“It’s sad for me that all of us have to explain to our kids who he was,”
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Beach and Hall say they’re proud the party was something positive for people who knew D’Andre. “That’s how you know how hard we miss him. Everybody is so hurt by [losing] him, we’re all just trying to love on each other. Nobody’s fighting
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or arguing,” Hall says. “We’re all just hugging on each other and just being all lovey-dovey — making jokes, remembering him.” “It’s like if he was there,” Palmer says. “It’s like a Christmas or a Thanksgiving with D’Andre, because all it is was laughter. All we did was laugh.” // H.L. Comeriato covers public health for The Devil Strip via Report for America. Reach them at HL@ thedevilstrip.com. Editor’s note: H.L. Comeriato and Michele Beach worked together in Comeriato’s previous job. Neither reported to or supervised the other and they did not have a relationship outside work.
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National Center for Choreography celebrates five years REPORTING AND WRITING BY ZACHARY LEWIS
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hen it comes to dance, not all but certainly most roads lead through Akron.
For that, thank The National Center for Choreography, a now five-year-old and still under-appreciated institution in the cultural heart of the city. Only the second organization of its kind in the nation, the NCC, housed at the University of Akron and seeded by the Knight Foundation, has served as the laboratory of creation for any number of new dance works seen on or coming to stages around the world. Indeed, in the context of contemporary dance, its role is difficult to overstate. “A lot more people have a touchpoint here than most people realize,” says Christy Bolingbroke, executive and artistic director of the NCC, founded in 2015. “We’re fine being the best-kept secret in Akron.” It’s not a secret elsewhere. In the dance world, the Akron NCC is one of two organizations of its kind. The other is the Maggie Allesee National Center for Choreography at Florida State University. Pam Young, director of the presenting series DanceCleveland and a cofounder and board member of the NCC, says many choreographers and newer dance companies – a majority of whom operate on a project basis – regard a residency in Akron as a “golden” opportunity to go through the long, resource-
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intensive process of dance creation. Perennially strapped for studio time in crowded and more expensive larger cities, they regard the NCC’s seven state-of-the-art studios, access to E.J. Thomas Hall and professionals, central location in the Midwest and connections to a vast array of research institutions across Northeast Ohio as potentially life-changing luxuries. “We can give them whatever they need,” Young said. “[Bolingbroke] has been able to help people bottom up and top down.” Bolingbroke, a former director of marketing at the Mark Morris Dance Group and deputy director for advancement at the Oberlin Dance Collective, said she views the NCC in Akron as a unique entity in the arts ecosystem. Her job, she said, is to help choreographers settle on and at least partially realize their visions by arranging for whatever dancers, designers and other experts or materials a project may require. She takes on practical matters so the artists can concentrate on being creative. In one instance, she herself filmed dancers on the Ohio & Erie Canal Towpath Trail, logging what she called “the two hardest days I’ve ever worked in my career.” “We’re trying to disrupt the lottery system of support,” Bolingbroke said, alluding to the hit-or-miss method by which most artists in the U.S. seek and receive funding.
Left: Mustapha Braimah, a choreographer from Ghana based in Asheville, N.C., teaches a group of University of Akron students in spring 2020. Braimah came to NCCAkron to teach as part of a survey series called “21st Century Dance Practices.” Right: Dancers and filmmakers meet on the Towpath Trail over Summit Lake in summer 2018 to film “Chrysalis,” created by choreographer Nicole Klaymoon in collaboration with Tigre Bailando and Micah ‘Just Jamz’ Abbrey and filmmaker Morgan Wise. The film was part of Dancing Lab: Screendance, a partnership between NCCAkron and Dance Film SF supported by Akron Civic Commons. (Photos: Dale Dong Photography. Used with permission from NCCAkron.)
“Artists don’t always know what they’re going to make when they come here, but they have a hypothesis…We try to fill in the gaps and bridge around them.” All this has only become more valuable during the COVID-19 pandemic. Of late, the NCC has been a lifeline, a rare place where dancers can continue to create, teach and refine within the safety of a virus “bubble.” The NCC Akron has become, “a place where craft is honed and creativity has space to breathe,” says Nicole Mullet, executive director of ArtsNow of Summit County. “What [Bolingbroke] has achieved in a few short years is to continue to add to Akron’s rich history of innovation.” All it takes to see evidence of the center’s efficacy, Young says, is a simple stroll through the space, where photos of past residents, many of whom have gone on to dance stardom and major awards, line the walls.
to watch. “The work they’re doing is so amazing, and they all had residences at NCC Akron,” Young said, pointing to recent Bessie Award winners. “It’s had a huge impact.” At its five-year anniversary, the organization Bolingbroke built has more irons in the fire, more to look forward to, than ever. A recent grant from the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation has expanded the NCC’s mission considerably, inspiring Bolingbroke to launch a dance administration think-tank and plan a national summit on the topic in Akron. She’s also hard at work on a publishing project, corralling authors, editors and other contributors with the goal of producing a book by next summer and two books every year after that. From the beginning, the NCC aspired to put this region on the dance map. At its founding, Young says, the goal seemed far-fetched.
