Black Caucus demands sergeant’s prosecution

MEDIA » The Delaware County Black Caucus on Friday demanded the immediate termination of borough Police Sgt. Robert “Skippy” Carroll, though state Sen. Anthony Williams, D-8 of Philadelphia, went one step further.

“This gentleman should not be fired, this gentleman should be prosecuted,” Williams said during a press conference Friday in front of the Media Courthouse. “All speech is not free.”

Williams pointed to the U.S. Supreme Court’s definition of “fighting words,” or those intended to incite an immediate breach of the peace by provoking a violent reaction. Williams added that Carroll’s remarks on social media last week do not fall under any of three categories for “special capacity in government” that would bar his removal as an officer.

“He decided in this space, in this moment, in this time, in uniform, to say, ‘We the police … will use our positions to shut you down.’ If you cannot trust your police, you cannot have a civil society. If you cannot trust the fact that somebody wearing a blue uniform is there for good, we cannot have a civil society. This gentleman does not just simply require to move on and get out of the way, he deserves the weight, the foot, if not the knee of justice,” Williams said,

Media Police Chief Martin Wusinich did not respond to a call for comment Friday and Carroll could not be reached.

The outrage comes from a comment Caroll, who is an FOP first vice president, posted June 3 on the lodge’s official Facebook page that read, “If you choose to speak out against the police or our members, we will do everything in our power to not support your business.” Then, on his own personal Facebook page, Carroll added, “Try us. We’ll destroy you.” Both comments have been removed.

Carroll has already been the subject of a protest last week, when approximately 60 people stood outside the FOP and demanded his removal. Friday’s event, organized by black caucus, was attended by a score of leaders in the black community and supporters, all of whom again called for some form of official action against the 25-year police veteran.

“The Delaware County Black Caucus is outraged by the public comments made by FOP First Vice President Robert “Skippy” Carroll,” said Yeadon Council President LaToya Monroe, one of five organizers for Friday’s event. “These statements were not only threatening, but represent extortionist behavior, which is an illegal action. Every day we are asked to put our faith and trust in police officers who are sworn to uphold

the law, not break it. For a police Sargent, particularly a member of FOP leadership, to vow to destroy local businesses in Delaware County who do not say positive things about the police is an abuse of power.”

That sentiment was shared by many other speakers Friday, which included Chester Mayor Thaddeus Kirkland, state Sen. Tim Kearney, D-26 of Swarthmore, NAACP Pennsylvania State Conference of Branches and Media Area Unit President Joan Evelyn Duvall-Flynn, Victor Gimenez, pastor of Mt. Zion Methodist Church in Darby, and Yeadon Mayor Rohan K. Hepkins.

“He broke the rule of law trying to intimidate businesses, intimidate individuals, simply because they stood up for what they knew was right, simply because they could not sit back any longer and watch law enforcement personnel not only intimidate and hurt, but in some instances even kill regular citizens,” said Kirkland. ‘This individual took this opportunity to promote and threaten hatred.”

Hepkins in his comments said he did not want Friday’s action to be misconstrued as a denunciation of all police, but said officers must conduct themselves with fairness and impartiality for all citizens, whether they agree with them or not.

“We are pro-police, we are pro-law enforcement,” he said. “But it has to be done and overseen very carefully, and with discretion, and with integrity. We cannot at the same time turn a blind eye to injustice, to bias, to prejudice and to racism from our law enforcement officials, and it starts with our attitudes. Attitudes shape the heart and then the heart shapes our behavior, so we cannot tolerate this type of behavior, which stems from the heart.”

Carroll’s comments came in response to something posted on Facebook by Dan Wolf, owner of Wolf’s Superior Sandwiches in Aston. Wolf previously told the Daily Times he read a post that said, “All lives matter” and responded that he was tired of hearing that.

“Black Lives Matter – it’s not a separatist statement,” he said. “They’re saying, ‘We don’t deserve to die for nothing.’ I am in agreement with that.”

He was questioned on social media whether he believed police officers’ lives matter, to which he said he wrote, “Do they, though?”

