‘Plenty of police’: Days after Lemon Hill shooting, Philly police beefed up their presence at Roots Picnic
Concertgoers were mostly just eager to see the performers.
Police were out in force at the Roots Picnic in Fairmount Park on Saturday, just five days after still-unidentified shooters fired into a Memorial Day crowd at nearby Lemon Hill, killing two people and wounding nine others.
The music and concert festival took place at the Mann Center, across the river and about three miles from Lemon Hill, a popular gathering spot that overlooks Boathouse Row. On Saturday before the gates to the venue opened, about seven police cars, a dozen officers, and two ambulances were stationed by the entrance to the Mann. Festival organizers expected nearly 30,000 people to attend each day.
“People can expect to see an increased police presence at various events throughout the city this weekend, including the Roots Picnic,” said Jasmine Colón-Reilly, a police spokesperson.
An officer at the Mann, who spoke on the condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to talk to the media, confirmed that officers from the police department’s counterterrorism unit were also present, mainly for crowd control.
Despite long lines and a two-and-a-half-hour delay opening the gates on Saturday, many concertgoers were just excited to see performers like Maxwell (a last-minute replacement for D’Angelo), Miguel, Meek Mill, and others. They were comforted — or largely unconcerned — by the added police presence.
“There are plenty of police out here,” said Alicia Maulseed, 60, adjusting her Eagles bucket hat. “Things are going to happen … We can’t avoid it. We paid good money to stand in this line, and I know how to run.”
Her friend, Fairhill resident Danielle Myers, 45, said she was pleased to see the number of police officers stationed throughout the park.
“I have seen quite a few, even walking through the crowd, that makes me feel safe,” Myers said.
Star McKinney, who came to Philly from Cleveland, to attend her first Roots Picnic, said she wouldn’t let anything mar the experience.
“When you spend so much money on something like this, you gotta roll with the punches,” she said. “Plus, everywhere you look there’s a cop, so I feel safe.”
Others lamented the heavier-than-usual police presence. Hope Jones, wearing bright pink bows in her hair, said she had briefly interacted with some officers but the experience had left a sour taste in her mouth.
“We asked them for help about the line and they wouldn’t even talk to us,” Jones, 42, said. “That doesn’t make me feel safe, that they will protect me.”
Germantown resident Jalen Harris, 25, said he thought security could have been even stricter.
“Nobody in this crowd got checked for anything yet,” Harris said. “We walked right in.”
It is a busy weekend for big crowds across the city, with West Philly Porchfest, the DIY concert festival, taking place on Saturday, and the Philly Pride March, the Philly Run Fest, and the American Cancer Society Bike-A-Thon all occurring on Sunday, in addition to the two-day Roots Picnic.
The gathering on Memorial Day, when police believe six guns fired dozens of shots into a crowd of young people hanging out at Lemon Hill, was not a formal event like those taking place this weekend.
Two people — Mikhail Bowers, 21, and Amya Devlin, 23 — were killed in the shootings, and nine others were wounded by the gunfire. Police said those nine victims were stable as of Tuesday.
Police have not recovered any of the weapons used or identified any suspects, and do not know what the motives were for the attack, Deputy Police Commissioner Frank Vanore said Thursday. Police believe at least one of the guns was equipped with a switch, allowing it to shoot faster and effectively mimicking a machine gun.
That devastation seemed far away from the eager crowds descending on the Mann Center on Saturday. Tori Wills, 31, woke up early to drive from Baltimore to Philadelphia for the weekend.
“If somebody is going to do something, they are going to do it with or without police presence,” Wills said. While making sure her red sneakers fit snugly, she added, “If it happens, I’m gonna duck, I’m gonna cover, I’m gonna run.”