Residents demand investigation after police action at Chester High homecoming block party

Hundreds of residents who attended Chester High School's homecoming block party on Oct. 18 told City Council on Oct. 22 they want a transparent investigation into police actions that evening, including release and review of body‑worn camera footage and new protocols for policing large community events.

Event organizer Roland Taylor said the block party and related events were permitted, coordinated with the mayor's office and police, and attracted roughly 2,000–3,000 people. Taylor told council the event had been peaceful for most of the day and that he and other organizers attempted to help deescalate as problems began. "Before I could even finish addressing the audience, officers began deploying mace into the crowd, advancing families, elders, young people who were all simply there to celebrate," Taylor said. He asked the council for "a full transparent investigation into the police actions that evening, reviewing all body cam footage," mandatory de‑escalation and crowd‑management training for officers and a written event‑communication protocol requiring…