As of this morning, five high school students remained in custody at the Bucks County Youth Center after a student protest Friday ended in violence and arrests.
On Saturday, the Bucks County District Attorney’s office opened an independent investigation into Quakertown’s law enforcement response to the protest, which went outside of school property.
Anyone with information – including video or photographs from Friday’s confrontation – is urged to contact county detectives at 215-348-6354.
On Friday, at least five Quakertown Community High School students and one unnamed adult were arrested near Sunday’s Deli & Restaurant on Front Street in the Upper Bucks County Community of about 9,300 residents.
“Upper Bucks United and our broader community are in a state of shock,” said Laura Foster, co-founder of Upper Bucks United in an email statement.
Friday’s violence culminated in what appeared in video footage to be a minor-aged girl being grabbed, tackled to the ground and placed in a restraining chokehold by Quakertown Police Chief Scott McElree.
McElree, who is also the long-time borough manager, was in plain clothes at the scene. Additional Quakertown police officers were also involved in Friday’s events, according to witnesses and numerous news outlet reports.
“The videos and firsthand accounts emerging from the Quakertown student walkout depict deeply disturbing scenes that no child should ever have to witness,” Foster said in a statement.
Outraged community members are calling on officials to fire McElree, according to Upper Bucks United; while a petition is circulating demanding he resign, The Philadelphia Inquirer reported.
As of this morning a Go Fund Me account has nearly $28,000 of the $100,000 sought to aid students with legal fees and medical costs as a result of the violent interactions between police and some students.
The planned student walkout – which was among many such events in recent weeks across the nation – was to protest Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) tactics including two high profile deaths in Minneapolis this month. The Quakertown student-led protest had been planned in advance and was coordinated in conjunction with school officials. In written statements, school administrators said the originally planned event was not to move outside the school’s campus.
READ: OPINION: Why I Support Pennsbury High School Students Protesting ICE
The Guardian reported at least eight people “have died in dealings with ICE” so far this year, either from being killed by federal agents or while in ICE detention or custody.
On Friday, 6ABC reported the Quakertown walk out, which began at 11:30 a.m., included about 35 students who had been cautioned in an earlier statement against leaving the school building to hold their protest.
Quakertown Community School District Acting Superintendent Lisa Hoffman issued a letter to parents Friday morning, telling them that administrators had advised against the planned student protest due to a growing number of reports by students who had been bullied and threatened throughout the week and over a “potential safety concern” associated with the Friday event.
“The ACLU of Pennsylvania is in touch with the student demonstrators. We’re calling for a full and transparent investigation of this incident and for the police and Chief McElree to be held accountable for their actions if the evidence confirms the apparent excessive force, retaliation and false arrest,” Witold Walczak said in an email. Walczak is legal director of the American Civil Liberties Union of Pennsylvania.
On Saturday morning, a group of civil rights advocates, including Immigrant Rights Action and The Welcome Project, NAACP Bucks County, Upper Bucks United and Indivisible Bucks County held a press conference outside the Quakertown Police Department building, calling for “transparency, responsibility and accountability.”
Video of the Saturday press conference may be found here.
“We know peaceful protest happens here – our No Kings rallies happen here – peacefully and without incident,” Foster said during Saturday’s press event.
VIEW: Photo Essay: ‘Hands Off’ Quakertown Rally Draws 1,000 Protesters
“Transparency is not optional in situations like this – it is essential to maintain public trust and safety,” said Karen Rodriguez at Saturday’s press event. Rodriguez is a spokesperson for Indivisible Bucks County and Make the Road.
Hoffman released a statement yesterday (excerpts follow):
“At 9 p.m. on Thursday, February 19, the district received what was deemed a new and concerning threat of violence. In close consultation with local law enforcement, we issued a notice before the start of school on Friday that, due to known safety concerns, students should not continue with the protest. This was in no way an attempt to silence students. Instead, we were adhering to our primary responsibility to prioritize the safety of all students and staff members. We met with student organizers on February 20 at 7:15 am to reiterate our concerns about the threats to safety.”
“Our administrative team and many of our staff members have been inundated with hateful messages and concerning physical threats to our personal safety via email, phone and social media. This is simply inexcusable. We have and will continue to report these threats to the appropriate law enforcement agencies.”
“We understand there are many strong views on this issue, and we simply ask for support as we work to balance the emotions and volatility that our school community has experienced and that our students and staff will bring with them as we return to school this coming week.”
A request for comment from Quakertown school district solicitor Jeffrey Garton of Begley, Carlin & Mandio LLP was unsuccessful.
Efforts to reach Quakertown Borough Council’s solicitor Peter Nelson of Grim Biehn and Thatcher of Perkasie for comment were unsuccessful.
“The police should have been there to facilitate the demonstration, ensuring that the students could safely exercise their rights to assemble and speak out freely as guaranteed by our Constitution. They failed,” Walczak said.
