York protesters, city leaders try to stay focused on reform

Mayor Michael Helfrich: 'Make them report about our message'

• Ed Mahon
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  Ed Mahon comes to Spotlight PA from PA Post, where he covered state politics and policy, produced radio stories that were broadcast on public media stations throughout the state and on NPR’s national newscasts, and co-wrote a weekday newsletter. Prior to joining PA Post, Ed worked for six years as an investigative and political reporter for the York Daily Record, part of the USA Today Network. His reporting on failures in Pennsylvania’s system for protecting domestic abuse victims was a finalist in the national 2018 Livingston Awards for Young Journalists in the local reporting category. He was also part of a team whose coverage of the criminal justice system, including the aggressive use of civil asset forfeiture by York County prosecutors, received the 2018 G. Richard Dew Award for Journalistic Service from the Pennsylvania NewsMedia Association. Before joining the York Daily Record, Ed covered K-12 education at the Centre Daily Times in State College and worked as a stringer for suburban sections of The Philadelphia Inquirer. He grew up in Delaware County, Pennsylvania.

 Ed Mahon / PA Post

Protesters gather outside the York City Police Department on June 2, 2020.

Ed Mahon / PA Post

Protesters gather outside the York City Police Department on June 2, 2020. (Ed Mahon / PA Post)

As more than 100 protesters stood outside the York City Police Department Tuesday night,  I could hear some kind of altercation to my right. It wasn’t clear exactly what happened, but someone threw an object that broke a window at police headquarters.

“This is what the media wants,” I heard someone yell.

But the situation didn’t escalate. Whoever broke the window ran off. The protesters standing on the steps raised their hands in a peace sign. So did York Mayor Michael Helfrich. Police officers didn’t come out in riot gear.

Helfrich, who is white, took a turn at the bullhorn a few minutes later. Earlier that evening, he had talked about his own experiences protesting the Persian Gulf War, the World Trade Organization and the death penalty. When the crowd marched to the police department, he directed traffic so the protesters could advance safely.

Standing outside the police department, Helfrich praised the peaceful protests.

“This is a special time, and you are special people,” Helfrich, wearing a T-shirt, told the crowd. “Look across the country. …. What are other people talking about? They’re talking about burning buildings. They’re talking about violence.”

Helfrich raised his voice.

“They’re not talking about the police. They’re not talking about the message,” he said. “You are special, other than one or two that are trying to screw it up for all of us. Don’t let the newspapers and the media report about violence in our city.”

The crowd cheered.

“Make them report about our message,” Helfrich said as the crowd got louder.

The demonstration lasted a few more hours outside the police department, winding down a little after 10 p.m.

Near the end, 28-year-old Michael Hatcher urged his fellow protesters to show up to meetings at city hall where elected leaders make decisions. I spoke with Hatcher afterward.

“I was dealing with injustice since I was 5 years old,” Hatcher said. “I watched cops kick my door in, arrest my dad.”

After George Floyd’s death in Minnesota, Hatcher said he wonders who else has to die for things to change.

Hatcher said some people in the protest crowd didn’t seem to share the same agendas, all the more reason to create a united and peaceful approach to effect change. Violence, he said, will only lead to more violence. It’ll hurt local businesses, he said, making kids feel less safe and feeding false stereotypes.

“The police already think we violent,” Hatcher said, later adding, “That’s why they shoot us, that’s why they put their foot on our neck. So when we have that violent activity, that violent protest … we proving them right. And I don’t want to do that. So that’s why we stay peaceful.”

Here’s more about how York and other communities are handling protests and calls for change:

• Across the state: WHYY’s Laura Benshoff has this compelling audio story with the sound of protests in York, Chambersburg and Reading. Definitely listen to the audio story! (I helped Laura connect with Harold H. Miller III, the man who provided the bullhorn for Tuesday’s protest. He said he happened to have the bullhorn from his work as a mentor for a church program.)

• The governor’s reforms: Gov. Tom Wolf announced several changes yesterday afternoon, including the creation of a deputy inspector general position focused on detecting and preventing fraud, waste, misconduct and abuse among law enforcement agencies under the governor’s jurisdiction. PA Post’s Joseph Darius Jaafari provided live coverage and analysis of the governor’s remarks; Spotlight PA has a story about Wolf’s actions, while PennLive covers the negative reaction by the union representing state police troopers.

• Philadelphia: WHYY has details on Mayor Jim Kenney’s plans to launch a reconciliation effort between city residents and law enforcement. “We, myself included, need to specifically hear the voices of those who have been silenced for too long: men and women of color,” Kenney said. Separately, Associated Press photographer Matt Rourke, whose work is often featured in this newsletter (see below) and on PaPost.org, was attacked while on assignment, covering Kenney and Police Chief Danielle Outlaw. Rourke is OK. No motive known as of this morning.

• Erie: The mayor and police chief, who have both received criticism for how the city responded to protesters last weekend, took a knee in honor of George Floyd during a demonstration Wednesday evening, GoErie.com reports. And, in a statement early Thursday evening, the police chief, Dan Spizarny, said an officer seen on video striking a protester was immediately placed on desk duty and that investigators “will be working through the weekend to expedite the investigation.” He also said the entire case will be handed over to the district attorney to review.

• Lebanon: Two of my colleagues were there yesterday covering a silent protest that turned into a loud march through the streets and to the county jail.

• More about York: The city has assigned an officer there to desk duty after allegations that he reenacted the death of George Floyd by putting his knee on another man’s neck at a party. “If we had video of what he is accused of, he could be gone already. Instead we have to follow a lengthy investigation process,” Helfrich said in a statement late Wednesday. By Thursday evening, Helfrich said, the city had put the officer on paid administrative leave.

• Allentown and Bethlehem: Protests kick off simultaneously, demanding justice for George Floyd.

More on the postponed gun rally

Matt Rourke / AP Photo

A gun rights advocate gathers with others for an annual rally on the steps of the state Capitol in Harrisburg, Pa., Monday, May 6, 2019. (Matt Rourke / AP Photo)

More than 1,000 people, including many carrying guns, were expected to rally outside the Pennsylvania Capitol on Monday. But Kim Stolfer, president of Firearms Owners Against Crime, told me he and other organizers decided to cancel the event after receiving information about a threat.

The cancellation also came after many questions on social media. A Facebook user called Scobo claimed to be organizing both the gun rights rally and a protest over black people killed by police —  on the same day, at the same time. (Stolfer said the user had nothing to do with the gun rights rally.)

Many people thought the social media posts were some type of set up to incite violence. WITF’s Brett Sholtis took a picture of a sign hanging in Harrisburg that said as much. “We can keep our families safe! Tell your friends,” it read. “#blacklivesmatter.”

I’m still waiting for more details from the Pennsylvania Department of General Services, which oversees  Pennsylvania Capitol Police about whether and why the agency determined that the threats Stolfer described were credible. Those Facebook posts about the events from Scobo were removed by Wednesday evening.

Further reading:

• The Philadelphia Inquirer: Italian Market says they’re getting rid of the Frank Rizzo mural

• The Philadelphia Inquirer: Frank Rizzo leaves a legacy of unchecked police brutality and division in Philadelphia

• Pittsburgh City Paper: Pittsburgh Post-Gazette removes a Black reporter from George Floyd protest coverage, says union

• WHYY: Inquirer journalists of color refuse to work Thursday, demand newsroom changes

• York Daily Record’s Kevin Moore: I’m a journalist and a black man. Here’s what that’s like

• LNP: Teaching race: How George Floyd’s death could spark change in the classroom