One particular point of pride is choreographer Kyle Abraham, an NCC Akron alum whose company appeared on the DanceCleveland series in 2018. Bolingbroke also happily pointed to three current or former NCC partners based in Akron: choreographer Dominic MooreDunson, visual artist Micah Kraus, and technology specialist Bill Myers.
Now, given all that the NCC has accomplished and has on the horizon, the idea seems not just realistic but likely. Still, Bolingbroke said the NCC after five years feels like a startup, an organization whose best days remain far in the future.
Even for those who have yet to break through, having an NCC residency or project partnership on the resume serves as “a huge seal of approval,” Young says, a sign that this is an artist
// Zachary Lewis is a freelance journalist in Cleveland. He is the former classical music and dance critic of The Plain Dealer.
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“We’re here for the long haul,” she says. “We’ve barely gotten started.”
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Akron Urban League Young Professionals provides support for Black Akronites REPORTING, WRITING AND PHOTOS BY NOOR HINDI
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hen native Clevelander Patrice Russell started working in Akron in March, she felt like she was diving head first into deep water with little help. She was unfamiliar with the Akron community and transitioning into her new job as the Talent Acquisition Programs Manager at Akron Children’s Hospital. When Russell joined Akron Urban League’s Young Professionals (AULYP) network, she started feeling more connected. AULYP is a group of Black leaders and changemakers in Akron determined to come together and address issues of race, equity and inclusion in the workplace and within Akron at large. “I just wanted to dive in,” Russell says. “I wanted the food, I wanted to know where to hang out. To me, the Urban League is my water wings. They’re helping [me] to stay afloat so I can kick back and enjoy.” Since joining in the summer, Russell has met dozens of Akronites who support her and understand the unique challenges Black Akronites face when advocating for themselves in the workplace and beyond. “Everyone posts events and businesses you should visit. I’ve gotten to meet new members, seasoned members, go to events with them, get to know them, network and build friendships in a short amount of time,” Russell says. Since becoming president of AULYP in 2019, Curtis Minter says the group has identified four goals: Providing a safe space, advocating for Black Akronites on a local and national scale, fostering economic mobility and promoting health and wellness. This past summer, the group worked toward getting Black Akronites
registered to vote while having important conversations about generational trauma. “People who look like me typically function in predominantly white spaces Monday through Friday,” Minter says. “It’s so important that when you look to your left and your right, that people look like you. Nobody can quite describe that connectedness. It’s not widely delivered.” Teresa LeGrair, president and CEO of Akron Urban League says there are distinct, systemic challenges young Black professionals face in Akron. “It’s unfortunate the things that have persisted for decades at different levels,” LeGrair says. “There’s still disparities around pay. There’s still disparities around getting housing. Statistics have shown a Black person is more inclined to have their home appraised for much lower than a Caucasian person would. There’s still disparities around healthcare. They deal with infant mortality and a lot of them are at that age where they’re building their families.” In 2019, Elevate Akron released a report that identified that much of Akron’s Black population has been excluded from economic opportunity. Minter says reports like these identify why it’s critical for AULYP to continue recruiting members, addressing systemic barriers and serving as a safe space for Black Akronites building their careers. From Feb. 7-14, AULYP will be holding a virtual recruitment event encouraging current members to connect to each other, and new members to join. Membership is $50. More information can be found at akronurbanleague.org/aul-youngprofessionals. // Noor Hindi is The Devil Strip’s Equity and Inclusion Reporter. Email her at noor@thedevilstrip.com.
