Allegheny County Councilwoman Bethany Hallam ripped over controversial retweet
The Allegheny County Police Association wants an Allegheny County Council member to resign over a comment on Twitter referring to violence against police that it says “was irresponsible at best, and criminal at worst.”
The council member is Bethany Hallam, a Democrat from Ross Township who holds an at-large seat. On Sunday, she replied to a Twitter post for an event called “Defend Our Democracy,” which she is listed as co-hosting. The original post depicts a burning police car with two persons celebrating. In her reply, she wrote, “Never burned a police car myself! But (expletive) yeah, let’s riot against fascism!!!!”
The police association statement said, “If she cannot condemn this type of behavior, she should remove herself as a representative of Allegheny County.”
Hallam could not be reached for comment Monday or Tuesday. She won a seat on the Allegheny County Council in the November 2019 election.
Hallam told Tribune-Review news partner WPXI-TV that she was taken out of context in responding to a social media post by the county’s Republican Committee that ripped a voting rally sponsored by an organization called the Alliance for Police Accountability.
Mike Opferman, president of the police association, declined to comment beyond the association statement.
Joe Napsha is a TribLive reporter covering Irwin, North Huntingdon and the Norwin School District. He also writes about business issues. He grew up on Neville Island and has worked at the Trib since the early 1980s. He can be reached at jnapsha@triblive.com.
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