City council members react to Saturday’s incident at Reading Pagoda

Reading police seized an unregistered dirt bike at the corner of Fifth and Greenwich streets on Saturday. Later, a Reading police officer was attacked at the Pagoda while attempting to arrest another illegal dirt bike rider. Officers then announced a plan to prevent gatherings of ATVs at Mount Penn’s overlooks. (BILL UHRICH – READING EAGLE)

City council members expressed concern over an incident on Saturday in which a police officer was attacked in front of the pagoda.

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“I want to start by saying I am very disgusted, angry and disappointed with what happened over the weekend,” City Councilor Jaime Baez Jr. said Monday at the regular council meeting.

According to investigators:

Officer Michael Balch was on his way to a large gathering of dirt bike and ATV riders on Skyline Drive on Saturday and was attacked while attempting to arrest a man who appeared to be involved in illegal activity.

The man was later identified as Luis Melo-Castillo, 26, of Reading.

Melo-Castillo is charged with resisting authority, disorderly conduct and operating an all-terrain vehicle on a road within an urban municipality.

Investigators are currently reviewing bodycam footage and using other means to identify the man who struck Balch, Police Chief Eli Vazquez said at a press conference on Monday.

Three suspects have been identified, city executive director William Heim told the city council on Monday.

The incident is still under investigation and no further information will be released at this time, a city official said Tuesday.

Saturday’s incident came after a similar gathering of dirt bikes and other vehicles occurred in City Park in April.

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The problematic gatherings are often organized on social media, says Vazquez, who has assembled a group of officials tasked with combating these gatherings.

City Councilwoman Melissa Ventura praised Balch for his courage in the face of danger.

The city councilor also expressed her disgust at the incident and said she was angry and disturbed.

“It’s annoying that people behave the way they do,” she said, “and then try to justify it afterwards.”

Council President Donna Reed said incidents like the one over the weekend were the work of small groups of people, many of whom were not from the city.

Many in Saturday’s group came from other Pennsylvania cities, including Bethlehem, Allentown and West Hazleton, as well as from New Jersey and New York, Vazquez said at the news conference.

“I’m so tired of seeing all these know-it-alls from the suburbs saying (on social media), ‘I’m never going to go to Reading; I’m never going to cross the bridge because of these horrible people,'” Reed said. “So, shame on anyone who says that. There are good people here, there are kids here, there are families here, there are people here doing the right thing. We have over 90,000 good people in this city.”

Baez said he had already contacted the city clerk’s office before Saturday’s incident to seek information about any ordinances and regulations regarding the pagoda and the surrounding Mount Penn Preserve.

“I think that one of the things we as a council need to do is increase the fines for these violations,” he said.

Baez also said police funding needs to be increased to recruit and retain officers.

“We need to be able to persuade officers to stay within our city limits,” he said, pointing out that city-trained officers are often poached by municipalities offering higher salaries.

Public outcry

The Council heard comments from representatives of the Reading Pagoda Foundation and the public.

Jose Miranda, president of the foundation, described Saturday’s incident as disgusting.

He approached the council last year because he was concerned about large crowds, noise pollution, drag racing and other disturbances, as well as safety issues at the pagoda.

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“I am here again as president to address these very issues: The pagoda is unsafe right now because of the loitering, the noise and the drinking,” Miranda said. “I am here because if we don’t do something now, there will be no pagoda. There will be no skyline for our future, for our children.”

Marcia Goodman-Hinnershitz, a former city councilor who now serves on the foundation’s board, said the problem at Pagoda is not isolated and extends to the city’s residential areas, including her own neighborhood in east Reading, where she no longer feels safe.

“I love my neighborhood. I love the people, the things we share,” she said, “but the sad message I have to deliver is that I no longer feel safe even walking out the door. Why is this happening? It’s something that’s been building up over the years, but it seems like it’s accelerating more and more.”

Part of the problem is those who show a lack of respect for the safety of others by driving too fast in residential areas and ignoring traffic signals and signs.

“They use their motorized vehicles as weapons,” Goodman-Hinnershitz said. “And believe me, if you’re driving a motorized vehicle, whether it’s a dirt bike, a motorcycle or an electric motorcycle, through the city streets, it’s just as dangerous as a loaded gun.”

Goodman-Hinnershitz said the council cannot solve the problem alone.

“I think we need to reach out to our representatives at the state level and even the federal level because this is not just happening in the city of Reading,” she said. “We need to develop a strategic plan and not just be reactive.”

Security gates

In other business, Council awarded a $97,325 contract to Promax Fencing to install a security gate at the intersection of Skyline Drive and List Road and a security gate at the intersection of Duryea and Shearer Drive.

The gates are designed to prevent access to 3.0 km of Skyline Drive in the evening and help curb unwanted nighttime activity along the road.

The access is a private road owned by the municipality, said David W. Anspach III, project manager for the city capital.

The gates would effectively cut off access to Skyline Drive, its three overlooks, the pagoda and the William Penn Memorial Fire Tower, Anspach said.