FBI RAIDS HOME OF ACTIVIST, TEACHER ANTHONY SMITH, ARRESTS HIM

By CBS3.

October 29, 2020




https://popularresistance.org/fbi-raids-home-of-activist-teacher-anthony-smith-arrests-him/





NOTE: The article below comes from a local CBS news outlet. In this tweet, Philly for Real Justice provides their view on the situation.




An activist and West Philadelphia teacher is facing federal charges related to rioting surrounding the George Floyd protests in Philadelphia this past June. Eyewitness News has learned that Anthony Smith, of West Philadelphia, has been arrested and faces multiple federal charges related to the civil unrest.

Law enforcement sources confirmed Smith’s arrest, along with the community group he represents, Philly for Real Justice.

“Early Wednesday morning Federal agents raided the West Philadelphia home of Anthony Smith, an outspoken community activist and a leader in the movement for Black lives in Philadelphia,” Philly for Real Justice Smith spokesperson Deandrea Jefferson said. “Smith, 29, was arrested and is being held on multiple Federal charges several hours away from his home at the Allenwood Jail as he and his community struggle to pull together his legal defense.”

Smith was profiled in Philadelphia Magazine’s list of Influential Citizens for his role in helping to topple the Rizzo Statue that was formerly in front of the Philadelphia Municipal Services Building.

He self-identified his participation in the magazine’s article.

United States Attorney William McSwain is expected to be joined Thursday by local, state and regional law enforcement officials, including Philadelphia Police Commissioner Danielle Outlaw, to announce criminal indictments related to the riots in Philadelphia early this year.

The charges are part of a federal investigation into the George Floyd protests last June and are not related to the current civil unrest following the fatal police shooting of 27-year-old Walter Wallace Jr.

Last May, protests and outrage erupted across the country after George Floyd was killed during an altercation with the Minneapolis police.