Nearly 70 people turned out Monday night for Quakertown Borough Council’s work session, filling the meeting room and prompting officials to direct some attendees to an overflow room with a live feed as public outrage continued to build over last week’s student walkout and the police response that followed.
Council President Donald Rosenberger opened the meeting with a brief statement acknowledging the community’s anger and anxiety, while emphasizing that the borough would not discuss specifics because the Bucks County District Attorney’s Office is investigating the incident at the borough’s request.
“All of council is very disturbed by the circumstances surrounding this incident,” Rosenberger said. “We do not condone the actions of anyone who breaks the law.”
Rosenberger said the borough and its police department were “fully cooperating” with the investigation and would not comment further until it concluded. He also announced that, while public comment is typically required only from borough residents and taxpayers under the Sunshine Act, council would accept comment from anyone living within the Quakertown Community School District because the incident involved district students.
“If you are not such a resident, we will not accept public comment from you,” Rosenberger said, adding that the crowd required an overflow room and that people who spoke might be asked to step out to make room for others.
The borough solicitor followed with firm ground rules, repeatedly instructing speakers to direct remarks to council, avoid addressing audience members, and refrain from personal attacks or derogatory language. The solicitor also said council would enter executive session after public comment and that the meeting would end afterward.
From there, the microphone became a relay baton passed from resident to resident, with many speakers describing what they said they saw on video, what they experienced in town that day, and what they believed council needed to do next. A recurring demand ran through much of the comment: immediate suspension or removal of Police Chief Scott McElree, who also serves as borough manager, and advocacy for the release of five students speakers said were being held in detention.
Calls for suspension, release of students, and a public accounting
Laura Foster, who identified herself as the co-founder of Upper Bucks United, told council the community had been shaken “to its core” and urged immediate action.
“We are calling for the immediate suspension of the chief of police,” Foster said, describing what she called “100% egregious” conduct and questioning why McElree was present “in plain clothes” and why he entered a situation involving minors without identifying himself.
“Why was Scott present at a student protest in plain clothes? Why did he insert himself into a situation involving children without first identifying himself or assessing the circumstances? These are not rhetorical questions. They deserve answers,” Foster said.
Foster also urged the borough to “publicly advocate for the immediate release” of five students, noting that some were “as young as 15 years old,” and argued that council’s responsibility was “not only administrative. It is moral.”
“We are not here for politics. We are here for accountability, transparency, and protection of our children,” Foster said. “The world is watching you now. Do not be on the wrong side of history.”
Wes, who said he lived on East Broad Street in Trumbauersville, framed the issue as a leadership and workplace-culture problem, telling council he was “outraged at the culture that allowed this to happen.”
“I try to find the words to find out what would allow this person, Scott, to be still in this job, knowing you know him. Do you know what he's like? Do You know who he is? Is it cronyism? Is it silent complicity?” he asked. “Something needs to change. He needs to be fired,” he said.
Frank Bauer, a father of three daughters who also identified himself as a member of the U.S. Air Force, told council the reason Quakertown was under a spotlight was not the student walkout itself, but the response to it.
“Student demonstrations happened in communities across this country,” Bauer said. “The reason the eyes of the public are now on Quakertown is because of the response to those students. Public video and credible reporting have raised serious questions about deescalation and treatment of minors.”
Bauer also said that, in his experience, even military law enforcement places limitations on chokeholds and other high-risk uses of force, generally reserving them for situations involving serious threats, and said that was why the reported conduct troubled many residents.
“In my experience, even military law enforcement operates under limitations regarding choke holds and other high-risk pieces of force, generally reserving them for situations involving serious or deadly threats,” he said.
Evan Smith, of Richlandtown Pike, who acknowledged Council Vice President Jim Roberts as a member of his parish, spoke about growing up in Quakertown and urged council members to reflect on their own youth.
“I have a lot of great memories growing up here in Quakertown. Not one of those memories involves being chokeslammed by a plainclothes cop,” Smith said. “You're familiar with how protests work, how peaceful protests work, and what happens when law enforcement crosses that line, which is what we saw happen last week.”
Smith said the students -- being referred to colloquially as The Quakertown 5 -- deserve protection.
“These kids deserve to learn that what they're doing is their civic duty and that they should be protected by the cops, not afraid of them. I'm going to leave you with this because I'll keep this very short. Jim, everyone else here, I know a lot of you consider yourselves Christians: Jesus said to suffer the little children, not make them suffer,” Smith said.
