Cellphone video<\/a> shows officers using their bicycles to push people back. <\/p>\nThe crowds shifted to the Gayborhood on Sunday after the big Pride festival and march wrapped up on the Benjamin Franklin Parkway. Philadelphia Police Commissioner Kevin Bethel, in a statement, said as the crowds grew, so did the problems they had to address.<\/p>\n
\u201cAs crowd sizes increased in the Gayborhood, officers responded to a growing number of public safety concerns, including fights, disorderly behavior, blocked roadways, and the challenges associated with safely managing large crowds in a confined area,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
Bethel said the decision was made to clear parts of the area.<\/p>\n
\u201cThat decision was not made in any way, shape or form because people were celebrating Pride,\u201d he said. \u201cIt was made because officers were increasingly dealing with public safety issues and reached a point where we could no longer safely maintain the conditions that existed on those blocks.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThe way they police our community on days of celebration is different from the way they police other communities when they\u2019re celebrating,\u201d activist Christian Orr said to NBC10. \u201cI got caught through the crosshairs and they pushed me to the ground and scraped my knee.\u201d<\/p>\n
Fourteen people were arrested for disorderly conduct on Sunday, and one person was arrested for aggravated assault on a police officer.<\/p>\n
City Councilmember Rue Landau, in a statement<\/a>, said \u201cpolice brutality has no place at Pride.\u201d She said her office has heard from many outraged members of the LGBTQ+ community.<\/p>\n\u201cI have contacted the PPD and other City departments to understand what happened and get clarity on the PPD\u2019s strategy,\u201d Landau said. <\/p>\n
Bethel said officials are encouraging those who felt like they were treated unprofessionally to contact the police department. <\/p>\n
\u201cWe also recognize that this occurred in the Gayborhood and understand the concerns that many members of the LGBTQ+ community have expressed as a result. Those concerns are being taken seriously, and we are conducting a full after-action review of yesterday\u2019s operations,\u201d Bethel said.<\/p>\n