March 20, 2015
User @redguard1971/Twitter
10 people were arrested in a protest disrupting a community police meeting in Lawncrest on Thursday night.
Chaos. Fights break out. #policingPHL pic.twitter.com/ATr68bGLK2
— Joel Mathis (@joelmmathis) March 19, 2015
Given the chance to later reflect on what happened, Mathis had some poignant observations to share from what he termed the "mini-riot." While he thought the protest unfolded with the seeming intention of violence, he also found that the situation demonstrated how our fight-or-flight instinct takes hold of both sides in these confrontations.
If the protesters didn’t mean to create the scrum that followed, they sure seemed interested in seeing how close they could get to the line that separates nonviolence from violence.
Ramsey described the protest as "embarrassing," according to NBC 10, but also said he understands that there are strained relations between police and some of the public.
On Monday, U.S. Attorney Zane David Memeger will host the U.S. Department of Justice's Office of Community Oriented Policing Services (COPS) in Philadelphia to discuss a report detailing findings and a plan of action for reform at the Philadelphia Police Department.
The Collaborative Reform Review began in 2013 to assess and analyze department policies, training and operations as they relate to the use of force. Monday's press conference will discuss the release of the report, "Collaborative Reform Initiative: An Assessment of Deadly Force in the Philadelphia Police Department."
Thursday night's meeting was organized by State Rep. Mark Cohen, who told Newsworks that future meetings of this kind likely would not include both DA Seth Williams and Commissioner Ramsey. He added that the meeting became constructive following the protest and that most citizens believe communication between police and the public is good. People believe the police are doing a good job, he suggested, but they also believe the police can do a better job.
