Feds Arrest West Philly Activist Anthony Smith, Lawyer Says

Federal agents have arrested West Philadelphia activist Anthony Smith on unspecified charges related to protests over police brutality and systemic racism this spring, The Philadelphia Inquirer reports, citing his lawyer. Smith, a 29-year-old teacher and organizer of the Philadelphia Coalition for Racial Economic and Legal Justice, was arrested Wednesday morning along with two others whose names were not immediately provided. William McSwain, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania, said he would announce indictments regarding “police vehicle arsons” from this spring’s protests on Thursday afternoon. Cara McLellen, an NAACP lawyer representing Smith in a civil rights case, questioned the timing of Smith’s arrest, noting it comes the same week police officers fatally shot Black West Philly resident Walter Wallace Jr., causing two nights of protests and civil unrest, and President Trump’s focus on Philadelphia in the run-up to Election Day. “I have grave concerns over the government’s efforts to pursue activists in the context of a protest with federal charges,” said Smith’s personal lawyer, Paul Hetznecker, who declined further comment on the allegations.