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PHILADELPHIA: Philadelphia officials imposed a nightly curfew across the city on Wednesday (October 28), seeking to avoid a third night of violence amid protests over the latest police murder of a black man described by the family as suffering a nervous breakdown.
The streets have been tense since Walter Wallace, 27, was shot and killed Monday by two police officers in response to what family members say was a call for help with a mental health crisis.
His death triggered two nights of periodic looting and skirmishes between riot police and protesters who denounced the shooting as the latest instance of racially prejudiced policing in an American criminal justice system that often subjects African Americans to deadly force.
The calm prevailed after the 9:00 p.m. to 6:00 p.m. curfew ordered by Mayor Jim Kenney went into effect Wednesday.
A protest rally scheduled for the night before was postponed and later canceled, after fewer than a dozen people attended. Later, four people were arrested for curfew violations, but the arrests were uneventful.
Demonstrators gather in protest near the site where Walter Wallace Jr was killed by two police officers on October 27, 2020 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. (Photo: AFP / Mark Makela)
THE TROOPS OF THE NATIONAL GUARD WILL ARRIVE ON FRIDAY
Philadelphia is the largest city in the state of Pennsylvania, which is considered key to winning the presidential vote on Tuesday.
Pennsylvania Governor Tom Wolf said he mobilized troops from the state National Guard to assist law enforcement and local emergency services until order was restored. Troops were expected to start arriving on Friday.
Philadelphia police have made 172 arrests and 53 officers injured over two nights that began with peaceful demonstrations but led to the looting of department stores and other businesses, some of which are still reeling from the summer riots.
City officials said as many as 1,000 people were involved in the looting of a city corner Tuesday night, catching police off guard.
“These people are just wasting our precious resources,” Philadelphia Police Commissioner Danielle Outlaw said at a news conference Wednesday, condemning what she called “widespread anarchy.”
Outlaw has launched an investigation into the shooting. The agents involved have not been identified.
Protesters clash with riot police during a demonstration following the death of Walter Wallace Jr, a black man who was shot by police in Philadelphia on October 27, 2020 (Photo: Reuters / Bastiaan Slabbers).
CAMPAIGN TONES
The turmoil made Philadelphia the last hot spot for racial justice days before Tuesday’s presidential election.
It covers months of protests sparked by the May 25 death of George Floyd, a black man in handcuffs, when he was immobilized by the neck on the street below the knee of a white Minneapolis policeman.
Kenney suggested that other curfews could follow, and told reporters that decisions will be made daily on whether to implement one that night.
“I think that as a certain percentage of people who comply with the curfew we will have fewer people on the street to deal with, which improves the work and safety of officers,” Kenney said.
US President Donald Trump, who is seeking a second term in office, has made support for the police a main theme of the campaign, calling for a tough “law and order” stance toward the protests.
In Nevada on Wednesday, Trump called the events in Philadelphia “terrible” and offered to send federal aid.
On Tuesday, his Democratic rival, Joe Biden, lamented “another black life lost in America” and added: “We cannot accept that in this country a mental health crisis ends in death.”
Pennsylvania is a crucial battleground in the elections, but it remained to be seen how events in Philadelphia, a predominantly black and Hispanic city and a Democratic stronghold, could affect the outcome of voting in the state.
A person is handcuffed and detained by police in Philadelphia on October 28, 2020 after the citywide curfew passed, two days after police officers killed Walter Wallace Jr. (Tom Gralish / The Philadelphia Inquirer via AP)
“STOP THE VIOLENCE”: WALTER WALLACE’S FATHER
Tuesday’s riots erupted despite pleas from the deceased’s father, Walter Wallace Sr., to “stop the violence” out of respect for his son and family. He also asked for justice in a case that remains under investigation.
Video from a bystander of the fatal confrontation posted on social media showed Wallace approaching two police officers who drew their weapons after ordering him to drop the knife. The camera cuts out briefly when fire breaks out and Wallace collapses.
Police have said the two officers fired about 14 shots combined.
An older cousin of Wallace, Roosevelt Brant III, the family’s pastor, told Reuters that the relatives had called authorities for help in dealing with an episode of mental anguish, “and the police showed up.”
A lawyer for the family said the call to emergency services was for an ambulance, not the police.
The lawyer also told reporters that Wallace suffered from bipolar disorder and his wife disclosed his condition to officers who met Wallace before shooting him.
“I was telling the police to stop. ‘Don’t shoot my son, please don’t shoot my son,'” said his mother, Catharine Wallace. “They ignored me and shot my son.”
His family said he suffered from mental health problems and was taking medication. Wallace’s father asked why the officers didn’t taser him.
Police said they responded to a call about a domestic disturbance.
A police officer falls attempting to attack a protester during protests on October 27, 2020 in Philadelphia, the day after Philadelphia police fatally shot Walter Wallace Jr, a black man. (Joe Lamberti / Camden Courier-Post via AP)
POLICE VISITED THE WALLACE HOME MULTIPLE TIMES
According to the Philadelphia Inquirer, police had been called to Wallace’s home dozens of times in recent months. Public court documents show he had an extensive criminal history, including at least one prison sentence for a felony conviction, and was awaiting trial in a criminal threat case.
Outlaw said the city would release police body camera images and emergency 911 call records related to the shooting after the Wallace family had a chance to review them.
He declined to detail the 911 calls made by the family, citing the active investigation.
“I think it’s safe to say that once the officers got to the scene, people were saying there could be mental problems there, but that’s what the investigation will reveal.”
