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Residents displaced after South Main building condemned urge city to act; council offers follow-up meetings
Summary
A resident displaced when a South Main Street building was condemned told Akron City Council the Red Cross and other promised supports were not available; council members offered to meet with residents and city staff for follow-up.
Ashley Johnston, a resident of 1431 South Main Street, told Akron City Council during public comment that her building was condemned and about 60 residents remain displaced.
"Our building had got condemned," Johnston said. She said firefighters or police evacuated residents, that officials had told them the Red Cross would provide housing and that the city had transported people by Metro bus to the Red Cross, "and we found out the Red Cross was closed." Johnston said many residents — including elderly tenants on fixed incomes — had been left at the warming center and had only two hours the day officials allowed them to retrieve belongings.
Johnston said bricks fell from the building on Feb. 9 and that residents were evicted on Feb. 13; on Feb. 14 they received notices marked "do not occupy." She said citations that would have warned residents to vacate had not been posted earlier and that promises of help from the Red Cross and other organizations had not materialized.
After Johnston spoke, a council member asked her to meet after the meeting with Councilman Fusco and Chris Ludlow, deputy mayor for the city's service department. "After the meeting, I'm gonna ask that you please meet with Councilman Fusco," the council member said. "And then also gonna ask that you meet with, Mister Chris Ludlow, who is deputy mayor for the service department for the City of Akron."
The council did not take a formal vote on the matter during the meeting. Johnston asked for city follow-up and said she had contacted the mayor's office without receiving a timely response.
Documents Johnston handed to council members included notices marking the building "do not occupy," she said. She also said many in the building were elderly and remain displaced with their belongings at warming centers.
Council members did not provide a timetable for inspections, repairs or relocation assistance during the public meeting; they directed Johnston to meet privately with Fusco and Ludlow for follow-up.
Clarifying details from Johnston's remarks: bricks fell on Feb. 9 (Super Bowl Sunday), residents were given two hours to remove belongings on the day officials allowed access, residents reported evictions on Feb. 13 and received "do not occupy" notices on Feb. 14; Johnston said roughly 60 people were displaced (approximate).
