Erie resident urges council to act after local killings, leads crowd in saying victim’s name

Summary

Mimi O'Connor used public comment time at the Jan. 27 Erie County Council meeting to call for action on racial injustice after the July killing of Marcela Woodard and to cite a January 21 ruling in a separate case; she urged officials that “silence is complicity” and led attendees in saying the name “Cello.”

Mimi O'Connor, an Erie resident, told the Erie County Council on Jan. 27 that community members are being “broken” by repeated incidents of violence and urged elected officials to use their offices to address racial injustice.

O'Connor cited two recent cases and described the emotional toll on families and the community, saying that when she hears “breaking news” it underscores how everyone is affected. She told the council “silence is complicity” and asked officials to join her in continuing to give voice for justice in the community. As she closed, O'Connor led the room in repeating the name “Cello” three times to honor the unarmed Black man referenced in her remarks.

The speaker also referenced a ruling on Jan. 21 that she said bound over charges against a probation officer in a separate fatal shooting and said the community must continue pressing for accountability and change "in small ways, in large ways, in every way." The comments were delivered during the meeting's public-comment period; the council did not take formal action on the subject during the session.