Anthony Smith, an activist from west Philadelphia, was just handed a prison sentence for helping flip a cop car during a protest in 2020. He previously pleaded guilty to the federal charge.
The summer of 2020 was filled with nationwide protests and civil unrest in an outcry for justice after the killings of Breonna Taylor, George Floyd and more Black people who died by the hands of police. At times, the peaceful demonstrations and marches would bubble into violent riots as tensions rose.
In one of those fiery protests, on May 31, 2020, police say Smith joined some demonstrators in flipping over a vacant police cruiser that had been set on fire with a road flare. He then fed a piece of paper into the flames. That right there got him a federal charge of obstruction law enforcement during civil disorder, according to The AP.
U.S. District Judge Juan R. Sánchez had some words for the activist and his crowd of 200 supporters Tuesday during the sentencing.
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Sánchez was receptive to their concerns and lauded the fact they showed up in court. He told Smith he was impressed by his work as a leader in the community and said it’s clear he has “lived with a passion for advocacy.” But that leadership, he said, “comes with a heavy price.
“You failed, in that regard, all of us. Your influence was used in a negative way and impacted public safety,” Sánchez said.
Smith’s advocacy for the community included working at a charter school for young adults finishing their high school diploma and volunteering with local organizations providing free food to the community, according to the #FreeAnt Campaign. Smith apologized in the courtroom for his actions acknowledging that his position went from being a leader to a follower in that heated moment three years ago, the report says.
The judge closed by sentencing Smith to a year and one day in prison plus two years of probation. Under his initial charge of arson, he faced seven years. He and the other two charged in the act are ordered to pay $28,000 to replace the police car.
As if this wasn’t punishment enough, Smith’s lawyer mentioned in the courtroom Smith spent more than two years on house arrest awaiting trial and his conviction will bar the him from teaching for 10 years, per The Inquirer.