New York Times Examines Philly Unions, Friends Church Arson

This probably won’t do much for the city’s reputation: The New York Times pops up with a look at the union thuggery alleged in the arson of the construction site for the Chestnut Hill Friends.

Michael Resnick, Philadelphia’s director of public safety, said that if the authorities were presented with evidence that union protesters were committing crimes, the offenders would be arrested and charged, as they have been in “two or three cases” during the Post Brothers protest.

Mr. Resnick rejected accusations by Mr. Pestronk and others in the construction industry that city authorities are lax in cases involving union harassment and intimidation. He said unions had a constitutionally protected right to protest against working practices, and that developers like Post Brothers must recognize that.

“People have a right to express their views,” Mr. Resnick said in an interview.

Just not, you know, with fire. [New York Times]