Akron’s Community-Owned Magazine
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Inside the I Promise Village THE LEBRON JAMES FAMILY FOUNDATION NOW HOUSES 20 STUDENTS WHO DIDN’T ALWAYS HAVE A SAFE PLACE TO LIVE REPORTING, WRITING AND PHOTOS BY ABBEY MARSHALL
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eBron James’ basketball career started in a place similar to this: huddled around a hoop on a tucked-away Akron street, with friends wiping their brows as beads of sweat, illuminated by a nearby porch light, dribbled down their faces. London Riley, 10, is determined to score on her much older rivals; she darts across the rain-slicked court, nimbly dodging the defense before sinking a basket through the hoop. Riley is one of 20 Akron students living in the LeBron James Family Foundation’s new transitional housing complex who didn’t always have a safe place to play outside, or even live. But on this late-October evening, she can just focus on the game. James, a four-time NBA champion,
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knows these kids’ situations all too well: As a child, James was among the 10% of Akron students each year without permanent or stable housing. His foundation is aiming to change that with Akron’s new I Promise Village, a program providing individual living units for families who need immediate shelter and support. Hurdles of homelessness With an estimated net worth of about $450 million, James has long been a philanthropist for the Akron community. An outspoken activist and staunch proponent for social justice nationwide, he recently used his stardom to speak out against police brutality as the Black Lives Matter movement swept across the country this summer. James also helped launch a voting rights organization to combat systemic voter suppression. “It’s been a blessing all the way around,” says Toynika Lee, a 42-year-
old whose two kids live with her at the I Promise Village. A single mother, Lee felt she had few options when it came to finding housing. Though she has a stable job, she lacked the resources to overcome hurdles of homeownership, such as large down payments or securing loans. Her family was relieved when they moved into I Promise Village, which opened in July. The program is part of the wraparound family services for students attending the I Promise School. Lee’s daughter, 10-year-old Ayonna, is one of the 1,500 Akron children in the I Promise network. The program, launched in 2014, worked within Akron public schools before opening its own campus in July 2018. The I Promise School is expected to instruct 720 third- through eighth-grade students by 2022. It is still part of the Akron public school district, but the foundation supplies additional funding for resources and
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wraparound services, such as the new housing initiative. About 60% of the students at the school are Black. From approximately 500 thirdgraders who are identified within the bottom 25% of test scores, 120 win the annual lottery. It’s a godsend: a guaranteed spot at the school and the promise that staff will be behind you for any extenuating life circumstances, now including housing. For many, homelessness can devastate their education. In 2014, a study from America’s Promise Alliance and its Center for Promise at Tufts University found that homeless youth are 87% more likely to drop out than their housed peers. Supporting both students and parents In Akron, 10% of all students in the public school system are without a home at some point during any thedevilstrip.com
Left page: London Riley, 10, poses for a photograph on the basketball court outside the I Promise Village. This page, top left: Riley plays basketball on an October evening. Above: Kids at the I Promise Village serve “breakfast for dinner” after taking a cooking lesson from the on-site chef. Left: I Promise families enjoy a Halloween celebration, including dinner, crafts, and trick-or-treating. (Photos: Abbey Marshall)
given school year — usually around 2,100 of the 21,000 children enrolled, says Akron Public School’s homeless liaison, Shannah Carino. Though Carino implements federal law that removes barriers such as transportation and improper documentation, the school district does not and cannot deal with housing placements beyond shelter and resource recommendations. The LeBron James Family Foundation raised the question: If students had access to stable housing and additional resources, would their education benefit and help break the poverty cycle? The answer, Lee says, is absolutely. “I’ve noticed a difference with my daughter working with her math and paying attention,” says Lee, citing tutoring sessions her daughter receives each week at the village. “What the foundation does is provide the extra help — and those extra resources go far — that we can’t get on our own.”
Purchased, remodeled and donated by Graduate Hotels, it contains 16 units, eight of which are in use by families with students from the I Promise network with two live-in staff members. The complex offers tutoring, music and art lessons, a produce garden, yoga and cooking classes with a professional chef. “My son is taking piano lessons,” Lee says. “That’s something we wouldn’t have done outside the village. Every week they’re doing all these activities for the kids... They’ve always been happy kids, but there’s a few families here so they can build relationships and friendships. We’re in a comfortable environment where the kids can flourish.”
this fall for a 50-unit complex just minutes from the school. “We help with financial literacy, financial wellness and awareness,” says Victoria McGee, the director of the I Promise School’s Family Resource Center. “We want to change their trajectory and give them education resources and tools so it doesn’t become a vicious cycle.” The foundation did not say how much it spends on programs and services offered through the I Promise School and Village. Overall, in 2018, the foundation brought in about $7 million in revenue and had expenses of almost $6.5 million, according to its most recent tax returns filed with the IRS.
Ending the cycle While there is no limit to the length of a family’s stay, each family develops a plan to ultimately attain stable housing. With a more permanent solution in mind, the foundation is teaming up with the East Akron Neighborhood Development Corp. to break ground
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“The way we hope to affect change and change systems is to provide a blueprint for how to rally a community around a cause,” says Stephanie Rosa, the foundation spokesperson.
brought together advocacy groups, government officials, business leaders, philanthropists and educators to discuss I Promise School’s wraparound service model in Akron. Rosa says that just two weeks after the huddle, they’ve already received reports of people implementing parts of their model into their organizations. “One of the things that I hope people who are watching us takeaway is it really does take a village,” says McGee, the resource center director. “When you start removing barriers and systemic things that impact brown and Black people, you even the playing field and make differences in lives.” // Abbey Marshall covers economic development for The Devil Strip via Report for America. First published in USA Today, this article is part of a series called ‘On the Ground‘ with Report for America, an initiative of The GroundTruth Project. Reach Abbey at abbey@thedevilstrip.com.
