The Gettysburg Borough Council called for further public discussions about the hundreds of visibly armed people who showed up in the borough and the Gettysburg National Military Park on July 4, supposedly to protect the Confederate monuments.
Council President Jake Schindel emphasized the importance of the community having an open dialogue moving forward, and said that the focus should be on de-escalation, or “how to let the air out of the balloon without popping it.”
“We as a community need to do better,” Schindel said. “We need to focus on how we come together and have a discussion.”
During public comment, Gettysburg resident Ronald Frenette addressed what he referred to as the “escalation of activity” that occurred on July 4 and within the last few years, describing it as “disturbing on multiple levels.” Frenette said the citizens and businesses of Gettysburg can be harmed by it, and asked that it be followed by “official action of some sort.”
“It matters because in many ways, no matter how many times intimidation and violence have been used to suppress or kill the human spirit, it never is successful,” Frenette said. “What I’m hoping is we can take these people that are using this violence and intimidation as a fear tool and make them recognize that it’s just not successful, and dialogue is actually what we need to get to a new resolution.”
“I hope that our town leadership, in tandem with state and park service officials, can find a way to deescalate the situation,” said Frenette.
Gettysburg Police Chief Robert Glenny described the process the police force undertook to prepare for the visitors as well as any possible threats that might have occurred. Glenny said the department went through many planning sessions and reviewed many Facebook posts to prepare for the events.
“What we did know for the 4th of July is that we were going to have quite the mix of folks in town, from the militia to wherever your ideology falls,” Glenny said.
“I wanted people to feel as safe as they possibly could. It was pretty close to every time you turned a corner you saw a police car,” said Glenny. “We made it through unscathed in terms of serious incidents”
Glenny said the department is investigating a fight, which possibly included firearms, that occurred on July 4 on Steinwehr Avenue. Glenny said the altercation began between two local residents and escalated from there. “If you fight in the Borough of Gettysburg we will take action on that,” said Glenny.
Glenny said the fight was quickly stopped by law enforcement. “Within a couple of minutes we had six or seven police cars on the scene,” said Glenny. “All in all I think we did pretty well from a law-enforcement perspective that day.
Glenny said the investigation is still ongoing and charges will be filed through the District Attorney’s office.
Glenny said the department appreciated “the total outpouring of support we are getting. It’s been difficult for this department lately,” said Glenny
Main Street Gettysburg CEO Deb Adamik spoke about recent conversations she had participated in and the need to talk about the recent crises that have affected the town.
“We need to take a bold stand, and we need to define our values,” Adamik said. “The conservations are starting, and I think the future of Gettysburg has some opportunities for growth.”
My name is Katherine, and I am a graduate student at the Craig Newmark Graduate School of Journalism. I graduated from Fordham University at Lincoln Center in 2018 with a degree in history, and I was one of the news editors for the Observer, the college's student-run newspaper. I love to learn about and cover different communities, and I am very excited to be interning for the Gettysburg Connection this summer and getting to know about all the work being done by the residents in the area.
Charles (Chuck) Stangor is Gettysburg Connection's Owner, Publisher, and Editor in Chief. I would like to hear from you. Please contact me at cstangor@gettysburgconnection.org.
Motorcycle noise, and speed in the downtown area, specially during weekends, is totally out of control!