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The leader of a Philadelphia offshoot of the Black Panther Party for Self-Defense was charged with a firearms crime for carrying a concealed gun without a permit in the city of Chester<\/a> \u2014 and the group\u2019s growing visibility in the Delaware County<\/a> community is sparking a clash with the city\u2019s mayor. <\/p>\n Paul Birdsong, who founded Philly\u2019s Panther group, was arrested this summer during what the group says was an armed community patrol of Chester\u2019s streets. <\/p>\n Birdsong had been carrying two holstered handguns, one of which police said was partially obstructed by his waistband and constituted carrying a concealed weapon, according to the affidavit of probable cause for his arrest.<\/p>\n Birdsong, 40, is out on bail and appeared earlier this month in Magisterial District Court, where a judge ruled he should stand trial for that crime. <\/p>\n The judge dismissed two counts of disorderly conduct and one count of resisting arrest stemming from the July 11 incident, court records show. <\/p>\n Birdsong\u2019s arrest, as well as the arrest of another Panthers member in Chester in August, marked the latest run-in between police and the armed citizens group, which is styled after the 1960s political and militant organization. The Panthers first made headlines this winter during anti-ICE protests during which they carried assault-style weapons in Center City<\/a>. <\/p>\n Panthers members say they are Second Amendment advocates and regularly conduct patrols in the name of public safety. They say the guns are not meant to intimidate, but to deter crime and encourage responsible firearms ownership. The group also holds weekly giveaways of food and essential supplies for those in need. <\/p>\n But Chester Mayor Stefan Roots has decried the group\u2019s foray in the city, saying its presence has created \u201chorrible optics\u201d<\/a> as officials try to reduce gun violence, especially among young people. <\/p>\n To address the Panthers\u2019 presence, Roots and members of Chester City Council met with Birdsong and other members in a closed-door meeting on Tuesday. <\/p>\n Councilmembers appeared to have left the meeting with supportive views of the group. But tensions flared when Roots grew frustrated during talks and abruptly left the gathering early, according to Birdsong. <\/p>\n Roots declined to comment Tuesday, saying only that he had not been aware of the Panther members\u2019 arrests. He did not immediately respond to an additional request for comment Wednesday. <\/p>\n Birdsong made headlines in May when Philadelphia police revoked his city-issued gun license<\/a> along with those of four other Panthers. <\/p>\n