The foundation hosted its first “I Promise Huddle” in October, which
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Homebrew shop stays busy during the pandemic REPORTING, WRITING AND PHOTOS BY EMILY ANDERSON
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he shop at 915 Home Ave. has been a fixture in the Akron community since 1992, when John M. Pastor bought the Wines Incorporated he worked at and renamed it Grape and Granary. After almost 30 years as a trusted supplier of everything necessary to make your own beer and wine, it’s no surprise to hear the shop has been busy since Ohio’s stay-at-home order started back in March. Grape and Granary today is much more than a brew supply shop. They carry a wide variety of green coffee beans for roasting, kombucha and cheesemaking kits, and distilling tools for homemade sanitizer and essential oils. They have a winery onpremise, complete with a bottle shop and tasting room for their uniquely flavored wines and spirits. Wait, spirits too? Yes, they also have a fully operational distillery tucked away in the back of the building called Renaissance Artisan Distillery.
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Operated by John M. Pastor, Jim Pastor Jr., and Ron Pertosky, RAD makes small batches of light and dark rum, whiskey, and a few gins. (Original Gin is citrus-forward, while Route 8 Gin has more spice.) They also produce a line of classic Italian spirits including limoncello, grappa, coffee liquor, and nocino. In the coming new year, Renaissance Artisan Distillery is releasing a few new batches of whiskey that have been aging for a few years. One is a scotch-style whiskey and the other is a bourbon made with organic blue corn. All of RAD’s spirits are available for sale in the bottle shop at Grape and Granary, along with all of their different bottled wines. The tasting room is still open for service with social distancing measures in place.
and Granary is that they’ve had to suspend their classes on brewing and winemaking. Besides that, John says, “Everyone has been doing well here. My parents have been quarantining, but my son and I and other employees are all well and working every day.” Thanks to their YouTube channel, TheGrape99, you can learn how to brew from home without attending an in-person class. They offer curbside pickup for their entire inventory, so you don’t have to enter the store if you don’t want to. John recommends that newbies check out the beginner classes online, and reach out to him if they have any questions.
“We always sell a lot of wine for the holidays,” says John, and this year has been no different.
As you can probably imagine, John is a busy guy. He spends his days managing the business and doing paperwork, but he’s still as passionate about the brewing community as he was 30 years ago. He says the most rewarding aspect of his job is coaching and teaching people.
The biggest effect COVID-19 restrictions have had on Grape
“It is a great feeling when I can help or teach someone the process of
January 2021 · Vol 8 · Issue #1
making wine, beer, spirits, and they come in and tell me how happy they are with the results, and how amazed their friends are. There is a comradery among brewers which I find very enjoyable,” he says. If you want your own wine but you’re not quite ready to tackle the process yourself, you can order a batch to be brewed just for you at Grape and Granary winery-on-premise. They’ll make your specific recipe, bottle it and supply custom labels for you. Grape and Granary has a little something for everyone. You can be an expert in the field or a complete nube, you’ll find what you’re looking for in here. Home fermentation is not hard — anyone can do it! So, stop by to pick up a new hobby, check out the wine selection, or just to say hi to their resident cat, Sam. // Emily Anderson is definitely going to be making mozzarella cheese in her kitchen soon.
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Essays & Humor
First-person essays and columns plus horoscopes, comics & games
SOBER GUY VS. 2021
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usually like not to look back. But it’s hard to envision 2021 without at least a glance in the rearview mirror, although I think that there is a reason that these are so small on our cars. Maybe we are meant to keep the little mirror’s perspective in context, seeing what is ahead instead of weighing too much on the past. Better is the excellent big windshield in front of us, shouting that we should focus more on the wide-open spaces in front — the driving-atdawn-in-Wyoming view that is all the possibilities ahead. Still. 2020 could kick Superman’s ass, I bet. The year was one like no one expected or could have predicted. Me? I had such plans… Ha! Even as I write those words, the ridiculousness smacks me right on the side of the head and says, “Really, man?” Isn’t there some joke about if you want to see God (or insert your Higher Power nomenclature here) have a good laugh, just tell him/her/them your plans? Yeah. I had plans, all right, and they were going to be grand. When the pandemic’s destructive
bandwidth finally sank in for me, it was apparent that I had to get busy, plant new fields, do something! I had more than 100 gigs that were going to replace the job that I had just left at EarthQuaker Devices. By spring, they were gone, and I had to go deep and develop something of a plan.
with a spiritual tap on the shoulder. Their soul-saving reminders that I should not sit alone with my selfobsessions, that I should remember to shower and change my jeans, shave, wash my face and tell the guy in the mirror today will be fine. Just hang on.
