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Updated 6 minutes ago
Black and white. Young and old. Residents and non-residents. Elected officials.
Dozens of protesters gathered Thursday in front of the Arnold City Hall to demand the resignation of Mayor Karen Peconi in response to Peconi's recent publications on her personal page, which would be to say the least insensitive and, at worst, racist.
The crowd of 60 to 70 protesters shouted familiar phrases associated with recent protests such as "Black Lives Matter!" as well as new phrases more closely associated with the mayor's Facebook comments.
"Old Jim Crow, new Jim Crow, this racist mayor has to leave!" the demonstrators cried. "We raised our children, we worked all night, we are side by side and we are here to fight!"
Peconi has been in the spotlight for several days after posting a video on Facebook showing protesters knocked down by powerful water cannons.
His comments on the video suggest that the same should be done to those who are protesting the killing by the police of Antwon Rose, 17, in East Pittsburgh last week.
Apparently referring to a weekday morning protest in Pittsburgh, Peconi posted on Facebook that protesters must be unemployed because they were able to protest at 7 am on weekdays.
Peconi has not responded to several requests for comments on this subject. She apologized for her remarks early Wednesday morning, and has since deleted her personal Facebook page.
The four members of Arnold's council and some residents of the city, however, say that her apology was not enough and many asked that she leave her mayor position.
Two groups staged an event
The rally, a collaboration between two organizations – Voice of Westmoreland and Concerned People of Color from Arnold and New Kensington – began at noon, but people began to arrive at the town hall half an hour before. this.
Peconi was not there. The door of his office was closed. City staff said Peconi had called Thursday morning to inquire about some of the city's business, but they had not seen it.
Autumn Monaghan, the founder of Concerned POC of Arnold and New Kensington, said the protesters had planned to picket until 7 pm.
"We just want people to see us," said Monaghan, 39, of Harrison. "It's not ok to be racist."
Arnold Police and the firefighters watched the protest from the other side of the street, where their stations are, as participants sang, sang and listened to loudspeakers.
A few "Black Lives Matter" flags and homemade signs that boasted phrases such as "Do you want to turn a pipe on us Mayor Peconi? and "The racist mayor has to leave!" Others formed a circle and used a red, white and blue tarpaulin to launch beach balls on the theme of the American flag.
Nobody who attended the rally was a "professional" demonstrator, although the organizers sought the help of Tracy Baton, a Pittsburgh resident, who organized a few rallies in the Pittsburgh area like the Pittsburgh Women's Walk.
Baton said that Monaghan was helping her because of her experience, and she willingly agreed to come. She brought the flags "Black Lives Matter", which she bought, and a megaphone.
"I was at home and very excited when Autumn said that she wanted to know how to organize here in Westmoreland County and get up to say that a racist mayor is unacceptable anywhere in Pennsylvania, "she said.
A number of other people also came from outside the city, including Michelle Boyle, who was working at home in Arnold.
Boyle, a nurse, said that she found the Mayor's comments disturbing and hoped that the gathering would shed light on the issue.
"I hope the people who vote for the mayor understand where she really stands," said Boyle, 47, of Highland Park. "I have worked in these communities and I know the incredible diversity … and the extraordinary people who live in these communities, that is what the mayor should represent – not hate."
Amy Stein, 47, of O 'Hara came to the rally because Peconi's comments worried her for her children, who are black. She said that Peconi must resign.
"I do not think it's appropriate to have someone who runs a community who thinks that it's okay to calm the citizens and wait for them." what we do not talk about when we see something wrong, "she said.
Arnold residents also expressed their disgust with regard to Peconi.
Rev. Ronald Simmons, 70, of Arnold, grew up in Savannah, Ga., In the 1960s and remembers the tear gas canisters and fire hoses used on the protesters at the time.
A veteran of the Vietnam War, Simmons said that Peconi's comments saddened him and that he was praying for her.
"Whoever believes that the rights that I was willing to go abroad and to protect can no longer be expressed is not the person for whom I voted or voted ", did he declare. "Obviously, I was misled."
Jon McCabe, Democratic nominee for the 54th House of State representative, waved the "Black Lives Matter" flag.
The 54th District does not include Arnold, but McCabe came because he said leaders must be held accountable for their words.
"I think this meeting today of all these people shows that people want responsible leaders," said McCabe, 22, of Lower Burrell. "This era of saying everything you want and sweeping it under the rug is over."
Philip McKinley, Arnold's city councilor, also attended the rally, which he described as peaceful. He stood on the tarpaulin as people threw the bullets, and said his stance on Peconi has not changed.
"She has to leave," he says.
Groups Request Revision of Proceedings
In addition to the resignation of Peconi, protesters also requested an administrative review of Arnold's practices, such as police procedures.
They pointed to a case in which Peconi's son, Arnold Patrolman Wesley Biricocchi, was accused of using excessive force during an arrest in New Kensington in January 2017. District Attorney from Westmoreland John Peck decided not to prosecute Biricocchi and another police officer involved in this arrest.
"Just as light chases away rats and cockroaches and all the other bad things, the government needs sunshine," Baton said. "Part of this ray of sunshine is to say that if we have a fundamentally racist leadership, what kinds of practices have been put in place because of that?"
Madasyn Czebiniak is a writer from Tribune-Review. Go to 724-226-4702, [email protected] or Twitter @MaddyCzebsTrib.
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