Backlash Over Montco Commissioner's Comments On Protests

NORRISTOWN, PA — Thousands have signed a petition demanding the resignation of Montgomery County Commissioner Joe Gale after he published a letter defending police and excoriating demonstrators in the wake of the killing of George Floyd. Specifically, Gale called Black Lives Matter a hate group, and compared the riots and looting in Philadelphia and the suburbs in recent days to domestic terrorism.

The letter has drawn a response from numerous local leaders and public figures, including Philadelphia 76ers forward Tobias Harris, who said the letter was "disgusting to read." The Norristown Municipal Council also issued a statement calling for Gale's resignation.

"(Black Lives Matter) screams racism not to expose bigotry and injustice, but to justify the lawless destruction of our cities and surrounding communities," Gale wrote. "Their objective is to unleash chaos and mayhem without consequence by falsely claiming they, in fact, are the victims."

Peaceful demonstrations have taken place in Philadelphia and around the state and nation over the past week protesting the killing of Floyd, 46, by Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin. Video shows Chauvin kneeling on Floyd's neck for nine minutes while Floyd asks for water and repeatedly says he can't breathe.

In many places, including in Philadelphia, these peaceful demonstrations have turned violent, with rioters setting fires, destroying storefronts, and looting businesses. More than a dozen police officers have been injured and hundreds of protesters have been arrested.

Most leaders around the country have used the moment to condemn the killing of Floyd while acknowledging racial injustice and calling for police reform and peaceful protests.

Gov. Wolf urged protesters to "honor democracy" in their demonstrations. Gale called this a "bogus narrative."

"For years, our police men and women have been demonized and degraded by the radical left," he wrote. "As a result of this defamation and character assassination, as well as a complicit media constantly pushing the bogus narrative of systemic police brutality and white racism, law enforcement is afraid to do their job of protecting innocent people and their property."

"I honestly can't believe what I'm reading," Tobias Harris wrote on Twitter. "Black Lives Matter a hate group!? The statement and your whole press release at that is disgusting to read. RESIGN!"

The Change.org petition calling for Gale's resignation, which was shared by Harris, had seen more than 14,000 signatures as of early Tuesday afternoon.

Gale's fellow Montgomery County Commissioner, Ken Lawrence Jr., suggested that Gale had missed the larger point.

"The violence that has erupted in communities across the country and in our region is horrifying," Lawrence wrote in his own statement responding to Gale. "But I watch people condemn it while never mentioning the root causes of systemic racism and the incidents that have led to the destruction. We can and should do both."

Montgomery County Commissioner Val Arkoosh also condemned Gale's words.

"I kneel with every person who protests the loss of Mr. Floyd's life and each life before his," she said. "We must join together to denounce those whose hateful, racist rhetoric seeks to divide us. Today, I denounce the words of Montgomery County Commissioner Joe Gale. I believe we must treat each other with human decency, respect, and kindness. Progress comes when we listen to and learn from each other, lift each other up, and move forward together in our shared humanity."

Some leaders were concerned that the public would mistake Gale's notions for the perspective of local government. Lawrence, specifically, objected to Gale's usage of county letterhead to publish the note.

"Using county letterhead does not mean he speaks for our county government and I do not believe that he speaks for the vast majority of our citizens," Lawrence said.

The Norristown Municipal Council echoed these statements.

"(The statement) was not issued on behalf of the Municipality of Norristown...the views in his statement are in no way a reflection of, or related to, the Municipality of Norristown."

Later, on Tuesday afternoon, the Council called for Gale's resignation in much stronger tones. "Your further declaration that protests have 'enabled a level of unfettered criminality never witnessed before in American history' casually dismisses 246 years of slavery in the United States and generations of continued systematic racism and oppression."

Gale also went on to express support for former Philadelphia Mayor Frank Rizzo, whose statue has been vandalized by protesters in recent days who want it torn down. The idea has been considered by Philadelphia leaders for some time, given controversy over Rizzo's record on issues of race.

"Leaders like Frank Rizzo are needed now more than ever," Gale said on Twitter over the weekend.

Since Gale's letter was published Monday, it was quickly boosted to a national audience. Beyond Harris, blogger Perez Hilton also shared it on Instagram.

Gale, the lone Republican Commissioner in the county and an ardent supporter of President Trump, has long been at loggerheads with Democrats Lawrence and Arkoosh. Most recently, Gale has fervently criticized the Democratic response to the coronavirus crisis, arguing for businesses to reopen, and refusing to wear a mask or get tested for the virus despite known exposure to it.