With a glance over my shoulder, I can see that this was a year of deepening my well-being and health. It cost absolutely nothing, which was precisely what I could afford on my new emergency budget plan. Diet, exercise, and more focus on my spiritual practices knocked on my door in my simple home in Cuyahoga Falls, and I let them in. Martin the Dog and I spent the spring, summer, and fall working on ourselves. I feel quite right about that now. I feel better emotionally and spiritually, and that takes some of the heat off the financial jabs that 2020 aimed at me in my first full year as a real-deal “working artist.” I survived by the barest of means and am still here. 2020, I offer you my middle finger raised and lips pursed defiantly.
I am thankful for so much; I am grateful to so many. I must try to mention a few: My friends who called out to me. I am not the first to pick up the phone and never have been. I am working on this. Your text messages, emails, or other shouts kept me going on those days when I didn’t have it independently. I will do better this year at being the one that pays this back and forward. Promise made.
I’m still standing in part because of the tender mercies that were shown to me. There were human-angels that pushed me out of that dark room
The unexpected kindness of friends and strangers. For the friends that helped me with a deal on my tires, for the referrals for my private music lessons, for the walking companions and conversations that aired my anxiety out on the streets of my neighborhood, for the messages when Martin the Dog had surgery and my heart was body-slammed to the pavement, for the patrons and the tosses of $5 in my jar at rare gigs, for the support of my live streams that kept me solvent in late spring when the work went poof, on and on and on. You just have no idea. No idea what this all meant to me. Thank you. Tears in my eyes while typing this.
production and never will be. Instead, they’re part of the mystery that is my heritage, the cloth from which I am cut. They are the best, though maybe sometimes the least welcome, of my teachers. I will see that better in the future. I will! And kids, call your parents. Please. We love you and need to know you are OK. What will the new year bring? Well, after Sober Guy v. 2020, I am hesitant to say anything or make any predictions. Nope, no big thoughts or wise words from this guy. No magic tricks are expected. The one thing I want to give more of and see more of, is kindness — the one thing that we can all give to each other that won’t cost a damn dime and won’t hurt in any way. 2021 will be the year of totally unrestrained kindness over here in the Shannon house. Come on over and help me discover some new ways to push this out there in practice. I’ll make the tacos. Bring a treat for my best damn friend, Martin the Dog. Bring a hug for me. Bring a sigh of relief for yourself as we all share the one thing that is the excellent solvent for all the sticky, stuck-on leftover stains from 2020: Kindness. More of that, please, in 2021. Steady on.
My family, who I have become more connected with. This one is the most personal, but maybe the most meaningful. I have surrendered to the fact that as long as they are walking this Earth, I will rejoice in these complicated relationships bound by DNA. They are not a Disney
// Reach Marc Lee Shannon at marcleeshannon@gmail.com. Listen to “Recovery Talks: The Podcast” from 91.3 The Summit at www. rockandrecovery.com, on Apple Podcasts or on Spotify.
Ghost Note Comic is a series by Nick Muffet. View more works at ghostcomics.limitedrun.com. Nick is donating all proceeds from prints purchased to the Movement for Black Lives.
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January 2021 · Vol 8 · Issue #1
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SPACE OF INFINITE POSSIBILITIES
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ast month I posted a video on my Instagram about an epic realization: We are infinite in the amount of hope and possibilities available to us.
that space is created for openness and understanding, in order to resolve tough issues, professionally or personally. The word infinite just sounds bigger than life, and ongoing.
Let me explain.
Once I landed on possibility, the realization hit me all at once.
