(PHILADELPHIA) January 11, 2021 – Today, 10 members of City Council, led by Councilmember Katherine Gilmore Richardson (At Large), submitted a letter to Mayor James F. Kenney calling for an investigation into Philadelphia city employees, including sworn police officers, who potentially participated in the violent, deadly insurrection at the U.S. Capitol on Wednesday, January 6, 2021. Councilmembers Kendra Brooks, Jamie Gauthier, Derek Green, Helen Gym, Kenyatta Johnson, Curtis Jones, Jr., Cherelle Parker, Maria Quiñones Sánchez, and Isaiah Thomas signed on to Councilmember Gilmore Richardson’s letter.
“Serving as an employee or sworn police officer of the City of Philadelphia comes with significant responsibility,” said Councilmember Gilmore Richardson. “While no one should face repercussions for partaking in their First Amendment rights of protest or free speech, we must be certain no one on the City’s payroll violently attacked the seat of our federal government on behalf of the outgoing President.”
The Councilmembers have asked Mayor Kenney to appoint an investigator to address this urgent request and to make the results of the investigation available to the public.
“A member of the Philadelphia Police Department cannot attend a terrorist attack on the Capitol and then return to police our streets,” said Councilmember Isaiah Thomas. “When distrust between police and civilians is at an all-time-high, this further cements the fear for people who look like me.”
Read the letter: 01.11.20 Letter to Mayor Kenney Regarding Capitol Insurrection Updated
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Photo: Blink O’Faneye on Flickr, used under Creative Commons license.
