Discussion leader’s slaying spurs Allentown conversation
Friends, family mourn Johnathan Williams, look to stop violence.
The friends and family of Johnathan Williams buried the 25-year-old father of seven last week, mourning his murder and celebrating his life. But on Saturday, they and members of the Jordan Heights neighborhood in Allentown got together to do what Williams was passionate about — talk about how to improve their community.
More than 100 people assembled at the Dubbs Memorial Community Center to discuss gun violence and strains between residents and police.
Williams was due to lead a discussion on gun violence this Thursday, said Milly Canales, president of the Old Fairgrounds Neighborhood Association. Instead, he was shot outside his home at 12:46 a.m. Jan. 4.
Williams was an emerging voice in the Jordan Heights community, a young man who was not afraid to express his opinions, Canales said. The nonprofit was triyng to get more young people involved by challenging them to step into leadership roles, she said.
Instead, Canales found herself leading the discussion, urging people to not let petty feuds escalate and to cooperate with police when they see crimes occur. That message took on a personal element Saturday as she asked people to help police catch Williams’ killer.
“We ain’t in this room right now because we don’t know something,” she said.
Jennifer Cox, Williams’ mother, agreed. Her son would welcome police to neighborhood barbecues and believed most of them were trying to serve their communities. Social media magnifies cases of police abuse, she said, but she considers those instances outliers.
Allentown police Capt. Glenn Granitz would not discuss the homicide investigation other than to say it is ongoing.
But he did remember Williams fondly Saturday, saying he connected with Williams after they kept seeing each other at community events. Williams was a dynamic young man who was quick to make friends and dedicated to creating a youth recreation center to help keep children out of trouble, he said.
Granitz said he was personally upset by Williams’ murder. He, Canales, City Councilwoman Cynthia Mota and Shalon Buskirk, director of the Zero Youth Violence Summit, gathered a few days later to try to make sense of it.
“If this happened to Johnathan, this young man we’ve watched grow up, this man with all these connections, what are the four of us not doing well enough?” he said.
The group discussion was not without tension. One young man noted the history of abuse and harassment minorities have suffered from law enforcement. The lack of trust and cooperation is born from that experience, he said.
Another, Patrick Palmer, agreed, saying police needed to be the ones to bring about change. Police brutality, he noted, existed long before social media.
“With all due respect, you’re having this conversation with the wrong people. The conversation should be a few blocks from here in the government center,” Palmer said.
In the meantime, the Jordan Heights community will try to find other young adults to fill the role Williams was growing into. Hasshan Batts, operations manager for Allentown Promise Neighborhood, said he hosted an intergenerational barbecue to get young people talking with community leaders about Allentown’s needs.
Williams and two other young men attended, and Williams hit it off with the old folks in the crowd, Batts said. But now?
“Two are locked up for gun charges, and then there’s Johnathan,” he said.
Last week, police released surveillance footage on Facebook showing two men in hoodies walking on the 600 block of West Liberty Street at 12:46 the morning of the shooting before running away minutes later. Anyone who can help identify the men is asked to call detectives at 610-437-7721.