Every week I fill out my planner. Specially crafted for goal tracking, it’s called The Passion Planner. The first few pages are all the months listed horizontally in black and white. Toward the bottom of each page are blank spaces and a title that reads “Space Of Infinite Possibility.” I use this space as an area to journal about my current goals. It’s a great exercise to stay accountable for the month. The blank space is huge — no lines, no bullet points, just space. I feel as though the area is an invitation to brain dump, which is perfect for me. In most situations I like to write with zero formality. As I recently began considering what I’d write, I started examining the title: “Space Of Infinite Possibility.” I repeated the title several times outloud. I started to analyze the words and their meanings. Each word transcends goal-setting. I started breaking down each word in the context of life as a whole. The idea of space felt so comforting. Imagine having all the room to be open, limitless and vulnerable within any “space.” Our culture talks a lot about creating safe spaces. I think this is a response to the idea of inclusivity — playing off the idea
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The space of infinite possibilities is bigger than just a prompt for monthly goals. It’s a statement of personal inspiration. We are the spaces of infinite possibilities. Our existence and power exceeds limitation in any way. We all have the tricks and talents to create whatever we desire, even if we do not yet have the tools and resources. But the question is, are we accessing the piece of us that’s infinite, free-flowing, and ready for limitless possibilities to come our way? Are we seeking the right resources to help us acknowledge what’s possible? I think anything is possible, but it takes time to understand and trust it consistently. I’m not consistent in believing possibilities always exist. Sometimes I get nervous that something could happen, like my computer crashing, my family getting hurt, and the list goes on. I’m generally optimistic, I promise. But it’s been a consistent practice to be and feel positive. With all the political tension, the pandemic, and the state of our country as a whole, I can’t deny that being optimistic about possibility and hope seems super ambitious. Right? We have the capacity to make what
O
is possible real. Our goals and desires, even in the midst of a pandemic, are possible. I am possible. My goals, my love, my relationships, my faith, my hope for good is possible. I’ve made space for these things, and I want to continue making space for more, even if I feel fearful about it. I mention fearfulness because, whenever we open ourselves up to new experiences, we take the risk of having to be vulnerable. Sometimes vulnerability can be easy, depending upon experience, and sometimes it’s hard. For instance, I’m making more space in my heart for love. That is not at all easy. I don’t really even know how to do it. It’s not just a romantic love, but that of family and friends. I want to open myself up to nurturing my relationships with more love, emotionally and physically. So that includes more calls, visits and support. Opening my mental and emotional space for that is so damn vulnerable. I think that’s actually the reason why I haven’t pursued it on a deeper level. Even as I’m writing this, I’m thinking about how nervous it’s making me to write this in an article that thousands of people are going to see. But the benefit of submerging my intention into the possibility of giving and getting deeper love outweighs the embarrassment. I wanted to remind you that our hope for a better future is still alive! Regardless of COVID, an election year and bars closing at 10 pm (ha). There is still space to think and do anything we dream! There’s been such a shift in our culture this year, from conversation about racial divides and inclusivity to travel bans. There’s been so much uncertainty and a lot of lifestyle adjustments. It’s so much easier to make adjustments when
January 2021 · Vol 8 · Issue #1
w t c T
M y V M s p y h T t i w a n t
M T o 2 P you have time to prepare for them. I a feel like the world has been hit with a C tsunami since the spring and we are a still trying to recover. P Q You are not powerless in the midst of P uncertain times. Your passion is still m needed, your love still matters, your t life is still valuable, and your dreams W still matter. You are the space of a infinite possibilities. So what do you want to make possible for the new year? // Vanessa Michelle is a full-time YouTuber who has created a platform for creatives everywhere! Her journey to journalism started at the University of Akron, where she was an on-air personality and TV host for WZIP-FM and ZTV Akron. Vanessa has been featured in local publications as “The Oprah of YouTube” and one of Akron’s most unique entrepreneurs.
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A CONSERVATION LEGACY AT WETMORE
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ne of the pleasures of historical research is when you discover people in the past who loved what you love. This was the case for Mallory Klein when she came across the story of Peggy and Tress Pittenger.
Mallory is wrapping up a oneyear position with the Cuyahoga Valley National Park’s Volunteer Management Office, where she has supported a major habitat restoration project along the Wetmore Trail. If you have hiked in this area, you may have noticed fields of tall white tubes. These protect thousands of new trees planted by volunteers and staff, including many local students. Their work is part of a larger effort to slow and filter stormwater flowing into nearby Dickerson Run and onward to the Cuyahoga River.
Mallory learned about Peggy and Tress through the written memories of their youngest son David and a 2011 oral history with their neighbor Phil Urbank. These accounts describe an Akron couple whose vacations in Cuyahoga Valley turned into a love affair with the land. In 1958, the Pittengers bought a summer home on Quick Road, across from Armington Pond. Their family enjoyed it so much that they sold their city home to begin their life in the countryside. While Tress continued to work as an attorney, Peggy developed Blackacre
Farm into a successful horse breeding business. In 1968, the Pittengers expanded by purchasing an adjacent farm, where Wetmore Trailhead is today. A high point was when their colt Burglary was named 1974 Ohio Horse of the Year. While Peggy ran the operations, Tress became a skilled steward of the land. For example, he only cleared forest for pasture in flat areas, not on slopes which are prone to erosion. In these fields, he dug large basins to collect rainwater for the horses. When a pasture became overgrown with unwanted plants, Tress used penned goats instead of pesticides to clear the area. On hillsides too steep for grazing, he planted native trees, such as fast-growing evergreens and locusts, that would hold the soil in place. He also strategically felled larger trees to provide more sunlight to smaller ones. Wherever you live, look around you. What is your relationship with the land? Do you feel connected to a place? Perhaps you will uncover a story from the past that roots you more firmly in the present.
