At least two arrested as demonstrators march around Center City

Hundreds participate in mostly peaceful 'Philly is Baltimore' rally

Hundreds of demonstrators marched for hours through Center City Thursday night, protesting police violence.
Thom Carroll/PhillyVoice

Hundreds of demonstrators marched throughout Center City for hours Thursday night following a late afternoon rally protesting police brutality held outside City Hall.  

The mostly peaceful protest became tense at a few moments, including a failed attempt by some marchers to pass by officers on horseback at Broad and Vine streets.

PHOTO GALLERY: On the streets with the protesters

There, several protesters linked arms and advanced toward a line of officers on horseback, who were blocking the eastbound entrance ramp to I-676. Two people were arrested and charged with disorderly conduct. They were later released Thursday night, according to police.

Joelle Shofield, one of the rally's coordinators, claimed police used pepper spray to knock some marchers back at the intersection.

A SWAT team quickly appeared at the intersection, where police and protesters stood facing one another for several minutes as the crowd chanted "Our streets." Eventually, police opened Vine Street and the march continued without any major altercations.  

"Things went well for the most part," said Philadelphia Police Lt. John Stanford. "There were many decent, respectable citizens who just wanted their voices heard and wanted real change. "

"However, whenever there is a large crowd, there will be a handful that are looking for confrontation and we had a number of these mixed in the crowd, too."

The marchers, who seemed unorganized at times as they roamed the city, were shadowed by police in vehicles, motorcycles and bicycles. Officers on the street seemed to be trying to give the protesters the opportunity to demonstrate peacefully.

"They're fighting for their freedom [in Baltimore]. It just saddens me. In 2015, you'd think we'd be more progressive toward equality." – Ashley Waters, Philadelphia

The march began at 6 p.m. following a 90-minute rally at Dilworth Park, where between 800 to 1,000 people gathered to call attention to police brutality, racial profiling and black oppression.

Dorothy Charles, a 22-year-old medicine student at the University of Pennsylvania, said she came out because she wants police violence to be treated as a public health issue in the way gun violence is.

"The uprisings that you're seeing show that this has become a really systemic issue," she said. "Because we've made a lot of noise about it, we can push a lot forward. We have a lot of momentum going."

The majority of the crowd consisted of young, African Americans, but the demonstrators also included a sizeable white population. 

The protesters stretched for several blocks as they snaked their way around City Hall, down South Broad Street and headed against traffic on Locust Street. The crowd dwindled as the march stretched further into the night, ultimately concluding when about 100 people reached the Ninth District police station at 21st and Hamilton streets.

"Overall, we are very proud of the citizens of Philadelphia and the members of our department for the conduct displayed yesterday," said Stanford.

Many demonstrators carried placards with messages that read "Black Lives Matter," "Philly Is Baltimore" and "Justice." Others were more pointed toward police, including signs reading "Jail Killer Cops" and "Abolish The Police."


Protesters come face-to-face with Philadelphia police officers at Broad and Vine streets in Center City Philadelphia on Thursday evening. Police reported two arrests. (Thom Carroll / PhillyVoice)

Similar demonstrations have unfolded in cities across the country following Monday's riots in Baltimore, where protesters have demanded answers regarding the death of a Freddie Gray, a 25-year-old black man who died after suffering spinal injuries while in police custody.

Trinique Stallings, a 21-year-old from Baltimore, said it was difficult to watch the media portrayals of her hometown, saying reporters focused too much on the riots rather than the cause that sparked them.

"I feel if I can't be out there, I need to do something here," she said.

Ashley Waters, of Philadelphia, said he is hopeful these demonstrations spark a revolution.

"They're fighting for their freedom," he said of the Baltimore demonstrators. "It just saddens me. In 2015, you'd think we'd be more progressive toward equality."

The vast majority of the protesters marched peacefully, engaging in various chants highlighting their cause.

"No justice, no peace," the crowd shouted at various points throughout the night. "What do you want? Justice. When do you want it? Now."

Patrons dining al fresco at Parc and other 18th Street restaurants could hear protestors shouting "White silence is white content" and "Black lives matter" as they passed through Rittenhouse Square, marching by a McLaren sports car parked nearby. 

At times the protesters' chants could be heard to grow sharper, particularly following the incident at Broad and Vine streets: "F--- the police!" "F--- these pigs!" and "Hey hey, go home, these racists cops have got to go."

At one point, the crowd moved on City Hall, and police could be heard on the police radio saying they needed as much help as possible at the east portal of the building.

Later in the night, the protesters showed up on the doorstep of the Four Seasons Hotel at 18th Street and the Parkway. Police were awaiting their arrival and blocked the crowd from entering. 

On other occasions, protesters banged on the doors of the Federal Detention Center and unsuccessfully tried to topple the Center City statue of Mayor Frank Rizzo, a former police commissioner.

Hakim Thompson, who spoke with PhillyVoice as the march neared its conclusion, said he had hoped the protests had been more rowdy. 

"I'm not on chill, I'm on go," Thompson said. "They (the police) can do damage and get away with it."

The rally started at 4:30 p.m. Thursday at Dilworth Park, where about two dozen speakers addressed the crowd, including the mother of Brandon Tate-Brown.

Tate-Brown, 26, was fatally shot by police in December after being stopped for a traffic violation. District Attorney Seth Williams cleared the two officers involved of any wrongdoing in March.

Police said Tate-Brown reached for a loaded gun during an encounter. His mother, Tanya Brown-Dickerson, claims her son was unarmed. She has urged police to publicly release the officers' identities and video surveillance from the incident.

Brown-Dickerson said police brutality will not end until police admit their wrongdoings.

"We can't fix it until they own up to what they do," Brown-Dickerson said. "The bottom line is transparency isn't working right now."

Organizers said the rally was aimed at highlighting similarities between Philadelphia and Baltimore, where riots broke out Monday following the funeral of a Freddie Gray.

"Tell the truth and stop the lies," demonstrators shouted. "Freddie Gray didn't have to die."

The rally, coordinated by the Philadelphia Coalition for Racial, Economic and Legal Justice, followed similar demonstrations held across the nation.

One organizer announced the demonstrators are a peaceful group. But, he said, when justice is not served, situations like Ferguson and Baltimore occur.

Another speaker said he neither condoned nor condemned the violence in Baltimore, where the National Guard was deployed to help enforce a 10 p.m. curfew this week.

"When you shake a beer or a soda and it explodes," he said."Do you blame the soda for exploding?"

Staff writer Michael Phillis contributed to this report.