Philly Anti-Capitalist Philly Anti-authoritarian News

from Mainstream Media

Dressed in banana suits, Donald Trump masks, and green alien costumes, hundreds of people descended on Philadelphia during the weekend for a series of car meetups — a night of mayhem participants have dubbed “Project X” online and that resulted in police officers being surrounded and, in some cases, attacked in their cars.

Law enforcement said the meetups, which included people drag racing, doing doughnuts, and exploding fireworks, spanned the city, with at least 11 events from the Northeast to Southwest to right outside City Hall. Across more than seven hours Saturday night and into Sunday morning, police trailed the groups in what they described as a game of “whack-a-mole,” arriving just in time for the crowds to rapidly disperse, then move to a new location.

In multiple instances, including around 4:30 a.m. in front of City Hall, responding police were greatly outnumbered by the crowds that in some places lit fires in the streets. Videos shared on Instagram showed dozens of people surrounding one officer’s car, jumping onto the hood and hanging off the back while filming themselves. People threw traffic cones into the officer’s windshield and at one point, opened the cruiser’s back door. Another video showed a small number of baton-wielding officers running through smoke-filled streets as people fled in all directions. Most appeared to have escaped.

The scenes quickly went viral online and became talking points for Republicans. The GOP-controlled House Judiciary Committee posted on X that “you’re not safe in Democrat-run Philadelphia,” and Elon Musk shared the video, saying it resembled a scene from The Joker.

In total, five police cars were damaged through the night, police said, and one 39th District officer suffered minor injuries after his vehicle was struck by another car, which then fled the scene.

Car meetups, also known as “takeovers” or “slide shows,” aren’t new or unique to Philly and they’ve been going on for years. But police said the events this past weekend went beyond what they typically encounter in size, scope, and aggression and that they believe it was in retaliation for the department’s heightened efforts in recent months to arrest and fine those who participate.

Police said they arrested only three people across Saturday night and Sunday morning. Jhonny Martinez, a 19-year-old from Upper Darby, was charged with recklessly endangering another person after police said he crashed into a pole at Third Street and Pattison Avenue in South Philadelphia while fleeing officers. He has been released from custody on his own recognizance, according to court records.

Two teens were also arrested and issued code violation notices, police said. Officials declined to name them because they are juveniles.

Police said 15 spectators were cited and nine were fined under the city’s nuisance car ordinance — which carries a $2,500 penalty — in Southwest Philadelphia.

The meetup was organized with drivers, or “sliders,” from across the region, from New York to North Carolina and Virginia, as a final ode to summer, said a 19-year-old from Long Island who drives a black Camaro. He asked not to be identified so he could speak openly about the illegal racing scene, which he has participated in for about five years.

The event, like most meets, was organized through Instagram stories, he said, and was called “Project X,” a nod to the 2012 film about high schoolers who host an unruly party.

“That was probably one of the biggest meets we’ve had on the East Coast in like two years,” he said of the turnout.

It was Philly’s spectators who sowed chaos, he said, adding that he and other drivers have tried to discourage people from lighting fires and fireworks. It gives the thrill-seeking hobby a bad rap, he said.

“We don’t like that, we yell at people. There’s been fights multiple times because of it,” he said of the spectators’ behavior. “In every other state, we do the same [stuff]. But these guys in Philly … we call them crash outs.”

He said that they moved to multiple locations through the night in their cars, and that he was surprised by the limited police response at each location.

“As soon as they said City Hall, I knew all hell was going to break loose,” he said.

Another man, who described himself as an independent journalist who films the meetups, said drivers “want somewhere to do this legally with no repercussions.” The man, who asked not to be identified to discuss events that are illegal, said many racing tracks have restrictions or are shutting down, making it “hard to find a place to keep this off the streets.”

Law enforcement wasn’t sympathetic, and said they were reviewing camera footage and social media posts to identify the people involved.

“This is not a victimless crime,” said Adam Geer, Philadelphia’s director of public safety. “They’re putting people’s lives in danger.”

from Mainstream Media

Multiple Philadelphia police officers were attacked and their vehicles damaged while trying to break up nearly a dozen illegal car meetups throughout the city late Saturday into Sunday morning, police said, causing mayhem and rattling the nerves of residents in nearby neighborhoods.

Investigators said there were 11 large meetups, some of which drew more than 200 cars, as well as a series of other smaller gatherings, scattered throughout nearly every corner of the city, from Northeast to Southwest.

The wild scenes unfolded over the course of seven hours, with the first reported to police at 9:30 p.m. on Bustleton Avenue near Bleigh Avenue in Rhawnhurst. During that incident, 50 cars gathered at the scene, which drew multiple spectators. An arrest warrant was issued for one of the drivers, whom police did not identify, after they hit an uninvolved car while attempting to flee. Officers issued nuisance citations to nine other drivers and 15 spectators.