Another Quakertown Community School District parent told council the event is being seen nationally and it does not make Quakertown look good.
“No matter how you slice it, no matter what that teenager was doing, who was like a third of his size, I can't think of anything she could have been doing that would have warranted that kind of response. I don't know why that was appropriate response,” he said. “It was completely uncalled for and while people are saying uh he should be fired, I think needs to resign. I think that resigning would bring more credibility back to the police force.”
The resident said he read that Quakertown Community High School has a ratio of teachers to students of 1:17. With 35 students at the protest, there had to have been a smaller ratio than compared to teachers.
“Law enforcement should be able to handle teenagers as well as teachers do,” he said.
Students describe fear and lingering anxiety
Several students spoke about what they said they witnessed and how it affected their sense of safety.
One student speaker, Colin, who said he was present at the protest, described feeling afraid and said he did not feel safe returning to school or walking to and from school. He asked that those arrested be released to their parents and said he believed all officers present should be investigated.
“I remember being very afraid at the time that everything was happening and I that is just simply not okay in any regard,” he said. “I do not feel very safe going back to school tomorrow. I do not feel safe having to walk to school tomorrow. I do not feel safe walking back home from there. I do not feel many of my friends are safe. And I feel that everybody who was arrested at the scene should be released to their parents immediately,” he said. “In addition to the chief, I believe that every police officer that was present on the scene that day should be investigated as to their actions at the scene.”
Another student speaker compared the borough’s handling of protests across multiple years and said there had been “failure” at multiple levels, including council, the borough and the school. The student described prior demonstrations and argued that protesters had repeatedly been pushed aside or managed in ways that minimized their visibility. The student called the situation “disgusting” and began to continue before the remarks cut off in the transcript provided.
“There is a failure to not only see justice for the students, but see justice for the police officers who brutalize students consistently,” the student said. “This has not been a single issue. During the George Floyd protest, we were moved to a back stage away from anybody who may disagree with us where the ideas that we were spreading were sequestered away into a back corner. We had to move out onto the road against the wishes of the borough to make sure our voices were heard. That is insanity. That is insane that we have to consistently move ahead against the wishes of the people in power because they do not want to hear our voices. Everything about this is disgusting.”
Other speakers echoed the same theme: that the lasting impact on students mattered as much as, or more than, any debate over crowd control or rules.
Parents and residents cite national attention, community trust, and long-term consequences
Parent Desiree Craft said she was frightened after her brother returned home and described feeling disappointed and disillusioned.
“I used to pride myself in this school district,” Craft said. “Now I question that pride.”
Craft called the situation “sad,” “scary,” and “deplorable,” said McElree should be fired, and argued he should also face charges.
“I question this school district and I question this community as far as you guys handling exactly what needs to be done to release these children and to give these adults the punishment that is deserve,” she said. “How am I supposed to expect my child to grow up in this community safe if you guys can't accept that this person did wrong and he deserves to be punished along with anybody else who's a part of this who did not act and do accordingly to what needed to be done?”
Emily Dickey said the level of force described and shown in video, including a chokehold, was unjustifiable and that the borough now faced a crisis of public trust.
“I have been raised to trust the police,” Dickey said, adding that the community’s trust was “broken.”
“I have been raised to obey their orders. And you guys have a situation here where you need to rebuild trust with this community. People around here are angry. Look how many people showed up tonight,” she said.
Kelsey, identifying herself as a Temple graduate and social worker focused on child protection, said she did not feel safe and urged council to confront the moral implications of the incident.
“I'm a proud Temple Owl. I'm a social work major. I've committed my life to child protection. I have worked around the world on child trafficking cases. I have tried my best to hold bad guys accountable. These are bad guys. These are very bad guys,” she said. “There's a lot more evidence. I'm working with a team of people to strategize on how to make sure the history books have the right narrative. And I can tell you, these kids are some of the most powerful people I've ever met.”
“Is there ever a justification for a grown man in any position to choke out a child?” Kelsey asked. “Suspend him. Suspend him right now.”
Another resident raised concerns about inequitable treatment, representation, and broader community culture, urging council members to reflect on what they had done to uplift children and underserved residents. The resident said the issue was “humanity and being good humans,” not partisanship.
A separate resident asked what investigation had been done into alleged threats connected to the walkout earlier that day, saying that question had been lost amid the later confrontation.
Defending police, disputing the narrative, and expanding the scope
Not all speakers criticized police.
Caroline, of Main Street, said she was there and watched what she described as an officer being punched “three times.”
