Residents urge Scranton to strengthen hate-crime response after downtown rallies

Several residents used the council’s public-comment period to describe violent confrontations at recent local rallies and to call for clearer police and district attorney guidance on hate-crime charging and pretrial detention.

Angela Ramon, who identified herself as a Scranton resident, praised the city for defending its decision to fly the pride flag but said recent protests included violent assaults and hateful slurs that she believes were not recorded as hate crimes. Ramon said one woman was punched after a local rally and that the assailant had hurled slurs at people prior to the assault; she urged the city to review laws and prosecutorial practices so police and the district attorney have clear guidance in cases involving hateful rhetoric.

Riley Richards, a resident and volunteer marshal at a recent anti-war rally, described a separate episode in which an individual attending the rally repeatedly shouted Holocaust denial and later attacked a rabbi and others. Richards said bystanders intervened and restrained the man after he pushed toward the rabbi, and that law enforcement arrested the person on disorderly conduct and public intoxication charges; Richards said no charges related to assault or hate-related conduct were initially filed and that the person had been released on bail. He urged the mayor to issue a statement condemning acts of hatred and requested clearer protocols for charging and pretrial decisions in violent incidents accompanied by hateful speech.

Council members and the mayor’s office did not take immediate action on the floor during public comment but attendees asked the administration and the district attorney’s office to review existing ordinances and charging practices. Residents requested better documentation and reporting standards so that incidents involving hateful language and subsequent physical assaults are evaluated consistently for possible hate-crime enhancements.

The remarks were part of a broader set of public comments at the meeting that also covered parking, code enforcement and blight. Councilmembers acknowledged the incidents and said they would follow up with administration staff; no policy changes or formal directives were recorded during this meeting.