Gunshots, sex in cars, shattered bottles, loud music, litter, public intoxication and parking lot parties attracting "hundreds" of people late into the night — that scene has become the new normal for Highland Square over the past few months, community members say.

The growing concern was palpable Tuesday night in the conference room of the Highland Square branch of the Akron-Summit County Public Library, where nearly a hundred residents, business owners, elected officials and police officers piled into the room and shouted over one another during an "emergency ward meeting."

Participants described their anger and fear, saying they've reached the boiling point over "out of control" behavior plaguing Highland Square during summer weekends.

What's come to be known as Akron's "bar district" along West Market Street has become a hot spot for violence and illegal activity — but police and others say it's not bar patrons causing the problems.

In fact, businesses like Ray's Pub say they are slashing weekend hours, closing as early as midnight to try to mitigate problems for customers and staff they may face outside the bar.

Residents said "hundreds" of people are regularly descending upon Highland Square's parking lots, like the public one at the rear side of a cluster of buildings including the library branch and businesses such as Chipotle, Ray's and Mr. Zub's Deli. Residents, many of whom own houses abutting that lot, report a scene "much worse" than what they've witnessed before — though they say this has been a problem years in the making.

"You gave them an inch, they took a mile," one resident in the crowd called out to the police officers in attendance.

The repercussions are posing more danger for those involved and nearby. A Sept. 17 incident started with a drag race down West Market Street and ended with an overturned car just a feet away from pedestrians in the heart of the commercial district.

Parking lot parties have been a problem for years in several areas of the city, including Highland Square, but there's been a notable shift this summer, said Ward 1 Councilwoman Nancy Holland, who called the meeting in response to an influx of calls from residents.

"It has really taken on a scary character," she told the Beacon Journal. "It is not the kind of noise and disruption or disturbance of peace which is sometimes a thing in summer months, certainly not pre-pandemic. It's off the rails."

The growing concern garnered the attention of Mayor Dan Horrigan, Akron Police Chief Steve Mylett and other elected officials who showed up to "shoulder responsibility" and promise solutions — and fast.

"We don't have time!" another resident shouted from the back of the room. "Highland Square as we know it is gone if we don't do something."

Some residents expressed concern about the character of the neighborhood, which is typically lauded for its vibrant arts scene, touting annual events like the home concert festival PorchRokr.

"We have to take a hard look at what it took to get us here," said one resident at the meeting. "Highland Square used to be a hub of arts and culture but now it's a bar scene."

In response to calls to "do something" and "enforce the law," Mylett promised that the department has been aware of the situation and actively combatting it in whatever ways it can, including arrests, patrols and use of force.

But those methods have proved insufficient, residents complained, noting few officers arrive preemptively to mitigate growing crowds or enforce open-container laws and other safety restrictions.

"At the end of the day, it's a safety issue for our officers," Mylett said in response to criticism. He said officers have been "swarmed" on recent weeknights and have had to remove themselves from the situation.

While officers have deployed some use-of-force tactics, like tasing and deploying mace, Capt. Mike Harding said they want to avoid doing so out of concerns of incidents being "painted differently" like "people have been doing" on social media — likely referring to recent accusations of excessive force through beatings and police-involved shootings.

Mylett said a major problem is understaffing, noting a deficit of allocated officers by nearly 150.

"Our people are working around the clock," he said. "These people get burnt out." One meeting participant asked to be deputized to assist. Mylett responded that residents could help by promoting the department's recruitment efforts and continuing to call the police to report incidents.

Mylett waved off suggestions of using distractingly bright lights and loud noise machines to deter crowds of partiers from assembling, saying such devices are controversial and will not be used by APD.

He ensured that new, unspecified tactics were coming as soon as this weekend — and he asked the community members for two to three weeks to see progress before they convene another meeting on the topic.

Newly posted signs seen Friday afternoon at the public parking lot on West Market Street advised of closure of the lot between 10 p.m. and 6 a.m. The signs forbid loitering and trespassing and warn that vehicles will be towed at the owner's expense.

Concrete barricades sat ready to be put in place to block vehicles at either side of the lot entrances during restricted hours.

Though the idea of limiting lot access was openly debated during Tuesday's meeting, Mylett expressed concerns that such a move could inadvertently drive traffic, parking and unwanted activity into the surrounding neighborhoods.

Although recommendations to increase police presence were widely embraced among Tuesday's crowd, not everyone present was on board with the idea — especially in the wake of recent protests spurred by the fatal police shooting of 25-year-old Jayland Walker earlier this summer.

Some organizers, affiliated with local organizations like the Black-led coalition The Freedom BLOC, Serve the People Akron and Akron's Democratic Socialists of America, argue the area is already heavily "overpoliced," particularly when it comes to inequity and brutality against the Black community — criticisms that police sharply dispute.

Each weekend, several members of those groups patrol the area to film police interactions, arrests and attempts to mitigate rising tensions.

One meeting participant told Mylett and others that there is a group of citizens willing to put in work to ensure a safe gathering space for people — citing as an example mutual aid community events like the Freedom Taillight Project, which aims to minimize police interaction with residents by providing free minor car repairs.

"The problem is there are few places to go in Akron at night," another resident said. "We need more public spaces, not less. And we don't want to just drive people away and make it another place's problem."

Other suggestions included more and larger trash cans to reduce Highland Square's litter overflow, bus routes that run later into the night and Uber discounts similar to what the county offered over Fourth of July weekend.

Members of the crowd emphasized that the need for action is immediate.

Arnold Tunstall said he is "shocked awake" every weekend by the sound of "a waterfall of shattering bottles," fearing that even worse disturbances await.

"I can't invite a friend over or family to visit," he said. "I've never been scared to live here until now."

Holland said she was surprised by the turnout, particularly of many of the elected officials. She has been sounding the alarm "up the chain" for months, she said.

"I organized this meeting to allow the folks immediately affected by this issue to be heard," Holland told the Beacon Journal. "I did not expect the people who were in the position to solve it to immediately have the answer. They were just getting up to speed. That was the goal, and it was achieved."

She underscored Mylett's promise to return in two to three weeks with answers, saying she and the community are looking forward to it.

"We’re going to need some community support and buy-in," Holland said. "Folks need to get the word out that this is not OK, and this space isn't available for (nuisance) purposes. Then we need to trust and verify. Let's see what the plan is."

Reporter Abbey Marshall is a corps member with Report for America, a national service program that places journalists into local newsrooms. Learn more at reportforamerica.org. Contact her at at amarshall1@gannett.com.