Police-Involved Shooting Protest At Community Meeting In Northeast Philadelphia
By David Spunt
PHILADELPHIA (CBS) -- Ten people were arrested Thursday just before a community meeting in Northeast Philadelphia. Police Commissioner Charles Ramsey and District Attorney Seth Williams were on hand to meet with neighbors to talk about community police relations, but were interrupted by a group who threw punches and chairs.
Eyewitness News was there as a woman hit a police officer. Dozens began to throw things and yell at police officers.
"What you saw here today was actually embarrassing," Police Commissioner Charles Ramsey told Eyewitness News.
The demonstrators demanded charges be filed against the police officer who shot and killed Brandon Tate-Brown during a December traffic stop. Police say Brown tried to pull out a gun, and that's when the officer fired. District Attorney Williams announced he would not charge the officer earlier on Thursday.
"(Brown) wasn't an unarmed man being shot as he was running away. He was a guy who was in possession of an illegal gun, trying to get to that gun," Williams told Eyewitness News.
The crowd demanded Williams and Ramsey release the name of the police officer who shot and killed Brown.
"What you saw tonight is the reason I'm not going to put those officers in jeopardy. You saw what happened. So why would I do that?" Ramsey said.
"Black lives matter. They have a legitimate issue and the way to get the issue heard is not the way it went down tonight," Ramsey said.
The meeting eventually started and folks gave Ramsey a round of applause. Those arrested were charged with disorderly conduct.