Biography
Sierra Renee Lewis is an Akron, Ohio resident who was arrested in the early morning hours of July 4, 2022, during protests that erupted following the release of body camera footage showing Akron police officers shooting Jayland Walker, a 25-year-old Black man, on June 27, 2022. Walker was struck by dozens of bullets after a car and foot chase; officers fired 90 rounds at him. The footage release triggered mass demonstrations downtown, during which police made nearly 50 arrests between midnight and approximately 6 AM. Lewis was arrested at 5:53 AM by Akron Police Officer Badge 1518 and charged with Riot (ORC 2917.03), Disorderly Conduct (ORC 2917.11), and Failure to Disperse (ORC 2917.04). She was booked into the Summit County Jail, where she and other protesters were held at least through the following day on nearly identical, standardized "copy-and-paste" arrest complaints — forms in which officers wrote the same two sentences on virtually every arrestee's paperwork, alleging each person "took part in protest that turned to violent riot" and "failed to disperse when ordered to." After nearly a year of criminal proceedings, all charges against the Akron protest arrestees were dropped or resulted in acquittal. Twenty-four of those arrested subsequently filed a federal civil rights lawsuit alleging unlawful arrest, excessive force, and First Amendment retaliation; the City of Akron agreed to pay $747,000 to settle the suit in 2024. Lewis's incarceration was brief — approximately one night — but resulted solely from her participation in a protest against a police killing, and all charges against her were ultimately dismissed.