Twice now, anti-police violence demonstrators have appeared in Philadelphia City Councilman Bobby Henon’s fourth floor City Hall office. And for the second time, the Councilman has evaded them.
Monday’s hide-and-seek, however, was different than the Wednesday which preceded it. On the 19th of July, the Councilman was said to be in a meeting in Center City Philadelphia when concerned citizens, who were demanding answers and statements regarding the fatal officer involved shooting of Mr. David Jones, paid a visit to his office. Four options of contact were left for the Councilman and Mr. Henon pledged to reach out immediately. Only one phone number, though, was utilized; and those digits were written down incorrectly; thus, no communications between the Councilman’s Office and demonstrators were had, and no reason was given as to why the three other phone numbers weren’t dialed.
After I reached out Monday morning to inquire of the lack of follow-up, an option for a conference call with the Councilman this Wednesday was offered. Demonstrators turned that option down, saying only a face-to-face meeting would suffice, given both the magnitude of the situation – two black men, in the time span of roughly two-and-a-half years, were killed by white cops in the 15th Police District while unarmed and fleeing – and the fact that every other city official, including the Mayor of Philadelphia, had been confronted and questioned in person.
Mr. Henon – who had in his office a box of t-shirts which acknowledged his support for Philadelphia police officers – neither agreed to meet on Monday, when demonstrators occupied the office for more than an hour (activists were never asked to leave, despite police being called to the scene), nor would he confirm any future dates in which he would grant a meeting. A Sergeant with the Philadelphia Police Department, who had spoken to Mr. Henon during the occupation, confirmed that Mr. Henon has no interest in meeting.
Spearheading these direct actions is Mr. Isaac Gardner, who lives in Mr. Henon’s Councilmanic District and who has organized all the protests and rallies related to the June 8th fatal shooting, which began with a traffic stop, as did the December 15th, 2014 fatal police shooting of Mr. Brandon Tate-Brown.
Mr. Henon has never said anything on the record about either shooting. This fact has unnerved men like Mr. Gardner and Mr. Asa Khalif, a Black Lives Matter activist who was a cousin to the late Mr. Tate-Brown.
“I’m very disappointed in the Councilman,” said Mr. Gardner, who disclosed that, in addition to never meeting Mr. Henon, he “never had faith” in the man he only saw on the news getting his office raided by the F.B.I.
Mr. Khalif – upon leaving the Councilman’s office, which near the end of the direct action had become crowded with law enforcement, including the Sherriff himself, Mr. Jewel Williams (according to a Philadelphia police officer, members of City Council have requested Sherriff deputies as they weren’t totally comfortable having only PPD on guard) – asserted that Mr. Henon doesn’t “like us” (referring to protesters) and never intended on having a conversation with community members about policing in the 15th Police District.
“They’re not negotiating in good faith,” said Mr. Khalif. “But we have a plan.”
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Photo courtesy of the author.