Some attendees at #PhillyIsBaltimore expressed concern about policing tactics, while others advocated for the government’s downfall.
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The evening before #PhillyIsBaltimore, a massive march and rally organized by the Philly Coalition for REAL Justice that attracted more than a thousand people to City Hall and which eventually traveled for hours throughout the City, Philadelphia mayoral candidates stood before a panel of four and detailed their plan for police and criminal justice reform, while also weighing in on the Baltimore Uprising.
During the forum, which was branded “Transparency Now,” all of the candidates lifted up their plan for community policing, with the lone GOP candidate, Mrs. Melissa Murray Bailey, saying she would request cops spend 10 percent of their time engaging in a community development project of their choice – a move, she said, inspired by Google, Inc.
Mr. Nelson Diaz, the only Latino candidate, touted his commitment to bolstering PAL Centers to foster greater relationships between cops and youth.
All of the Mayoral candidates articulated a plan that would mitigate certain tensions.
However, Mrs. Tanya Brown-Dickerson, who served as an interviewer on the panel along with the editors of The Declaration and I, said of community policing at the #PhillyIsBaltimore rally, that we can’t fix it “until they own up to what they do.”
Mrs. Brown-Dickerson, whose son, Mr. Brandon Tate-Brown was shot in the back of the head by a Philadelphia police officer while unarmed, was among a small cohort of black mothers at #PhillyIsBaltimore who encountered the system under unfortunate circumstances.
Ms. Del Matthews was in attendance. Her son, Mr. Frank McQueen, was “shot so f*cking severely by a Chester police officer,” that it was recommended she have a closed casket.
Ms. Ikea Coney was there. Her son, Mr. Darrin Manning, required emergency exploratory surgery on his genitals after a stop-and-frisk on Broad & Girard in January of 2014. The Philadelphia police officer, who Mr. Manning alleged squeezed his testicles until he heard something pop, was cleared of any wrong doing and their name was never released to the public.
“We need accountability, but transparency isn’t even working right now,” shouted Mrs. Brown-Dickerson, who’s still fighting for the name of the officer who killed her son, and for the public to view the more than thirty minute video she watched which shows her son being gunned down “like a dog.”
When it was rumored that Philadelphia Police Commissioner, Mr. Charles Ramsey, who on numerous occasion has said he will not release the name of Mr. Tate-Brown’s killer, was in attendance at #PhillyIsBaltimore, an activist from the front shouted: “F*CK YOU!”
Actually, the word f*ck was used quite often during the #PhillyIsBaltimore march and rally.
State Senator, Mr. Anthony Hardy Williams, who at “Transparency Now” said he supported Brandon’s Law—a bill proposed by the community that would require the Philadelphia Police Department to publish and archive the names of every officer who shoots and kills a citizen—was called out by a female protester for attempting to capitalize off the moment.
Here’s what she said:
“This isn’t a time for a god damn selfie; this is not a photo-opp session for you; this isn’t an f*cking photography session. It’s time we say sh*t to these politicians. Don’t vote for these fake a** politicians, cause you tell me where the hell they at when you need help? Who the hell was there for Brandon Tate-Brown? Who was there for Frank McQueen? Not one of these mayors is saying anything to these families to help them. They are still looking for justice for their families. And you will not capitalize off of our moment and be quiet and not be called out. This is not the time and it’s not the place, this sh*t is falling down; it’s coming down; and if you not with it, you will get trampled the f*ck over!”
The protesters soon took the streets and chanted: “1, 2,3, F*CK THE POLICE!”
One white male protester went to several police officers with his middle finger up and screamed “I HATE YOU!”
Another protester, a young black man, confronted a police officer when trying to take the Vine Street expressway.
“We’re trying to keep you safe,” said the officer.
To which the protester responded, “you’re the motherf*ckers that’s killing us.”
*Tune into 900am WURD & 900amWURD.com every Friday during the 6 o’clock hour to hear me review #TheWeekThatWas*
Thanks for reading. Until next time, I’m Flood the Drummer® & I’m Drumming for JUSTICE!™