Two Black Panther Party members displayed firearms while walking downtown Chester on October 6, a practice Pennsylvania law allows. Chairman Paul Birdsong, 40, carried an assault-style pistol plus an AK-style rifle beside Tajh Carter, 25, as the pair, currently alone in the majority-Black city of 32500, seek a full chapter following a February arrival.

The group, inspired by the 1960s California founders, says it guards against gun crime, dealers, and harsh enforcement after Philadelphia revoked licenses amid a January confrontation now investigated by the Justice Department for civil rights. Chester police arrested Birdsong in July alleging unlicensed concealment, which he denies, while Mayor Stefan Roots and Commissioner Katrina Blackwell oppose the presence even as Councilperson Fred Green affirms it is legal and some residents like 38-year-old mechanic Vincent Oberton feel safer amid 2025 crime drops to ten-year lows after 2022 bankruptcy.