City hall employee charged with planting noose at own desk

    ALLENTOWN, Pennsylvania (KYW) -- An Allentown City Hall employee was charged with planting a noose at their desk in January, according to police.

LaTarsha Brown is charged with tampering with or fabricating physical evidence and false reports to law enforcement, Allentown Chief of Police Charles Roca said Monday.

"Today, we're even more surprised to learn that it was likely fabricated by the employee herself," Allentown Mayor Matt Tuerk, a Democrat, said.

The Allentown mayor believes the incident has helped bring the conversation over inclusion to the forefront at City Hall.

"That has helped lead conversations in City Hall about what it means to be inclusive. About what it means to respect each other's employment, and that will continue," Tuerk said. "I can't even begin to comment on what would drive somebody to do something like this."

Police said that Brown remains employed by the city at this time. Brown is also a member of the Allentown School Board.

Allentown leaders would not comment on the future of Brown's employment status with the city.

Timeline of the Allentown police investigation

According to police, Brown reported finding what appeared to be a noose on her desk in her third-floor office at City Hall around 7:30 a.m. on Jan. 10. Responding police collected video and building access records from the time Brown left work on Jan. 9 and her 7:11 a.m. arrival on Jan. 10 to attempt to identify who placed the item on her desk.

Investigators interviewed all employees, and all agreed to provide a buccal swab for DNA testing except for Brown, Capt. Steve Milkovits said.

Milkovits said Brown was initially cooperative with the police investigation but later requested that it be discontinued.

The noose was submitted to Pennsylvania State Police for DNA testing on Jan. 14, according to Milkovits. A search warrant for Brown's DNA was approved and executed on Jan. 24. Three days later, it was submitted for comparison.

Milkovits said a state police report was released on March 10 indicating that Brown's DNA matched swabs of the outer surface and inner-knotted portion of the noose. He added no other employee's DNA was found on the noose.

When asked about Brown's motive, Roca said, "At this point, we're not going to discuss that."

"This is a smear campaign."

The incident led to protests and demands for change at Allentown City Hall in January. Josie Lopez, a community organizer and friend of Brown's, claimed Monday that Brown has faced discrimination and retaliation in the past and believes her friend is innocent.

"This is not just an attack on LaTarsha. This is a warning to anyone in Allentown who dares to stand up against injustice," Lopez said. "This is a smear campaign. This is retaliation. Let me be clear. LaTarsha Brown is innocent. LaTarsha Brown deserves justice."

According to Lopez, Brown walked into her office on Jan. 10 and found an item on her desk that appeared to be a noose. "That is a fact," Lopez said. Lopez added that Brown has admitted to touching the noose.

"Yet, instead of focusing on who put it there, they are trying to turn this against her, as if she is responsible for the very act of hate committed against her," Lopez said. "That is not just false. It is an outrageous and deliberate attempt to discredit her."

Lopez said Brown was never offered security or protection after the incident and claimed Brown was never treated as a victim.

"City Hall did not follow any visible protocol to ensure her safety or well-being," Brown said. "Instead, they let a hate crime turn into an attack on her character."

You can read Lopez's full statement below.

I am speaking today as a friend of LaTarsha Brown — someone who knows her heart, her character, and her unwavering commitment to this community.

In January, LaTarsha walked into her office and found a noose on her desk. That is a fact. From the very first moment, she was honest and transparent. She said she had touched the noose. That is also a fact. And yet, instead of focusing on who put it there, they are trying to turn this against her, as if she is responsible for the very act of hate committed against her. That is not just false-it is an outrageous and deliberate attempt to discredit her.

From the moment this happened, LaTarsha was never offered security or protection. No one asked how she could be supported. No one treated her as the victim she is. City Hall did not follow any visible protocol to ensure her safety or well-being. Instead, they let a hate crime turn into an attack on her character.

So I have to ask: What is the protocol for a situation like this? If LaTarsha were not a Black woman fighting against discrimination, what protections would she have received? Would she have been offered security? Would there have been immediate efforts to find the perpetrator, instead of making her the suspect?

LaTarsha Brown is a mother. She is a God-fearing woman. She is a dedicated public servant who has spent her career fighting for equity and justice, even when it came at great personal cost. She sits on the Allentown School Board, advocating for our children. She works for City Hall, despite facing constant retaliation for standing up for diversity and inclusion. She has an open discrimination case against City Hall-one of many, because we all know this city has a long history of targeting and silencing women of color who speak up.

This is not just an attack on LaTarsha. This is a warning to anyone in Allentown who dares to stand up against injustice. This is a smear campaign. This is retaliation.

But let me be clear: LaTarsha Brown is innocent. LaTarsha Brown deserves justice.

The people who know her, the people who have worked alongside her, the people whose lives she has touched-we are standing with her. And we will not let this city get away with yet another act of discrimination.

LaTarsha is the kind of person who, even now, would extend a hand to help the very people trying to bring her down. That is the truth of who she is. And that is why we will not allow this injustice to go unanswered.

I am calling on the people of Allentown, the media, and everyone who believes in justice to stand with LaTarsha . We will not be silent.