Thread: Reading, PA RIOT!!!

Hundreds riot at Reading High School; rock injures officer

Some in a crowd of as many as 1,500 high school students throw rocks and bottles at police, block streets and bash cars with baseball bats, authorities say.

By Jason A. Kahl
Reading Eagle
2/28/2008

"Reading, PA - An impromptu celebration of the Dominican Republic’s independence day involving as many as 1,500 students outside Reading High School erupted in violence Wednesday afternoon.

A city police captain was injured and at least a half-dozen students were arrested.

An unruly crowd of 1,000 to 1,500 high school students blocked streets around the school and threw rocks and bottles at police when officers tried to disperse them, authorities said.

Deputy Police Chief Mark E. Talbot Sr. said the violent mob was unprecedented and created one of the scariest situations he’s had in his career in Reading.

Some students hit parked cars with baseball bats, and at least one student was reported hurt after someone hit him in the head with a bat, police said.

About 40 police officers — every on-duty officer in the city — responded to the melee, investigators said.

City police Capt. Edward J. Kosmerl Jr. was treated in Reading Hospital after a rock struck him in the head near 13th and Green streets about 4:30, police said.

Kosmerl was standing on the corner with another officer when a crowd of about 100 youths waving Dominican flags passed on the sidewalk, investigators said.

A few seconds later, a golf-ball size rock thrown by someone in the group hit Kosmerl on the side of the head, police said.

Kosmerl, 59, a 34-year veteran of the force, was taken to the hospital by another officer and received several stitches, according to police. He was home Wednesday night but declined comment.

Acting schools Superintendent Anthony A. Georeno said Wednesday night that students of Dominican descent were involved in a variety of celebrations in the school during the day, including an approved assembly with a speaker.

Georeno said he did not know the name of the speaker nor the topic of his presentation.

High school Principal Wynton Butler could not be reached.

Police said they did not know why the students became unruly as they were dismissed from school.

"There was an assembly, and the kids decided to have a big celebration in the streets," said Lt. Albert E. Evans of the patrol division, who was standing beside Kosmerl when he was attacked. "We had police outside the school like we do every day, but it got way out of hand, so we ended up sending every police officer in City Hall up there."

Even with so many officers on hand, police had a difficult time controlling the crowd.

Police were trying only to contain the students and prevent serious violence, Evans said.

Police said school administrators and staff watched as chaos erupted outside the school and did nothing to help police struggling to control the crowd.

Georeno, who did not witness the melee, said his staff told him the gathering was peaceful before police arrived.


Georeno said a group of students he described as jubilant unfurled a Dominican flag as they left the school and held an impromptu parade.


He said school officials did not intervene because the students were orderly and peaceful as they left school property.


The crowd marched through the area for about 90 minutes before breaking up.


Kosmerl was injured near the end of the demonstration, which progressed from the school at 13th and Douglass streets, down Douglass to Eighth Street, over to Green Street and up Spring Street to 10th and 11th streets, police said.


Many students waved red, white and blue Dominican flags and wore red shirts as they paraded.


Students shook their fists and yelled as cars passed.


Police said some of them were running onto porches shouting. Neighbors did not know what was going on, and police said they were caught off guard.


Police handcuffed about six students and took them to City Hall to be charged. Further information about them was unavailable.


Police Chief William M. Heim said he called retired state Trooper Raymond J. Albert, the school district’s safety coordinator, and told him the department would like to know before something like the parade happens again.


"He said they had the same thing last year with no trouble," Heim said. "But certainly we cannot have 1,000 kids parading through the city and blocking the streets. You need to get a permit for something like that so that we can block off the route and keep traffic moving."

http://readingeagle.com/article.aspx?id=82076

"There was an assembly, and the kids decided to have a big celebration in the streets,"

An assembly for Dominican Republic’s independence day? You who.... School administrators, ever heard of match>gasoline? Nice going... NOT!!!!!!!!!!!!! [/quote]

Of course things got out of hand. These students have seen Mexican students in California claim that state as theirs, show disrespect for our flag and our laws with no consequences. I guess they have decided that they want to claim their share of this country too. As for the school saying the demonstration was peaceful until police showed up - Pu-leeze we all know that is BS. These officials just "didn't want to get involved." It was unruly the moment it became a parade and demonstration without proper permits. Blocking traffic and damaging property can in no way be called a peaceful demonstration.

Unfortunately, these people are (MOD EDIT) that don't belong in society.
Reading is one Pennsylvania city that you DON'T want to live in. It has been invaded. A couple of years ago, I was reading a compendium of crime statistics comparing different cities around the state of Pennsylvania. I live near Scranton, with a population of 77,000. Reading is fairly close, around 80,000. These statistics were for 2005 as I recall. In Scranton, there were 2 murders, in Reading there were 22!!!

All I can say is if they are so dam proud of the Dominican Republic, go the heck back there! What did you leave for????? Losers!

Proud to be Americans...I mean Dominican Republicans, huh??? This is what we have to look forward to. I expect one day that expressing one's pride as an American by waving the American flag will one day be considered blasphemous!

Coming to a city near you...Third World Anarchy!!!

I don't understand why Americans want to celebrate the holiday of a foreign country.

Dixie

Kosmerl was standing on the corner with another officer when a crowd of about 100 youths waving Dominican flags passed on the sidewalk, investigators said.

ISNT DIVERSITY WONDERFUL? Everyone gets to wave all their flags in your faces, EXCEPT the American flag.

Has anyone seen anything about this on CNN, Fox, etc??

Georeno said he did not know the name of the speaker nor the topic of his presentation




Since when does a school official NOT know the name of a speaker, or the topic of a presentation?

And, this was all the fault of the police? The kids were "jubilant" as they left school until...........??

Any bets that the speaker was some militant OBLer who whipped these delinquents into a frenzy and that's the way the school wants it?

So, when do we hear from the ACLU attorneys who are representing these snot faced little rodents?