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Hundreds in Roxborough and Mayfair turn out for rallies supporting Philly police

After a turbulent week of Black Lives Matter protests, rallies to support Philadelphia police were held Wednesday evening in Roxborough and Mayfair.

Officer Talibah Day gets a hug from Melissa Williams at a pro-cop rally at the Fifth District station in Roxborough.
Officer Talibah Day gets a hug from Melissa Williams at a pro-cop rally at the Fifth District station in Roxborough.Read moreMICHAEL ARES / Staff Photographer

After a turbulent week of Black Lives Matter protests, rallies to support Philadelphia police were held Wednesday evening in Roxborough and Mayfair.

Meanwhile, a planned Black Lives Matter march in Center City late in the afternoon fizzled when only a dozen people showed up.

In the evening, at Cottman and Frankford Avenues, several hundred people participated in a "Back the Blue" demonstration, waving U.S. flags and urging passing motorists to honk their horns in support of the police. In 2014, a similar rally drew 400 people to the same intersection to counter protests over the killings by police of Michael Brown in St. Louis and Eric Garner in New York City.

The recent fatal police shootings of Alton Sterling in Baton Rouge, La., and Philando Castile near St. Paul, Minn., prompted new waves of Black Lives Matter demonstrations. One of those, last Thursday in Dallas, ended with the killing of five police officers by Micah Xavier Johnson, 25, of Mesquite, Texas, a veteran who set out to kill as many white officers as he could.

Donna DiDonato, a retired police officer, said she organized the Mayfair rally in response to the shootings in Dallas. She lamented "people with cellphones who act as judge and jury."

Nakeesha Armstrong shook her head at that.

"Without our phones, we wouldn't be able to get the truth out," she said.

"Black lives matter, blue lives matter, and the only way this situation resolves is if we unite," Armstrong said.

"There has to be some way where we all communicate," said Lorraine Michelle, a Fraternal Order of Police secretary, who brought a "We Support Our Police" sign.

Attendees gathered on a traffic median on Ryan Avenue, which was eventually closed to traffic because of the crowd.

Jim Lennox, 47, a nurse from Chalfont, said he supported police officers and thinks all shouldn't be blamed when others "do something stupid."

But he said he had been disturbed by the shootings of Castile and Sterling, especially after seeing video footage of the aftermath of Castile's shooting.

"The cop was too anxious, too fast," he said.

Ezekiel Mathur, on hand on behalf of the Philadelphia Commission on Human Relations, chatted with rally attendees and shook hands near the free-pretzel table.

"It's very unfortunate these things are happening," he said of the Dallas shootings and the deaths of Sterling and Castile. "But like President Obama said, we have to seek to work from both ends of the spectrum. Change is what is needed, and it's why people are protesting and why people are supporting police."

Meanwhile, about 200 people also gathered outside the Fifth Police District on Ridge Avenue in Roxborough to also share their appreciation of the officers.

"Bad Boys," the theme from the TV show Cops, was played for the crowd.

Claire Pacell, who is married to a Philadelphia officer and helped organize the rally, said she wanted to counter negativity aimed at police.

Children carried signs that said "honk for my daddy" and climbed onto police motorcycles.

One man stood by a police cruiser, waving a Gadsden flag with the familiar "Don't tread on me." He declined to comment, saying: "The media isn't on anyone's side."

Earlier in Center City, scores of police officers mobilized near City Hall in preparation for a repeat of the traffic mess that has become a regular occurrence during evening commutes since last week.

When it was clear that what was planned for the march had failed to materialize, the police relaxed their tactical stance but left a large contingent of bicycle officers just in case.

"I watch Viceland, I could sit and watch that all day. But I came out here," said Ronald Williams, 23, of North Philadelphia.

"Did I not tell everyone 4 p.m.?" complained organizer Nelson Serrano.

awhelan@philly.com

215-854-2961@aubreyjwhelan