Allentown activists demand FBI investigation into alleged hate crime against city employee
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A group of Allentown activists held a protest Monday afternoon in front of City Hall, calling for justice and accountability after a noose reportedly was found on the desk of a city employee last week.
Allentown police announced Friday they are investigating an incident in which a Black woman who works for the Community and Economic Development Department discovered an item resembling a noose on her desk when she reported for work that morning.
Protesters called the incident a hate crime and called on the city to bring in the FBI for a thorough investigation, among other demands.
“Acting justly means demanding accountability. It means ensuring that those responsible are brought forth to answer for their cowardly acts,” said Benjamin Hailey, senior pastor at the Union Baptist Church of Allentown. “We will not rest until justice is served in our communities, and yet in our righteous anger let us not descend into hatred ourselves. Instead, let us seek unity. If there ever was a time for us to band together, that time is now.”
Protestors also said that Friday was not an isolated incident. At least 10 city employees have reported facing racism and discrimination at work, according to a 2023 letter from the Allentown NAACP. City Council is pursuing an independent investigation into those allegations and in June hired former FBI agent Scott Curtis to look into the claims, but the investigation is embroiled in a legal dispute with the city administration. The administration contends council did not follow city procedures in hiring Curtis.
In a statement, Allentown Mayor Matt Tuerk called the alleged hate crime “horrible and unacceptable,” and said the city is prepared to “act swiftly to hold any individuals accountable.”
Carol Gonzalez, an Allentown resident, recalled attending Martin Luther King Jr.’s march on Washington when she was 13 years old. Now in her 80s, she says progress fighting racism and inequality has lagged.
“Racism and bigotry is still alive and well and divides us and prevents us from living up to our name, the United States of America,” Gonzalez said.
Josie Lopez, a protest organizer, said the victim of the crime is a good friend of hers. She called on activists to use the FBI’s online tip line to report the incident and call for federal investigators to look into the incident.
“The Allentown Police Department investigation is insufficient for addressing the gravity of this crime,” Lopez said.
She also criticized Tuerk and the narrow City Council majority that, in December, opted to temporarily suspend the lawsuit over Curtis’ hire to lead the investigation. She said Tuerk and council members have stalled an appropriate investigation into alleged city hall discrimination, and “allowed a hate crime to be committed against your employees.”
Activists, among them members of local groups including the NAACP and Promise Neighborhoods, put together a list of demands for the city. In addition to an FBI investigation, activists are calling for:
- an independent investigation led by City Council into racism in City Hall;
- widely available mental health resources for city employees who have been impacted by racism; and
- comprehensive, mandatory anti-racism training for all city employees.
City spokesperson Genesis Ortega said Friday that the incident was immediately reported to Allentown police, and that the administration is fully committed to a thorough investigation. She did not immediately provide a comment on the list of demands from city activists Monday.
Allentown City Council President Cynthia Mota and Vice President Santo Napoli issued a joint statement Monday, which said they intend to move forward with an independent investigation to address allegations of racism from several city employees.
“This investigation will assess existing policies and guide the city in implementing new practices and policies as recommended as well as training to transform the workplace culture,” the statement read.
In an interview, Mota said she is disgusted by the alleged hate crime, and said the idea that council members put a stop to Curtis’ investigation is a “misunderstanding.” She said City Council intends to pay Curtis for his time and hire a law firm to finish the investigation, which would put an end to the legal dispute between City Council and the city administration over Curtis’ hire.
“We are going to make sure that this law firm will complete, in a timely manner, the investigation,” Mota said. “I have been speaking with many of the employees, they want this investigation and they are willing to be interviewed.”
Protesters asked people to attend Allentown City Council’s regular meeting at 6:30 p.m. Wednesday in council chambers to demand justice and accountability.