PHILADELPHIA (KYW Newsradio) — Protesters hit the streets of Center City Monday night, calling out the Philadelphia Police Department’s actions after 15 people were arrested during Pride celebrations in the Gayborhood over the weekend.
Members of the LGBTQ+ community and allies said police had a heavy-handed approach on Sunday. Cellphone video shows officers using their bicycles to push people back.
The crowds shifted to the Gayborhood on Sunday after the big Pride festival and march wrapped up on the Benjamin Franklin Parkway. Philadelphia Police Commissioner Kevin Bethel, in a statement, said as the crowds grew, so did the problems they had to address.
“As crowd sizes increased in the Gayborhood, officers responded to a growing number of public safety concerns, including fights, disorderly behavior, blocked roadways, and the challenges associated with safely managing large crowds in a confined area,” he said.
Bethel said the decision was made to clear parts of the area.
“That decision was not made in any way, shape or form because people were celebrating Pride,” he said. “It was made because officers were increasingly dealing with public safety issues and reached a point where we could no longer safely maintain the conditions that existed on those blocks.”
“The way they police our community on days of celebration is different from the way they police other communities when they’re celebrating,” activist Christian Orr said to NBC10. “I got caught through the crosshairs and they pushed me to the ground and scraped my knee.”
Fourteen people were arrested for disorderly conduct on Sunday, and one person was arrested for aggravated assault on a police officer.
City Councilmember Rue Landau, in a statement, said “police brutality has no place at Pride.” She said her office has heard from many outraged members of the LGBTQ+ community.
“I have contacted the PPD and other City departments to understand what happened and get clarity on the PPD’s strategy,” Landau said.
Bethel said officials are encouraging those who felt like they were treated unprofessionally to contact the police department.
“We also recognize that this occurred in the Gayborhood and understand the concerns that many members of the LGBTQ+ community have expressed as a result. Those concerns are being taken seriously, and we are conducting a full after-action review of yesterday’s operations,” Bethel said.
Video also shows some officers covering their faces during crowd control, which Bethel said is not allowed under police policy, and that will be part of the review of the police response.
Police said crowds were disorderly and created a ‘number of public safety concerns’
Police said crowds were disorderly and created a ‘number of public safety concerns’
