Centre County residents circulate petitions in the aftermath of the deadly riot at the U.S. Capitol
In the aftermath of last week’s deadly riot at the U.S. Capitol, community members want answers from the Centre County Republican Committee and those who joined thousands at the “Save America” rally — an event that ended in insurrection.
More than 350 Centre County residents have signed a petition — organized by Penn State professor and State College resident Jonathan Brockopp — calling for accountability from the 100 community members who participated in a bus trip to Washington for the rally.
“There are a lot of unanswered questions about this bus trip, and the CCRC needs to take responsibility for its actions,” Brockopp said in a statement.
The CCRC promoted the trip in several Facebook posts that have since been deleted, saying the rally was an opportunity to “show we aren’t going to let the MAGA movement end” and that there was “too much at stake” to sit home and “do nothing.” Last week, CCRC Chairwoman Kris Eng condemned the violence that took place at the Capitol and said community members did not engage in violence. However, authorities are still investigating and working to identify members of the mob.
The petition thanks the CCRC for condemning the violence that erupted in Washington but demands further action.
Brockopp sent the document to the CCRC Saturday, asking officials to denounce false claims about a “stolen election.” The petition blames the “Save America” rally and President Donald Trump for inciting the attack on Congress and asks local Republican leaders to affirm that the 2020 general election was lawful. The document also asks the CCRC to cooperate with law enforcement in identifying perpetrators who stormed the Capitol.
Finally, the petition requests that the CCRC document the steps that are being taken to prevent further transmission of COVID-19 after traveling out-of-state while statewide mitigation restrictions are still in effect.
“I normally stay out of these partisan battles, but the continued string of lies from the president about both his election loss and the pandemic drove me over the top,” Brockopp said. “Seeing that my own neighbors at the CCRC were actively undermining people’s faith in our electoral process, promoting the president’s lies and flaunting health department guidelines seems the very height of irresponsibility.”
Eng declined to comment on requests outlined in the petition.
Pictures and videos posted on social media by residents who attended the rally and who were near the Capitol when the riot broke out show few masks and crowds huddled together. The CCRC took three buses to Washington. Eng said the first bus arrived back in Centre County around 9:30 p.m. The remaining two were delayed and returned about an hour later, with passengers exiting the buses unmasked and hugging goodbye.
“Wearing a mask is a choice,” Eng told the CDT last week, adding that she did not enforce health guidelines on the trip. “You’re responsible for your own health.”
The Centre County Board of Commissioners, with the exception of Republican Commissioner Steve Dershem, expressed concern with the bus trip. Commissioners Michael Pipe and Mark Higgins, Democrats, said they hope participants are following statewide guidelines, which require those who travel out-of-state to have a negative COVID-19 test within 72 hours prior to returning or quarantine for 10 days upon entry into Pennsylvania.
Dershem declined to comment, saying he could not speak about actions he did not witness firsthand. He did, however, condemn the violent mob at the Capitol.
A second petition has been signed by more than 50 community members, asking Penn State to terminate all existing contracts with Fullington Trailways, the company used to provide buses and drivers for the trip.
Neither Penn State nor Fullington responded to requests for comment about the petition.
Fullington is a private company and hosted a rally for the Trump campaign at its Benner Township location in October. As a result of the company’s actions, the petition asks Penn State to terminate all business with the transportation service until an investigation is conducted into its relationship with the Trump campaign and the mob at the Capitol. The petition also call on Gov. Tom Wolf to work with the Pennsylvania Public Utility Commission and authorities to investigate the trip, if those who were on the buses followed guidelines and if Fullington has ties to “domestic terrorism-related organizations.”
“Given the assault on our Capitol, the central Pennsylvania community, including Penn State University, deserves to know to what extent these organizations are operating in central Pennsylvania,” the petition states.
This story was originally published January 11, 2021 at 5:14 PM.
