EASTON, Pa. — Easton City Council erupted Wednesday night into a shouting match over allegations of misinterpretations linked to a social media post of a local activist’s arrest.
During public comment toward the end of the meeting, Councilwoman Taiba Sultana requested an apology from her colleagues in regard to what she claimed were misconceptions about a video she posted on Facebook.
- The mayor and council members got into a shouting match about alleged misinterpretations concerning a Facebook post featuring the arrest of Lance Wheeler
- Councilmember Taiba Sultana said her post was misconstrued as an attack on the Easton Police Department
- Mayor Sal Panto Jr. doubled down on the request for an apology from Sultana; she countered that she deserved an apology
The video showed West Ward WISE’s Lance Wheeler being arrested May 31 while participating in public assistance to the victims of the Ferry Street fire.
Sultana posted the video of Wheeler’s arrest with a caption reading “This just happened. I am outraged!” — a message that drew ire from some council members and the Easton Police Department during a June 13 council committee meeting.
Wheeler was charged with simple assault, harassment and related counts stemming from a 2022 incident involving juveniles as he drove a Wilson Area School District van.
“I'm going end my conversation by saying that I have every single right to speak up. And I have every single right to express my feelings. And you all as elected officials misinterpreted my post, and I deserve an apology."Easton city councilmember Taiba Sultana
At the committee meeting, Mayor Sal Panto Jr., along with Councilman Ken Brown and Police Chief Carl Scalzo, declared they were upset Sultana had “condemn[ed]” the Easton Police Department in her post.
Sultana retorted she had not criticized the Easton officers, but rather conveyed she was upset Wheeler had been arrested while he was helping out victims of the Ferry Street fire. Wheeler is Black.
Sultana defends Facebook post
“During the last meeting held on June 13, a few elected officials tried to silence my voice, the voice that I raise for the Black and brown community, the voice that I use to uplift marginalized communities, the voice that I raise to address the concerns of deserving people,” Sultana said Wednesday night.
“They misinterpreted my social media post. They said that the shared video is an attack of Easton police, and the word ‘outraged’ that I used was for the Easton police. I clarified on the very first hand that I am, and was, outraged because Mr. Lance Wheeler was arrested while helping the community.”
Sultana said despite the clarification, “They continued to demonize me,” saying she was called out for showing two Easton officers who were present at the arrest — though Wheeler was arrested by Wilson Borough police, not Easton officers.
Sultana said she had done nothing wrong posting the video, citing the nationwide response to police violence following the release of the George Floyd video, and adding she had only shared what dozens of people at the scene had witnessed.
“I am a minority, a woman, an immigrant, a Muslim," she said. "And I want every race of human being who live in the city of Easton to be treated equally, not marginalized and targeted. I am an elected official. The people of the city of Easton elected me to represent them, and I will keep representing them. Demonizing behavior and allowing it in City Hall is not new; I would definitely like to point that out.”
Arguments break out over interpretations
When Sultana accused Panto of calling a resolution she had previously introduced to recognize Muslim holidays as “bogus,” the mayor interrupted, to which Sultana responded “Excuse me Mr. Mayor, I am talking.”
“I can take the floor away from you,” Panto said. “But I won’t.”
Sultana said she refused to accept “the status quo, and will not allow a group of men to intimidate a woman of color,” and Panto could be heard mumbling “Oh, God,” following the remark. She went on to state she would not allow anyone to intimidate any woman, repeating her call for equality for all.
“Lance Wheeler is innocent until proven guilty – that’s what U.S. law says. He is a well-known community activist and public servant. He is always there to help the community where our so-called elected officials are not. Leaders lead by example,” Sultana said, expressing her disappointment with fellow councilmembers who were not present at Ferry Street following the blaze.
Panto responded by claiming he did not understand what Sultana was upset over, noting he and the police chief were just looking for an apology during the committee meeting. Panto said Sultana could offer or reject making an apology, adding he never wanted to silence her.
“All I was pointing out to you was that our police department was there because the warrant served by the Wilson Borough police and the D.A.’s office was there. Mr. Wheeler was given a chance, a phone call, to turn himself in. He chose not to. He was given a chance of not being handcuffed. He chose not to. Our police officers were there solely because the warrant was being served in the city of Easton,” Panto said.
Panto went on to say “Maybe you don’t understand, but when a warrant is issued, the police department has a responsibility to issue the warrant and enact the warrant.”
Ken Brown seeks apology of his own
Shortly thereafter, Brown spoke up and discussed his reasoning behind his request for an apology from Sultana.
"The thing that I want to get across today, while we're on the subject, is that as an African-American person, and a person of color, I cannot allow myself to just look on one side of the fence," Brown said. "What I was trying to say to Councilwoman Sultana was that as a councilperson and a person in a leadership position for many years, many years, and I've helped many people, in my community and outside the community of Easton, is that whatever you are in a position that we're in, that we have to be very careful about things we do and things we say in the public.
“Because more times than not that information that we're disseminating outward can be looked upon in a bad way. And no, I don't think Councilwoman Sultana did it in a bad way, but I believe that we need to take a step back and let the process work.”
Panto asked Sultana again if she planned to apologize to police, to which she said, “I want you to apologize because you misinterpreted my remarks, and you accused me of so many things.”
Brown said he did not believe he needed to apologize to Sultana.
The mayor told Sultana “If you said on your Facebook post what you said today, and at that meeting, it would have been fine. All you said was ‘I'm outraged,’" noting he had received calls from the public concerning the video.
'Timing matters'
Sultana said she believed Wheeler had been arrested on “the wrong day,” noting “timing matters.”
Said Panto: “They had a grand jury. They went through the process before he was arrested. They had a grand jury that was called by the DA.”
Brown later went on to address Sultana by stating he didn’t believe the Easton Police Department minded the video post as much as they felt it misrepresented the force. “And even though there was only two police officers there, it reflects the whole department, and therefore it reflects the city as a whole,” he said.
When Panto told Sultana the Easton officers did nothing wrong, she agreed, though there were several minutes of shouting and arguments, with officials speaking over one another.
“I'm going to end my conversation by saying that I have every single right to speak up. And I have every single right to express my feelings. And you all as elected officials misinterpreted my post, and I deserve an apology,” Sultana said.
“Well, I will tell you, if I thought you deserved an apology, I would apologize,” Panto said before moving to conclude the meeting.
