By now you’ve likely heard of the contretemps that occurred earlier this week at Rittenhouse Square where three individuals displaying their artwork without a permit were asked by the Philadelphia Police to relocate to another part of the Square.

The individuals refused, and while the details of what subsequently transpired vary depending on the source, this much is certain: Rittenhouse Square is a public space, with numerous competing interests and needs, and it’s no simple task to adjudicate such complexity.

We whole-heartedly support the Police in this difficult effort, in particular Officer Troy Brickle, whose beat includes Rittenhouse Square.  We personally know Officer Brickle to be enormously professional and fair-minded, and thoroughly sensitive to the various contexts in play.  We are most fortunate to have him and the 9^th District Police Dept., and they have our total support.