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Above: Volunteers help reforest acres of old fields in the Wetmore area. (Photo: NPS/Mallory Klein) Right: Peggy Pittenger, shown in 1978, bred Morgan and Thoroughbred horses at Blackacre Farm. (Photo: Peninsula Library & Historical Society)
To learn more about Wetmore and link to our photo gallery, visit https:// www.nps.gov/articles/000/thepittengers-conservation-legacy-atwetmore.htm. // Arrye Rosser is an interpretive and education specialist at Cuyahoga Valley National Park.
January 2021 · Vol 8 · Issue #1
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JANUARY LUNAR READING ‘Capricorn gains knowledge from experience’
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elcome, 2021.
The year starts off with a new resonance when we look at the numerology: 2+0+2+1= 5. Inventor Nikola Tesla told us in order to understand the secrets of the universe we need to think in terms of energy, frequency and vibration. The number 5 carries with it a spirit that shifts us into a year of more radical change. A way to use this energy to our advantage is to be open to new ideas, think outside the box and really consider Tesla’s message, because it is the means to a brighter future in the Age of Aquarius. Each new year begins during the time of Capricorn. Capricorn is represented by the sea-goat, which gains knowledge from experience as it makes its journey from the depths
of the sea all the way up to the tiptop of the mountain peak in pursuit of great achievement. Capricorn LeBron James is a testament to the energy as he started from humble beginnings, declaring his goal, doing the work, and attaining it by bringing a championship to The Land. We can aspire to do the same at this time by setting a New Year’s resolution.
Pluto. You may find yourself out of nowhere feeling internal extremes that you just can’t shake. If and when that happens, remind yourself that this too shall pass, and find healthy ways to find your center. The internet has a plethora of videos on meditation, yoga and breath work — maybe taking up one of these practices can be your goal in 2021.
If you find yourself quickly falling off the wagon, you can try to pick it back up after Jan. 13, when we will have a new moon in the sign of Capricorn. You might find it to be a good moment to proceed with plans to start a new business or set new goals related to your career.
On Jan. 20, we enter the time of Aquarius. Looking back on 2020, if you found yourself seeking greater self-realization, direction into your life’s mission was probably revealed to you. If it’s a mission sanctioned by God, then your path will lead you toward bringing light and healing to our world in one way or another.
Careful to keep your emotions balanced at this time, though, because the moon will be in line with
The thing I treasure about Akron is there really is a feeling that
we’re all in this together. That’s the energy of Aquarius. The sign of the humanitarian, the bearer of water, which is actually the bearer information and knowledge. Ohio is special, the heart of it all. Could we collectively find a way to make it our resolution to display to the world the energy, frequency and vibration of Love? // Angie Agnoni is a local astrologer and graduate of the International Academy of Astrology. She is Vice President of Lake County Astrological Association, which is one of the longest-running astrology groups in the country. Angie can be reached and booked for personal astrology consultation at www.calendly.com/ angieagnoni.
Member Spotlight The Devil Strip is co-owned by hundreds of Akronites! To join, visit thedevilstrip.com/be-a-member. Laura Fink is one of Akron’s many “transplants,” moving here from Pittsburgh after graduating from the College of Wooster in 1987. She now works as the Senior Director of Development at the Akron Community Foundation. Three years ago, Laura and her fiancé moved from the suburbs of Akron into Highland Square. “We bought an old house and did some renovations to it, and we love the look of the old house,” Laura says. “It’s a fantastic neighborhood. Everybody is so nice and there’s diversity there and we love that as well.” Laura loves living in a “walkable”
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part of the city and says if it hadn’t been for the COVID-19 pandemic, they would have hosted a band on their porch during PorchRokr, like they did their first summer in the neighborhood, when a barbershop quartet performed on their porch during Stage Fest. In her free time, one of Laura’s favorite things to do is to explore different parts of Summit County’s park system. She and her fiancé have been exploring different parts of the Buckeye Trail, a 1,440-mile trail system that goes through the whole state of Ohio. Fifty-five miles of the Buckeye Trail are here in Akron. They also enjoy cross-country skiing at the Horseshoe Pond and seeing live music at the G.A.R. Hall when possible. Laura explains that she and her fiancé decided to join the co-op because they want to directly support the
media they enjoy. “I have a pretty good sense of what’s going on in this community but it always surprises me, if you move just right outside of this five-mile radius, a lot of people really have no idea what’s going on in this community and what a cool place it is. And that there’s a lot of really good people here who are trying to make this community better and you’re kind of telling their story,” she says. — Allyson Smith
January 2021 · Vol 8 · Issue #1
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WHAT IS TWO-FACTOR AUTHENTICATION?
