Overview
- At a Friday news conference Commissioner Bethel acknowledged tactical errors in the response to Pride weekend and said he wanted to explain why officers moved to break up surging crowds.
- City leaders shifted the official Pride festival to the Benjamin Franklin Parkway this year, which Bethel said created simultaneous large gatherings in the Gayborhood that strained police resources.
- Police deployed about 600 officers across both sites but redirected mounted units and motorbike teams to the Gayborhood as a teenage “surge” grew, leading officials to close streets early and make roughly 15 arrests for disorderly conduct or assault.
- Cellphone footage showing metal sidewalk barricades, aggressive crowd-control moves and some officers wearing masks prompted public outcry; Bethel said masks violate PPD policy and internal affairs is investigating the incidents.
- The department has opened an after-action review, pledged to change planning for future Pride events, and will take part in City Council hearings expected this fall that will examine tactics, accountability and community impact.