Black Lives Matter protests impact Butler County
The death of George Floyd at the hands of police in Minneapolis on May 25 spurred protests across the country, but in Butler County the unrest resulted in social anxiety.
Rumors of out-of-state rioters prompted some local residents to counter the protests in Butler.
In downtown Butler on May 31, men and women stood casually with semi-automatic weapons and shotguns on street corners with the intention of protecting local businesses following social unrest in downtown Pittsburgh. A Facebook post called for a riot in Diamond Park, but it never materialized.
One hundred or so protesters — many of them holding signs in support of Floyd and Black Lives Matter — flanked both sides of Main Street in the shadows of the courthouse.
On June 2, social media sparked concerns that out-of-town protesters would run amok in Saxonburg.
The rumored protest led to residents lining Saxonburg's West Main Street, many dressed in army fatigues and armed with assault rifles and pistols.
About 15 police officers and other authorities converged on the borough in anticipation of violence, Saxonburg Police Chief Joe Beachem said.
But the violence never occurred. Instead, a handful of area residents gathered to protest Floyd's death.
“Every human is made in the image of God, but if you don't believe that, it's hard to see them as valuable as yourself,” said Ben Case, 29, who is the youth and adult director at Saxonburg Presbyterian Church. “I think that's why people don't understand why black lives matter.”Jordan M. Erdos of Butler went down to one of the Pittsburgh protests, according to police, where he allegedly attacked a broadcast news cameraman and damaged a Pittsburgh police vehicle during a Black Lives Matter rally in May.He was charged with aggravated assault and rioting, both felonies, and misdemeanor charges of recklessly endangering another person and disorderly conduct for his alleged actions at the rally, according to court records. His case remains active.On July 13, Gov. Tom Wolf signed two bills into law in response to calls for police reform.One aims for mental health evaluations for law enforcement members across the state, and the other calls for greater background checks for new hires at law enforcement agencies.“A little over a month ago, I met with leaders of Black communities in Philadelphia and Harrisburg to discuss ways we can improve law enforcement to make our commonwealth safer for every Pennsylvanian,” Wolf said at the time. “Today, I am signing two bills that will take steps toward achieving this goal.”
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