Biography
Semaj Brown is an Akron, Ohio activist who was arrested at approximately 3:16 AM on July 4, 2022, during mass protests following the police killing of 25-year-old Jayland Walker, a Black man shot by eight Akron police officers. Brown was among approximately 50 people arrested in the early morning hours of July 4 and charged with Riot (ORC 2917.03), Disorderly Conduct (ORC 2917.11), and Inciting to Violence (ORC 2917.01). Consistent with the documented pattern for all those arrested in the same mass arrest, Brown was held in jail for approximately one to two days before arraignment and release. (Notably, the City of Akron transported many of those arrested to Stark County Jail in Canton, roughly 30 miles away, specifically to hinder supporters from organizing outside the jail and to complicate bail.) The Akron City Prosecutor subsequently offered to dismiss Brown's charges if he agreed to sign a legal waiver forfeiting his right to sue the City — Brown refused. Charges against him were dismissed regardless, though the prosecutor left open the possibility of refiling. The broader crackdown on Jayland Walker protesters resulted in a federal civil rights lawsuit by 24 protesters and bystanders, with the City of Akron settling for $747,000 in 2024 over what plaintiffs described as unlawful mass arrests and excessive force during the demonstrations.