Philly police stood by as men with baseball bats "protected" Fishtown. Some residents were assaulted
Source: Philadelphia Inquirer
City officials Tuesday pledged to crack down on what they called simmering vigilantism after as many as 100 men armed with baseball bats and hammers roamed the Fishtown section for hours Monday night, saying they were protecting police and local businesses from protesters.
At least two people said they were assaulted by members of the group, including a reporter who tweeted that he was beaten and bloodied after filming the scene. Others said they were screamed at, spit on, or threatened with racist or homophobic slurs. Photos circulated of police officers taking photos with the bat-wielding men on the streets more than two hours after the citywide 6 p.m. curfew.
Mayor Jim Kenney on Tuesday criticized how police handled the group, saying: “We tolerated it last night for too long, and that was a mistake.”
The mayor said the group’s actions were “antagonistic” and the city doesn’t condone “armed vigilantism.” He said he was “disturbed” by reports of officers high-fiving members of the group, and Police Commissioner Danielle Outlaw said the force does not condone “any form of vigilante justice or taking the law into one’s own hands.”
Read more: https://www.inquirer.com/news/fishtown-george-floyd-protests-philadelphia-bats-hammers-20200602.html
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