A Pennsylvania Dichotomy

Yesterday morning I began to write about a dichotomy in Pennsylvania. As far as I can tell Pittsburgh (western Pa.) and Scranton (eastern Pa.) are in the same state. So why the following dichotomy?

From BlazeNews:

On April 18, student groups Intercollegiate Studies Institute and University of Pittsburgh’s College Republicans chapter hosted a moderated debate between the Daily Wire’s Michael Knowles and BASED Politics co-founder Brad Polumbo.

The University of Pittsburgh demanded that conservative students pay $18,734 in security and damage fees after a mob of 250 leftist protesters rioted at their scheduled event, according to a demand lettersubmitted to the school by Alliance Defending Freedom.

The debate was titled “Should Transgenderism Be Regulated by Law?” The event included an audience question-and-answer session and a meet-and-greet.

The College Republicans planned the event months in advance, following all university policies and procedures, according to the ADF.

A Theater Arts Professor urged students to attend “several events planned for Tuesday April 18 in response to Knowles’ unwelcome presence on campus.”

According to ADF hundreds of rioters filled the street “within striking distance of attendees.”

“This proximity allowed the mob to throw smoke bombs and other incendiary devices into the crowd, as well as using a road flare to burn an effigy of Knowles. That action prevented the police from keeping the O’Hara Student Center free of threats, and it ultimately caused Pitt police to urge ISI to end the event before it concluded because the situation was ‘deteriorating,'” ADF wrote in its demand letter to the university.

** None of protesters were arrested!

Whereas in eastern Pennsylvania a single protester, Damon Atkins, was arrested in Scranton was arrested while standing on a public sidewalk. 

What was the vicious crime for which he was arrested?

Cellphone video captured the moment when a man was arrested after trying to quote the Bible to Pride-rally attendees across the street from him in Reading, Pennsylvania, over the weekend.

Moments later when a handcuffed Atkins continues trying to speak to the Pride-rally attendees, the officer turns him around and walks him up against a building’s outer wall, and subsequently searches his backpack.

During this time, a Pride representative on a microphone mocks “protesters across the street” who managed to “get themselves in trouble with the police.”

The crowd loves it and begins cheering. The man on the mic then urges the protesters to get “some love into that heart of yours.”

**This single protester was arrested!

Like I noted above I wrote about this Pennsylvania dichotomy yesterday.

Today on BlazeNews I read the following headline:

“Charges dropped against man arrested after trying to quote Bible to Pride rally attendees; official reportedly says legal action may come against police.”

According to the Lancaster Patriot — which initially covered details of the arrest — an email from Berks County Commissioner Christian Leinbach said “from what I have seen thus far I believe this was an unlawful arrest and could open the City of Reading and their police department to legal action.”

** Legal action! Really! No duh!

It seems to me that Pennsylvania needs to get its act together as the laws   concerning who is allowed to protest and what constitutes an unlawful violent protest need to be the same in both western and eastern Pennsylvania!

6/8/23