Unnecessary Toughness

South Street denizens are unsettled by some recent arrests in the area.

by Isaiah Thompson

A few weeks ago, on the night of the First Friday gallery walk in Center City, South Philadelphia resident and business owner Tara Hencheck threw a little party to celebrate the grand opening of her antique shop, Orphelin, at the corner of Fifth and Monroe streets, just a couple of blocks away from South Street. She bought a few cases of beer and a couple of bottles of champagne. Turnout was light, mostly friends come to wish her well.

"It was just a quiet event," Hencheck explains. "I didn't even have music."

Evan M. Lopez

As things got cozier inside the small store, a dozen or so people spilled out onto the sidewalk.

The guests were startled, but not particularly concerned — though illegal, it's not uncommon for drinks to find their way outdoors on First Friday.

"Everybody was under the impression that he was just going to see if we were 21 or not," explains Ezekial Ferguson, one of the people standing outside that night. "And then he radios in on his shoulder walkie-talkie and he says, 'I'm going to need a couple of wagons.'"

The guests were dumbstruck.

"Everybody ... was looking incredulously at this guy, saying, 'Really? Can't you just write us a ticket?'" says Ferguson.

Within minutes, two paddy wagons and, several guests say, at least eight police officers arrived, handcuffed the guests and hauled them off.

"I look up and there's my brother and his friends with their faces up against the glass, getting arrested," recalls Hencheck, who agreed to speak to City Paper, but hadn't sought out press about the incident.

A 5-year-old girl — the daughter of a friend — was watching outside, clearly upset.

In all, nine people were taken to the police's 3rd District South Street mini-station, 900 South St., where they were re-handcuffed to the rail outside to await booking. All were charged with possessing open containers. The following Monday, five pled guilty; four, including Ferguson, pled not guilty.

For Hencheck, the incident was a stain on what should have been a celebration. She's complained to the Police Department, which, she says, has been very responsive. Publicly, the department is defending Gress's actions.

"He was absolutely in his right to take them in and not issue the citation there," says Sgt. Ray Evers of the Police Department's Public Affairs Unit. An officer can just give a ticket, he says, but doesn't have to — it's completely the officer's discretion.

Still, some of those involved have been asking around about the arresting officer, who, they feel, took things too far. "We thought about making a comic strip about it," says Stephen Hencheck, Tara's brother. "A lot of people know about this guy."

The McShea letter (mentioned below) (CLICK IMAGE FOR LARGER VERSION)

About four years ago, Officer William Gress left a tough beat in North Philadelphia for the less hostile climes of South Street. From the middle of the week into the weekend, he works the main corridor, making his way from end to end.

A young, lean biking machine, Gress has a big tattoo on his left arm, and a bigger one on his back. He wears wraparound sunglasses, sometimes at night. His face is taut, handsome and can turn to stone in a heartbeat. He's easy to spot — but it was he who spotted this reporter first.

I had just asked about the officer at Mako's Bar, at Fourth and South streets. A bartender said that he barely knew Gress. A few minutes later and a half-block away, Gress himself pulled up to the curb in front of me.

"You keep asking questions," he said by way of introduction, "and I'm gonna sue you for defamation of character." He repeated the warning a few times for emphasis.

The mission of the South Street detail, according to the Police Department Web site, is to "develop and continuously implement an effective partnership," and, for the most part, it appears successful. Nearly everyone City Paper spoke with on South Street said they had good relationships with the police; in fact, many cops give their cell phone numbers to the local businesses. Gress, however, seems to have fostered rancor as well as rapport.

Some folks along South Street — particularly bouncers — appreciate his approach. Others feel differently. Three years ago, Gress' name appeared in this paper after he and another officer sent packing a group of volunteers for the Youth Health Empowerment Program, who were distributing condoms. The group, it turned out, had a contract with the city, and the Police Department called it "an unfortunate misunderstanding."

"He likes to, let's say, exercise his authority," says one South Street bartender, who agreed to speak on condition of anonymity. "He makes it a point to be known." (Gress has been the subject of three Internal Affairs investigations that resulted from complaints about questionable arrests; in none of those instances was Gress found to have acted inappropriately.)

"That guy?" says Faith Perez, a tall and steady-eyed woman who works on South Street. She knows Gress: She says he arrested her for handing out fliers.

"I saw him later on the street," she says, "and he said, 'No hard feelings, huh?'"

City Paper spoke to six people with similar complaints.

Since the arrests at her shop, Hencheck says Gress' commanding officer, Lt. Gerry McShea, has been extremely helpful. He's worked hard to smooth things over, and suggested that Gress would face consequences.

On the MySpace profile for Hencheck's shop, there's a list of heroes. Among them: "local artists" and McShea.

McShea apparently felt so bad about the First Friday incident that he wrote a letter to the District Attorney on behalf of the defendants, asking that the charges be dropped.

He did not return calls seeking comment. But the letter McShea authored, which City Paper obtained through court filings, suggests sincere concern.

"In order to foster a strong relationship with the community and store owners," he writes, "Ms. Hencheck was advised to contact the mini-station in the future when there are functions scheduled at her establishment so the proper courtesies can be given."

"I am asking the Community Court to waive the violations," he continues. "I apologize to the court for any inconvenience this incident has caused."

(isaiah.thompson@citypaper.net)