She defended the Quakertown Police Department and argued officers were trying to move students out of the roadway to prevent anyone from being hit by cars.
Caroline also referenced local businesses that were “not down with the B.S.” and shifted to broader complaints about alleged issues within the Quakertown Community School District, including claims of missing money and inappropriate student searches. Portions of her comments were interrupted by reactions from the room, and the solicitor warned others to let her continue.
“I would also like to say that our chief of police repeatedly asked these students to get back on the sidewalk over and over and over again, and there was oncoming traffic and cars coming. And if anybody in this room was there, they would have been able to see that the officers were trying to get the children out of the m-fing road,” she said. “These officers care about us. They care about this community.”
Another speaker, Rebecca, read a longer prepared statement calling for a public accounting of decisions and an independent review. Rebecca said the most troubling allegations included an “unmarked individual engaging physically with minors before being identified as an officer,” and referenced reported claims of a chokehold. Rebecca questioned how the response constituted protection and argued students deserved de-escalation, clearly identified officers, calm communication, and measured response.
Inarah, a student, said the borough should focus on “protecting and releasing” students arrested Friday and described witnessing classmates “choked, punched, tackled” and held to the pavement. Inarah said the community had not seen support from the school district or borough and argued the children involved were being punished more harshly than adults.
“The actions of Chief McElree and fellow officers at the scene have personally stricken me with grief. I've had to witness my best friend and fellow classmates choked, punched, tackled, and held with their faces to the pavement unrightfully, which is beyond it, obscene, and inexcusable,” Inarah said. “How could we as students stand back as our friends had their dignity and rights ripped away? Our safety was put at risk by the people who are supposed to be protecting us. How could we step back as a man has his arm around the neck of a 14-year-old girl half his size and weight? And by letting this drag out as long as it has, I believe you have all played a part in the further distrust by the public.”
Crystal Wolf issued a forceful warning about liability, calling council members “lucky” and arguing that if the officer in question was acting as borough manager and not clearly as police in that moment, the borough could face massive legal consequences.
“Do you know how lucky we are he didn't kill her? I pay taxes here. You're taxpayers. We'd be paying out the ass in lawsuits forever. I'm dead serious. If you still can sit there and think that this man is capable of not only being chief of police but can being reformed enough to be borough manager,” Wolf said. “This was vile. This was overreach and this was unnecessary completely. You are all lucky. I'm lucky as a taxpayer. I'm sorry (Councilman Jonathan Sell) got a voicemail, but 10 million people across the world right now that are flipping pissed on what they saw happened to a 90-pound soaking wet girl. This is going to get worse if you don't address it appropriately right now.”
Allison Clark said she and her husband moved to Quakertown from Tennessee for its community feel but now felt embarrassed by the attention on the borough, describing concern about power and representation.
“We left Tennessee so we didn't have to do this. I don't want to live in a town where the where the power is taken – and I hate to say it, but – by a bunch of white guys who are deciding to hang with their friends,” she said. “It's not okay. It's not what other people are going to move here and stay for. I know there's history and I know this is a long-standing community, but this can also be a growing community, but that's up to you to decide what are you going to do about where we are now.”
Nick, of West Broad Street, said he moved from Harrisburg after researching communities and believed Quakertown would be a good place to raise a family. He said he wanted to believe the borough could “turn the page,” but that immediate action was necessary.
“And here we are, one year later, and the chief of police is throwing children down onto the ground in a chokehold. I want to believe that we can turn the page on this and move forward and deliver justice where it needs to be because I don't want to be looking back a year from now and saying, unfortunately, we made a mistake,” he said. “I would love to be able to stay here and say I'm proud to be a Quakertown resident now. But as of right now, I am not. What happened the other day was absolutely disgusting.”
No vote taken as meeting moved toward executive session
Throughout the night, some speakers urged council to take procedural steps immediately, including voting to place the issue on a future agenda. The meeting ended without public action, and the session moved toward executive session, as the solicitor had announced earlier.
The borough’s opening statement remained the only direct on-the-record council commentary on the incident during the public portion of the meeting: that officials were disturbed, were cooperating with the district attorney, and would not comment further while the investigation is pending.
“Every single one of you that did not stand up and make a motion, every single one of you know you have the right to speak up and make a motion and vote,” yelled one woman at adjournment. “You did not have to fire him today. All you have to do is vote to put it on the agenda to have your voices heard, and every single one of you declined to do that. You are cowards! Shame!”
Quakertown Borough Council meets on March 4 at 7:30 p.m. at Quakertown Borough Hall.