Wolf said the ensuing firestorm – in which he received death threats – was a misunderstanding. He and Carroll have since made amends, but Carroll is currently on administrative leave.

Carroll previously issued a statement that reads, “This is a trying time for law enforcement. Officers are being murdered and assaulted at a record pace. Wednesday night, I made a post that was poorly worded and interpreted by some as inciting violence. That was not my intention and I apologize to those who were offended.”

According to data collected by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, 25 law enforcement officers had been reported feloniously killed in 2020 as of June 8. Four of those were victims of an ambush and one was a victim of an unprovoked attack, while 20 others were reported accidentally killed. In the same period for the previous year, 19 officers were feloniously killed and 21 officers were accidentally killed, according to the FBI.

Meanwhile, police departments nationwide have been flooded with complaints of police misconduct at protests against police brutality in the wake of George Floyd’s death while in police custody on May 25.

“We have heard loud and clear the anguish of local residents and those across the country,” the Delco lodge said in a statement Friday. “We have promised to do better and we understand that we’re in this together.”

The lodge reiterated remarks in a prior statement that Carroll had posted an “inappropriate comment” that does not represent the 1,100 police officers or the FOP’s commitment to integrity and professionalism.

“Again, we sincerely apologize for the mistake and ask the business community, our elected leaders and local residents for their forgiveness,” the statement said. “Our members across this great county stand shoulder-to-shoulder with our business community, political leaders and fellow officers in condemning police brutality, racism and discrimination in our respective communities and across the region. Our officers and members pledge to serve the public with respect, dignity and professionalism each and every day.”

Yeadon Council President LaToya Monroe, one of five organizers for Friday’s event, said there is power and strength in a collected voice and thanked all of the elected officials, clergy and other members of the community for coming out Friday, as well as those who issued statements in unity.

Monroe noted Delaware County District Attorney Jack Stollsteimer was not present because he is currently investigating Carroll’s statements. A spokesperson for Stollsteimer said she could not confirm whether an investigation has commenced.

Monroe said Stollsteimer made a “gross lapse in judgment” by being photographed with Carroll after the Facebook posts had been made instead of denouncing them. Stollsteimer issued a statement this week saying the Delaware County Black Caucus rightly called him out on that point.

“His posts were inexcusable, and I should have said so,” said Stollsteimer. “Let me be clear: While we are all imperfect beings, none more imperfect than myself, those of us in public service, and particularly in law enforcement, are rightly held to a higher standard of behavior. Officer Carroll’s words were offensive and have caused harm to people in the community he has sworn to protect. There is no place in this line of work for people who show an animus to members of the diverse community we proudly call Delco.”

Stollsteimer added that there is an enormously difficult task ahead for everyone and urged the community to remember that the law enforcement community is comprised of public servants who are also friends and neighbors.

“Only by working together will we be able to achieve the goals of justice and equality that prompted so many of us out into the streets over the last week,” he said.

State Rep. Margo Davidson, D-164 of Upper Darby, was not at the event but issued a statement denouncing Carroll’s use of the word “destroy” to threaten businesses that she said are on “the right side of history.”

“If this was one moment of misguided passion, his social media posts could possibly be explained, but Mr. Carroll has had a history of troubling points of view — including denouncing education about Martin Luther King Jr., a civil rights icon whose hallmark was nonviolent protest,” said Davidson.

County Councilman Kevin Madden said he was also initially outraged, saddened and horrified by Carroll’s comments, but then saw it as an opportunity to drive the engine of change that he said must take place everywhere – including Delaware County.

“We have to recognize that the original sin on which this country was founded is racism, the original sin on which this county was founded is racism,” he said. “It would be so easy for us to just say, ‘That’s a thing of the past, that doesn’t apply to me, that doesn’t apply to my police officer down the street.’ But it is systemic. It is embedded in the way in which training occurs and the way in which we hire and the way in which law enforcement is perceived – in ways that perhaps many well-intentioned police officers aren’t aware. So we need to use this opportunity for change. We need to use this opportunity to bring everyone together and have the awkward conversations that we have so long tried to ignore and say that they happen elsewhere.”