Protest in Vandergrift canceled after organizers say they received threats

A protest in Vandergrift to support the Black Lives Matter movement has been canceled after organizers said they received numerous threats.

Cicily Bailey, 19, said she came up with the idea to organize a march in honor of George Floyd.

She started a group chat with a few close friends, and they decided to hold the event from noon to 8 p.m. Thursday at Vandergrift’s Casino Theatre. Bailey created a Facebook group with all the organizers around noon Tuesday, and everyone started spreading the word through their own channels.

When Facebook users began posting about the protest on community pages, Bailey said the message seemed to get twisted. She said she received a swift flood of criticism. A post on one Facebook page received more than 800 comments, and more than half were negative, Bailey said.

“I don’t think they really understood what we were trying to do. They thought we just wanted to riot and break things,” said Bailey, who lives in Vandergrift. “I just wanted to bring awareness to what has been happening — the police brutality.”

But many Facebook users expressed concern the protest would draw people from outside of Vandergrift who might incite violence or destroy property. Some said the threats were not directed toward the peaceful protesters but were from people vowing to protect themselves and their property.

Some peaceful protests in Pittsburgh this week have ended in riots and looting.

Several Vandergrift residents told the Tribune-Review they did not want the protest to take place.

Karen McClarnon, a council­woman, said she plans to support the protest if people gather. Given recent events, she said she understands why some may fear it could escalate.

“I really want to see justice being served,” she said. “I just don’t want violence.”

Bailey said she received several threatening messages.

One person posted a picture of a box of bullets with the caption “time for a good cleaning of the world,” Bailey said. Another person said they would come to the protest to “shed blood.” Countless others were profane and racist, she said.

“I knew there was going to be hate, but I didn’t think it was going to be this bad,” she said. “That was naive on my part. I didn’t think it was going to be this extreme.”

Bailey and other organizers tried to quell the backlash. They explained they had obtained a permit from the Vandergrift Police Department. Officers were even planning to march with the protesters, Bailey said.

Police Chief Joseph Caporali could not be reached for comment Wednesday.

By Tuesday evening, Bailey felt overwhelmed and afraid. The organizers decided to cancel the event.

In a small town like Vandergrift, where almost everyone is familiar with their neighbors, the insults felt personal and the threats felt credible, she said.

Another organizer, Brianna Pearson, 23, of Vandergrift, was exasperated by the response. She began commenting on Facebook posts, claiming to be the sole organizer, trying to take the heat off Bailey.

The backlash seemed hypocritical, Pearson said. Protests supporting the Second Amendment held in the borough in years past drew participants who openly carried weapons downtown. Now, she said, it felt like her First Amendment right to free speech was in jeopardy.

She said many people were outraged that the protest was canceled and vowed to arrive at the Casino Theatre anyway.

“I feel like I shouldn’t have felt scared or ashamed to express how I feel in my town,” she said.

While much of the backlash was due to fears of rioting and destruction of property, Pearson said the threats are indicative of a larger issue in Vandergrift and other small towns.

“As soon as it has to do with race, people really get defensive here,” she said. “And honestly, I believe a lot of closeted racism is going on in this town that no one wants to accept in themselves. That’s all the more reason to actually have a demonstration here, instead of just in Pittsburgh.”

Bailey and Pearson, both of whom are black, said they still hope to organize a peaceful protest for a date to be determined. They don’t want to be deterred by hateful messages, Bailey said.