Pence draws crowd at Cops for Trump event in Greensburg

Applause and cheers filled South Main Street in Greensburg Thursday as Vice President Mike Pence touted a pro-police stance during a campaign event in a parking lot next to the city police station.

He promised the 400 or so people in attendance that President Trump and the rest of the administration will “back the blue.”

“We must restore law and order to the cities and our communities, for every American, of every race and creed and color,” he said, followed by chants of “USA” from the crowd.

Pence spoke for about 30 minutes during the Cops for Trump event that was attended by current and retired police officers in Westmoreland County as well as a throng of political supporters from throughout the region. Other officers from various county departments and state police were on duty outside the event to help with traffic control and protection.

Two Pittsburgh Police officers who were part of Pence’s motorcade were treated at a hospital after being involved in a crash at 11:40 a.m. on Route 837 in White Oak.

Many in attendance wore Trump paraphernalia while a city park about a mile away hosted a Rally for Black Lives in the morning. A few protesters stood near City Hall during the Pence event and held up signs that promoted Black Lives Matter and called for the president’s impeachment.

St. Clair Township Police Chief Fran Plummer said he knows all too well the dangers of policing and the risks officers take on a daily basis.

Plummer was on the force in 2015 when Officer Lloyd Reed was gunned down while responding to a domestic call in nearby New Florence. The man who fired the fatal shots was acquitted of murder charges by a Westmoreland County jury in 2018.

“This is definitely a pro-police rally, and we’re here to help our fellow officers,” Plummer said.

Retired Westmoreland County detective and state trooper Bob Weaver attended the rally with members of the Blue Knights Pennsylvania motorcycle club.

“The biggest issue, I think, is law and order,” he said. “No matter what happens, people have to be safe. There’s a lot of good police officers out there.”

Pence discussed issues police face and the policies of Trump and his 2020 opponent, Democrat Joe Biden. Trump signed an executive order last month that would, among other things, use financial incentives to encourage police to adopt co-responder programs and establish a database of officers with histories of complaints against them.

“We’re going to back the blue with more resources and more support,” he said. “We’re going to back the blue by making more resources available to law enforcement agencies all across the country at every level.”

Westmoreland County was a key part of Trump’s 2016 victory in Pennsylvania, which helped secure the presidency. Trump won the county by more than 30 percentage points and nearly doubled the vote total of Hillary Clinton.

Joe Latstik of Greensburg, outfitted in a red Trump hat, said he has brought cookies to a local police department in recent weeks to show his support.

“Police are important, and we can’t defund the police,” Latstik said.

Ginger Belback of Greensburg called Pence’s message “absolutely wonderful,” and she was proud he picked the city for a visit.

“I think it means a lot because I think we’re always overlooked as the little communities,” she said. “I think him coming in here opened the door for us to say who we are as a people and what we stand for as well.”

The crowd at the event easily surpassed the 250 permitted for outdoor gatherings under orders from Gov. Tom Wolf to curtail the spread of coronavirus.

It appeared about half of those in attendance wore masks. About 200 chairs were spaced out. Security guards attempted to get those standing to spread apart, and an announcement beforehand reminded attendees to wear masks and keep their distance from others.

Democratic leaders decried the campaign event and the administration’s response to the pandemic.

“As the chair of the coronavirus task force, Vice President Pence should be thinking about how to help families in places like Westmoreland County, not attending a campaign event,” said Tara Yokopenic, Westmoreland County Democratic Committee chairwoman.

Kate Bedingfield, Biden’s deputy campaign manager and communications director, agreed.

“Right now, as Southwestern Pennsylvania struggles to contain the coronavirus pandemic — and countless Pennsylvanian families and communities deal with grief and anxiety — the very last thing the hard-working men and women in the region need is another Mike Pence photo-op.”

Greensburg Police Chief Robert Stafford said he didn’t have involvement with the rally coming to town and couldn’t say why the Trump campaign selected the city.

“It’s an honor to have the vice president of our United States in our town, whether Republican or Democrat,” he said.