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ne of the best options available to protect your personally identifiable information is to use two-factor authentication, also known as 2FA. Many companies offer this as a security option. But what is it and how does it protect you? Using secure passwords and passphrases is essential to your security, but that alone isn’t enough to protect you against attempts to access your accounts. Once a cybercriminal has acquired your username and password, they own that account. One way to mitigate those situations is to make use of 2FA.
Two-factor authentication is a process by which two distinct forms of identification are used in order to access something. It used to strengthen the security of your accounts, your smartphone, or other devices. Two-factor authentication does this by requiring two types of information from you: Your normal log-in credentials, meaning your username and password, plus a code sent to your smartphone or an app on your phone. Some methods of two-factor authentication include biometrics, like your fingerprint, rather than a code on your smartphone. And a common use of 2FA is when you are asked to enter your ZIP code after swiping your credit card.
Regardless of the method, 2FA helps to insure that it is really you attempting to log into that account. Even if a cybercriminal has gotten ahold of your username and password, they cannot log in to the account they are attempting to hack unless they have possession of the device receiving the 2FA code, Two-factor authentication is becoming commonplace and it is an important part of reducing your susceptibility to hacking. There are several ways in which 2FA can occur. The most common is having a code sent you your phone via text message. That is being slowly
phased out, as SMS messages are hackable. An increasingly popular method is using an authenticator app. These apps allow you to set up 2FA for many different accounts in one convenient place. In addition, they offer a higher level of security because the code is encrypted and updated more frequently. Finally, there is the biometric 2FA that requires a fingerprint or facial recognition. In this case, after entering your username and password, you will be required to use your fingerprint or face ID to complete the process. (continued on page 38)
January tarot reading
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his month is calling on us to pause, reflect, and regroup.
The King of Cups shows us that we have the ability to acknowledge and feel our emotions without letting them take over. It may be very important to keep our cool with situations January might bring to our personal lives, as well as on a larger scale. The Chariot reversed indicates that we may struggle to feel motivated. Lethargy and stagnation might be a concern for you this month, as if it’s not already. The reversed Chariot combined with The King of Cups indicates that this is a good time to slow down. Focus less attention on career pursuits and check in with how you feel. Let yourself feel your feelings and find a healthy outlet for them. The reversed IV of Swords refers to that pause. Allow yourself
some time for meditation or deep contemplation, whatever that might look like for you. You don’t have to start checking boxes on your 2021 to-do list just yet. You have a whole year for that. Take this month to think about how you want the rest of the year to go. You might feel that you are torn between your “feeling” side and your “thinking/logic” side and that this is resulting in confusion, a roadblock between you and what you want. That’s OK. It can be frustrating, especially if you’re a high-energy person, but this is a great time to
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reflect and figure out what you want: Where do you want to go? Who do you want to be? Why not go after your biggest, brightest goal? The IV of Swords also represents rest and deep contemplation. It can also represent burnout and stagnation, which are things we are all too familiar with by now. Allow yourself to rest, just as nature is resting, before everything comes back to life in the spring. If you ever thought about meditating, now might be a good time to try it. Energy is
January 2021 · Vol 8 · Issue #1
Tarot cards: These cards are from the Rust Belt Arcana tarot deck, released in 2018 by Belt Publishing. Each card in the deck features a creature from Northeast Ohio, illustrated by David Wilson.
typically low during this time of year, literally, figuratively and spiritually. Allow yourself to follow suit. There’s nothing wrong with taking a break. In fact, you may realize its benefits when you get back into the swing of things. Rest and allow your energy to return to you. — Allyson Smith The Devil Strip
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Unencrypted (continued from previous page) I use a combination of all three strategies that is largely driven by the device or app I am using. Regardless of the method, adding a second factor of authentication can help secure access to your accounts. This is the raison d’être for 2FA. All cybersecurity-conscious companies offer 2FA as an option. Yes, it will slow down the log-in process, but it will increase your personal cybersecurity significantly. The cost of a few more seconds to log in to an account is far less than the cost of having your accounts compromised. You will likely have to dig down into
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January 2021 · Vol 8 · Issue #1
the security settings in the software, browser or app to find 2FA. Once you do, turn it on and leave it on. It is worth taking some time to explore the security levels for all of our browsers and apps to determine if there is a 2FA option available. I would like to hear your questions and concerns for future articles. You can reach me at jbnicholasphd@ gmail.com. // Dr. John B. Nicholas is a Professor of Computer Information Systems and Co-Founder of the Cybersecurity Degree Track at The University of Akron. Dr. Nicholas has over 30 years experience in the technology field in both the private sector and in higher education.
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