An officer responding to an assist call nearby was hurt after his vehicle was struck by a car fleeing that meetup, police said.

Other meetups saw attendees building bonfires, setting off fire crackers, and in one instance shooting a flamethrower as drivers revved and screeched through the streets, doing doughnuts, hanging out of their cars, and leaving massive scenes of smoke in their wake, according to investigators.

Deputy Police Commissioner Francis Healy said at a news conference Sunday that officials believe the aggressive behavior was in retaliation to the department’s increased enforcement against the meetups in recent months.

Investigators were poring over video and evidence, working to identify people involved, he said.

”We have your picture. We’re coming for you. If you think you got away last night, you didn’t,” Healy said of the drivers. “We’re coming with search warrants, and we’re coming with arrest warrants, so don’t think we’re going to lay down and allow this to happen in our city.”

Deputy Police Commissioner Michael Cram said Sunday that fireworks and fires have become a standard part of the gatherings, with drivers circling around the flames to hype up the crowd. The groups often even have camera crews with them, he said, and frequently make videos for their social media profiles.

Cram said that a team of officers is deployed each weekend to respond to and try to prevent the meetups from forming, but they’re difficult to police. As quickly as they form, he said, the groups disperse. Officers cannot chase after the cars for safety reasons, and when an officer is surrounded, their car sometimes being attacked, it’s not safe for them to even get out of their vehicle, Healy said.

”It’s like a game of whack-a-mole,” said Cram.

Other meetups were reported in South Philadelphia, Southwest Philadelphia, and Center City, according to police. At a 4 a.m. meetup at Island and Bartram Avenues, more than 200 cars were drifting — speeding and whipping the tail end of the vehicle around — and drag racing. Officers who responded were attacked and a vehicle was damaged, police said.

Additional officers were attacked just after 4:30 a.m. at 15th and Market Streets, where more than 100 cars were reportedly drifting, and spectators were setting trash fires, police said. Five police vehicles were damaged, their windshields broken and tires flattened by spectators.

Police made two arrests at 20th Street and Pattison Avenue after a car fleeing an 11:47 p.m. meetup there crashed into a pole. Investigators did not identify the driver or the passenger, a juvenile, but said they lived nearby.

City Council President Kenyatta Johnson, in whose district that meetup was held, said Sunday that events like it are a “matter of public safety that can have deadly consequences for unsuspecting drivers, pedestrians and neighborhood residents.”

“Philadelphia City Council members will continue to work with the Police Department and Mayor Cherelle Parker’s administration on solutions to this issue citywide,” Johnson said. “I also urge the Philadelphia District Attorney’s Office to prosecute anyone arrested in connection with this weekend’s illegal car meetups, including the injuring of police officers, to the fullest extent of the law.”

Car meetup culture has become a fixture of the city in the last few years, organized and advertised over social media. The unsanctioned, illegal gatherings block intersections and close streets, and have led to violence.

In June 2023, 18-year-old Anthony Allegrini Jr. of Glen Mills was killed by Pennsylvania State Police troopers after he struck two troopers with his Audi S4 while trying to flee a car meetup that shut down I-95 near Penn’s Landing. Two other assaults during that meetup were captured by bystander video.

Later that year, on Oct. 1, Cody Heron, 27, brandished a gun and headbutted Nikki Bullock near Philadelphia City Hall as she was delivering for Uber Eats with her children in the car. Heron pleaded guilty to two counts of aggravated assault and one count of possession of an instrument of a crime.

He was sentenced to one to four years in state prison and five years’ probation. Prosecutors have said Heron, of Frankford, was part of an ATV and motorcycle meetup that illegally drove through Center City.

People who live near the site of some of this weekend’s car meetups say they are frustrated over inaction by the city. The city’s Nuisance Car Ordinance, which carries a hefty $2,500 fine, has been an effective tool for the last month, according to police officials.

But some residents, including Drew Murray, say the city needs to find a permanent solution to the issue.

Murray, vice president of Logan Square Neighborhood Association, said Sunday that he expects to field multiple phone calls this week from frustrated neighbors after a meetup was held this weekend at 23rd and Spring Garden Streets, one of many in recent months.

”It’s clearly becoming an issue,” Murray said. ”It’s extremely dangerous for people in the community. It’s a quality-of-living issue.”

Murray, who ran as a Republican for City Council last year, says he plans on bringing his neighbors’ concerns to their local police district.

”Police don’t want to make a situation even more dangerous by chasing these cars or doing something that could put other pedestrians and other people in danger,” he said. “But we will absolutely be in contact with the district and work with them to hopefully see what we can do going forward to prevent this.