January 10, 2015
Thom Carroll/PhillyVoice
Joe Eastman of the Police Advisory Board speaks at the "Delaware Valley Pro-Blue Rally" on Independence Mall in Old City on January 10, 2015.
In the wake of recent rallies held across Philadelphia, two hundred supporters of the city's police force gathered on Independence Mall on Saturday for a "Pro-Blue Rally" to counteract hostility directed at law enforcement.
While local protests have been sharply critical of perceived police brutality in New York and Ferguson, Mo., Philly.com reports that Saturday's gathering aimed to promote an "All Lives Matter" platform.
U.S. Sen. Pat Toomey (R. Pa.) was on hand to address the crowd and praised the courage of police officers who combat crime and protect the citizens of Philadelphia.
"They put on uniforms when the rest of us run" from danger, Toomey said.
Bob Ballentine, secretary of the Philadelphia Fraternal Order of Police Lodge No. 5, also spoke to the crowd who showed up despite temperatures in the high teens.
"I don't understand how police officers have become the enemy," said Ballentine.
According to Philly.com, the event was organized by the Independence Hall Foundation, which "seeks to keep people focused on the founding documents" of the United States.
Other speakers who attended include radio host Dom Giordano, U.S. Rep. Pat Meehan, Philadelphia County sheriff Jewell Williams, and several state lawmakers.
