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.
