Philadelphia police response during Pride celebrations draws protest

PHILADELPHIA (WPVI) -- Dozens of people rallied Monday evening, accusing Philadelphia police of using excessive force during Pride celebrations in the Gayborhood a day earlier, as officials defended their actions and announced a review of the incident.

Police said 15 arrests were made Sunday evening, mostly for disorderly conduct, with one for aggravated assault on an officer.

Videos show a heavy police presence along 13th Street during the celebrations. Crowds appeared confined to sidewalks behind barricades, with limited ability to move freely.

In one clip, a person can be heard saying, "It's just a mess right now, it's not a vibe."

Another video captured a tense confrontation between a man and two officers before a third officer appeared to step in and de-escalate the situation. Additional footage reportedly showed the aftermath of someone being taken to the ground by police near Woody's bar.

On Monday evening, in response, there was a protest through parts of Center City.

Jacen Bowman, president of Philadelphia Black Pride, was not involved with the protest and had no part in organizing it, but still called out officers' conduct.

"The city needs to do better, and when I'm speaking about the city, I'm talking directly to our police department," Bowman said.

He added, "They created this problem and were too aggressive. I understand the police job is to protect and serve, protect and serve, not agitate and aggravate."

Police said Pride events were largely peaceful earlier in the day, but that crowds moved into the Gayborhood sooner than expected, creating conditions they said required intervention.

According to police, officers responded to fights, disorderly behavior and blocked streets before moving to clear the area.

In a statement, Police Commissioner Kevin Bethel said in part, "That decision was not made in any way, shape, or form because people were celebrating Pride. It was made because officers were increasingly dealing with public safety issues and reached a point where we could no longer safely maintain the conditions that existed on those blocks."

Bowman called for further scrutiny of police actions, saying, "There needs to be a formal investigation into how those police acted against them queer people yesterday. It was disgusting."

In his statement, Bethel also said, "Those concerns are being taken seriously, and we are conducting a full after-action review of yesterday's operations. We also encourage anyone who feels as though they were treated unprofessionally by PPD personnel to contact us."

The review will reportedly include a closer look at crowd-control decisions and officer conduct, including officers wearing face coverings, which are not permitted.