Two weeks after the fatal shooting by a state parole agent of Marchello D. Woodard, a 43-year-old Black man from Erie, a panel of local Black voices gathered for a night of reflection — about identity, injustice and the burden of being Black in Erie.
“The Black community is very, very upset right now,” said Pastor Ryan Gaines, who moderated the panel July 17 at the H.O. Hirt Auditorium in Blasco Library. “Something we didn’t think could happen here in Erie has come knocking at our door. And it’s being treated as if it’s nothing — as if it’s being swept under the rug.”
Woodard was shot and killed July 2 by a Pennsylvania state parole officer. The incident remains under investigation, but several panelists said the official response was marked by silence — with no public condolences from key political leaders and no transparency about what occurred.
“This was a man who was trying his best to change,” Gaines said of Woodard. “The family is truly hurting. Just a phone call — that would’ve meant something.”
The Human Relations Commission hosted a panel on Black identity and belonging in Erie on July 17, 2025. From left are Tiffany LaVette, Autumn Parker, Edison Nicholson, Marty Nwachukwu, Marc Blount, Nicci Page, Ash Jones and Marshall Blount.
The forum, hosted by the Erie County Human Relations Commission, was part of a series titled “Race, Place and Belonging: Being Black in Erie.” HRC Executive Director Kristy Gnibus said the forum was not a response to the Woodard shooting — but the shooting made it more urgent.
“It was already in the works but it was something we decided to speed up,” she said of the forum. “By creating space for honest dialogue and amplifying the voices of Black residents, we hope to promote deeper understanding and support efforts that make Erie a more inclusive and equitable place for all.”
The HRC protects individuals from discrimination based on several classes, including race and color.
Systemic racism: ‘Baked into the cake’
The panel brought together eight Black professionals and community leaders who spoke candidly about the city’s racial climate — not only in policing, but across health care, education, housing and the justice system.
“The vestiges of segregation and discrimination are everywhere,” said Nicci Page, a local attorney. “Race is essentially baked into the cake of every system, every institution in America.”
Page, who worked as a prosecutor in New York City, said that in Erie, she was frequently mistaken for a defendant when she walked into a courtroom, even by a past judge.
A large audience attended the Erie County Human Relations Commission’s panel series on Black identity in Erie on July 17, 2025, at Blasco Library.
“His pattern recognition was saying ‘I don’t see the actual woman in a suit and briefcase standing in front of me ― I see Black,'” she said. “The code and the program running in the back of his brain said ‘Black defendant.’
“It’s subconscious,” she added, “but now that you know it’s there, you have to interrogate that program.”
Page also reflected on how systemic racism in Erie has long shaped the physical and social fabric of the city. She pointed to the former Black community that once thrived on West 11th Street — a neighborhood, she said, that was later redeveloped and replaced with parking lots, scattering a vibrant network of Black families.
“What would Erie be in 2025 if West 11th Street hadn’t been obliterated in the 1960s?” she asked. “You broke up a community. And if you ask me, it was by design.”
Being Black in Erie
Other speakers described the emotional toll of being Black in Erie — of constantly navigating assumptions, suspicion and exclusion.
“The elephant is always in the room wherever you go,” said Marc Blount, an HRC commissioner. “I feel a responsibility no matter where I go that when I walk in the room, I’m speaking for a whole people. You have to be Jackie Robinson when you get there — and even then, you’re not welcome. You don’t feel like you belong.”
Protesters hold signs and chant, “No justice, no peace,” at the inersection of East 21st and Parade streets in Erie on July 3, 2025, after the shooting of Marchello D. Woodard by a Pennsylvania state parole agent on July 2.
Marty Nwachukwu, a community organizer, said Black people are often not taken seriously.
“As someone who tries to organize and have found myself in political experiences, I have been belittled, I have been dismissed, I have been shushed, I’ve been told to wait my turn,” she said. “It’s a hard thing to sometimes be the only person in the room. It’s another thing to be not taken seriously.”
Demands for change
In addition to sharing their lived experiences, panelists offered specific changes they hope to see — including stronger oversight of law enforcement, the implementation of a civilian review board, regular psychological evaluations for officers and body cameras for state parole agents.
“Protection of the people needs to come before protection of your job,” Page said.
Autumn Parker, an educator, called on state leaders, namely Republican state Rep. Dan Laughlin, to enact recently passed reforms.
“Why aren’t our state parole agents wearing cameras?” she asked. “We don’t have any primary evidence to understand what happened that night (of Woodward’s death).”
Despite the grief and anger, panelists emphasized that Black identity must not be reduced to pain alone.
“Being Black is not a sad story,” Parker said. “It’s full of richness, of joy. We need to brag on ourselves — especially here in Erie.”
The panel also underscored the power of community — not just within Erie’s Black population, but among White residents and allies who have shown support.
Gaines praised those who attended a City Council meeting on July 16 to demand justice for Woodard. “That was greatly, greatly appreciated by the Black community,” he said. “That you stood with us, that you tried to understand our pain — it matters.”
He added, “We all play a part in this. Someone asks ‘what can we do?’ Just keep coming out to events like this, showing your support and also make sure — just like we have to have a conversation at home — you break the system by by having a conversation at home.”
A.J. Rao can be reached at arao@gannett.com or 814-440-5080.
This article originally appeared on Erie Times-News: Race, reform and belonging: Erie panel speaks out
