Posts on his Facebook page encourage violence, blocking access to meeting

(GILBERTON, PA)—Insurrectionist former police chief Mark Kessler is encouraging his supporters to join him tonight to “make that final stand.” He and his allies believe that thousands of people will respond to that call to disrupt tonight’s Gilberton (PA) Council meeting. The meeting was called as the final legal step before Kessler is fired as the police chief.

Kessler’s Facebook pages are full of calls to violence. He encourages his supporters “to make that final stand.” “Final Stand” is commonly understood to mean a fight to the death.

Kessler proudly links to posts by fellow insurrectionist Pete Santilli. Santilli has called for truckers to come to Gilberton tonight. In a news release, Santilli wrote, “We fully expect numerous Truckers to press their front bumpers against the front door of the town hall at this public hearing. Thousands of the Chief’s supporters are expected to attend.” ( http://www.scribd.com/...

Santilli is known to share Kessler’s view that liberal politicians should be shot. In May Santilli created a controversy by declaring that then-Secretary of State Hillary Clinton should be shot in the vagina.

His supporters are threatening violence to the Gilberton Council and Mayor on Kessler’s pages. Kessler regularly removes posts with which he disagrees. The fact that these posts remain suggests that Kessler agrees with their content.



Before prior disciplinary meetings Kessler has urged his supporters to refrain from violence. That has not been the case for tonight’s meeting.

Because of the threats of violence, Keystone Progress is encouraging its members and supporters to avoid tonight’s meeting.

“The situation in Gilberton tonight is expected to be very volatile,” said Michael Morrill, executive director of Keystone Progress. “The presence of Kessler’s opponents would only add to the tension, With their predisposition to violence someone is likely to get hurt.”

Morrill will be available for comment via telephone or email.

Keystone Progress is Pennsylvania’s largest online progressive organization, with over 400,000 subscribers. KP uses the internet and new media to organize online at the state and local level; and utilizes cutting-edge earned media strategies to promote a progressive agenda and counter right-wing misinformation.