SCRANTON, Pa. — Something you won't see happening on the streets of Scranton this Christmas week — police officers handing out vouchers to local restaurants instead of traffic tickets. It was part of the city's annual Undercover Santa program.
"I want to reiterate the good intentions of the program, the officers who run the program. It's something they do in other cities. It's meant with good intentions, but as we know, we need to be listening to every part of our community," said Mayor Paige Cognetti in a news conference on Friday.
As part of a series of meetings between city leaders and leaders in the black community, Mayor Cognetti and Police Chief Namiotka listened to concerns about the Undercover Santa program.
Glynis Johns is the founder of the Black Scranton Project. She called the program tone-deaf and inappropriate.
"If we want to bring some holiday cheer, there are other ways to go about it that aren't insensitive to people who already have apprehensions with encountering police," Johns said.
The city did indeed find another way.
Santa Claus himself will join forces with Police Chief Namiotka in a ride-along throughout the city. The pair will make stops at several affordable housing complexes to hand out the food vouchers.
Johns says it's a good first step, but there's still more work to be done to improve the relationship between the police department and the black community.
"I think it is a better idea, considering the police spend most of their time in the low-income housing areas, and I think that would be a nicer way to give out those vouchers. I don't know if there's anything else they can offer to the community," Johns said.
Sidewalk Santa will take place on Tuesday, starting at 3 p.m. The ride-along will begin in at Police Headquarters on South Washington Avenue. Santa and Chief Namiotka will make stops at Valley View Terrace, Hilltop Manor, Skyview Park Apartments, Riverside Apartments, Bangor Heights, Townhouse Boulevard, and Midtown Apartments.