NEW: Our report on tonight’s incident with racist vigilantes at the Christopher Columbus statue at Marconi Plaza in South Philadelphia
Includes raw video compilation of all our available footage from the event (before police forced us to stop reporting)
unicornriot.ninja/2020/philadelp…
Includes raw video compilation of all our available footage from the event (before police forced us to stop reporting)
unicornriot.ninja/2020/philadelp…
Our thread covering the event in real time can be seen below. Please note we mistakenly misidentified the location at first but this was definitely at Marconi Plaza on South Broad Street.
This is the second time in just over two weeks that Philadelphia Police have directly forced us to stop reporting on important street events:
Raw unedited footage: 6/13/20 Marconi Plaza Columbus statue vigilantes assault reporter, Phillly Police threaten reporter with arrest (1/3)
unicornriot.ninja/2020/philadelp…
unicornriot.ninja/2020/philadelp…
Raw unedited footage: 6/13/20 Marconi Plaza Columbus statue vigilantes assault reporter, Phillly Police threaten reporter with arrest (2/4)
unicornriot.ninja/2020/philadelp…
unicornriot.ninja/2020/philadelp…
Raw unedited footage: 6/13/20 Marconi Plaza Columbus statue vigilantes assault reporter, Phillly Police threaten reporter with arrest (3/4)
unicornriot.ninja/2020/philadelp…
unicornriot.ninja/2020/philadelp…
Raw unedited footage: 6/13/20 Marconi Plaza Columbus statue vigilantes assault reporter, Phillly Police threaten reporter with arrest (4/4)
unicornriot.ninja/2020/philadelp…
unicornriot.ninja/2020/philadelp…
Captain Louis Campione of the Philadelphia Police Department barred our reporter from continuing to report on scene, claiming he was “inciting a riot“.
In 2016, @PhillyInquirer reported Campione wrote a memo ordering cops to carry out illegal searches.
unicornriot.ninja/2020/philadelp…
In 2016, @PhillyInquirer reported Campione wrote a memo ordering cops to carry out illegal searches.
unicornriot.ninja/2020/philadelp…
In a separate recent incident Philly police also forced us to stop reporting under threat of arrest, after hitting our camera w a baton for filming a brutal arrest of a young black man in Center City. Officers could be heard calling the youth a “pussy”.
In 2018 Philly cops also used baton strikes to try to prevent us from documenting their violent actions against protesters:
At the 2016 Democratic Convention in Philly, officers also repeatedly used batons to knock our reporter’s camera away to interfere with his ability to take video of them.
This is a pattern.
This is a pattern.
Several fights just now by Christopher Columbus statue at Marconi Plaza in South Philadelphia. Police just made one arrest, generally their posture here seems similar to yesterday.
The person arrested was a counter-protester, not one of the vigilante statue enthusiasts. She was surrounded by the pro-Columbus crowd after she stood near the statue.
Several fights ongoing between teenage protesters and old white men
Some of the white vigilantes were seen carrying pipes that they then stashed in this green Mitsubishi
Some of the South Philly vigilantes have been stashing baseball bats in trash areas at Marconi Plaza
Philly Police officers on scene are continuing their same approach from yesterday - generally letting the agitated Columbus statue enthusiasts run amuck
Current scene in Marconi Plaza in South Philly: more cops yelling, pro and anti-Columbus statue protesters fighting. One statue enthusiast showed up on edge of crowd with a golf club and was confronted
This man in white tank top is who stashed the baseball bat in the trash that we tweeted a bit earlier
More Columbus statue enthusiasts arriving at Marconi Plaza with baseball bats
Heavier PPD presence here now, some police fencing going up
Police barricades being unloaded from van
Ongoing arguments and tension between opposing crowds at Marconi Plaza by Columbus statue - Philadelphia Police SWAT has arrived
More cops have arrived at Marconi Plaza along with the Philadelphia Sheriff bus that’s been used in recent mass arrests of #GeorgeFloyd protesters
In the midst of chaos at Marconi Plaza, these two are playing chess
Someone from this group of people threw water at the chess players, didn’t catch exactly who
Man in tank top w baseball bat was also present for incidents at Marconi Plaza last night
Philly PD SWAT forming a line along the sidewalk on South Broad
Philly cops at Marconi Plaza have set up various barricades to ostensibly separate pro and anti-Columbus statue protesters but they don’t seem very effective
Mark Dougherty said he lives nearby and recounted his experience in Marconi Park earlier today trying to help protect a black friend from harassment by the pro-Columbus statue vigilantes/protesters
Cops sort of have the two sides separated but not really
Old white man w long gray hair arrested after grabbing a woman’s Black Lives Matter sign. Another very drunk man involved in the incident at times stumbled and struggled to take his clothes on/off and keep his glasses on
Anti-Columbus crowd chants “Fuck Frank Rizzo” as most of the pro-Columbus crowd retreats away from the statue area
Most Philly PD SWAT left the line in the park to go “to the bus”
(Tweets in this thread may be delayed by 5-10 mins as we capture and post from on the ground)
(Tweets in this thread may be delayed by 5-10 mins as we capture and post from on the ground)
Some more arguments breaking out closer to the Columbus statue, cops sort of keeping people separated still but the lines are porous
More fights and arguments breaking out as the white pro-Columbus/Rizzo/Trump crowd becomes increasingly visibly drunk, some openly carrying bats.
For the second night in a row, Philly Police allowed packs of racist white vigilantes to violently attack our reporter. Tonight he was repeatedly jumped by groups of men, kicked, punched in the mouth, had camcorder broken, numerous attempts to steal phone. Processing footage now
We witnessed and recorded (when not being assaulted by vigilantes or cops) several dozen other violent assualts that occurred in plain view of police without action taken to prevent them. Police did step in at times, but also often did not.
Several anti-racist protesters were also seriously injured by the Sourh Philly Columbus statue people tonight. We saw a black persons bleeding heavily from the head being treated by medics- they and several others were maced as well.
Our first rush cut of footage from Marconi Plaza in South Philadelphia tonight shows just a few of the repeated group assaults by right-wing vigilantes against our reporter.
Despite the large police presence most officers maintained a hands-off approach.
Despite the large police presence most officers maintained a hands-off approach.
As the sun was going down, we saw officers watching idly as a pack of agitated men chased a lone Asian anti-racist protester into oncoming traffic. Dozens of incidents like this took place tonight
Throughout the afternoon/evening many Columbus statue defenders (also all apparently pro-Frank Rizzo and Trump as well) repeatedly told anti-racist protesters they would choke them, shoot them, follow them home & kill them. We have footage of some of this that we’ll get around to
Many Columbus statue protectors (perhaps a misnomer as many have said “I don’t give a fuck about the statue”) wore matching Frank Rizzo shirts tonight.
Rizzo, former mayor & police chief, famously imposed a regime of systematic racist & homophobic police brutality in Philly.
Rizzo, former mayor & police chief, famously imposed a regime of systematic racist & homophobic police brutality in Philly.
We took hours of HD footage in Marconi Plaza today - likely most wont be out til tomorrow.
This clip from around 8 PM shows when aggressive right-wing men repeatedly bashed our camera, breaking its lens.
This clip from around 8 PM shows when aggressive right-wing men repeatedly bashed our camera, breaking its lens.
If you want to help us rush a replacement camera you can donate here: unicornriot.ninja/donate
Video clip from local Philly corporate news @6abc shows another angle of the group attack on our journalist
*one of several attacks
