Heat, humidity, and a protester/police scuffle in the streets of Philadelphia may have proved a lethal combination for Paris Williams, 52, today (June 21). The 17-year veteran of the Philadelphia Police Department collapsed shortly before 1 p.m. during a confrontation that snaked up Arch Street through the crowd of protesters outside of BIO 2005 (for video, see: http://www.nbc10.com/news/4632819/detail.html). From our office window at 400 Market Street, which peers up Market up to the entrance of the Philadelphia Convention Center, things seemed quiet, save for the helicopters that had been droning since 10:30 am. But tension was evident since the start of the conference which brought 18,000 attendees to the city. The second day of the meeting was predicted to draw the most protesters, and security carried a tangible edge honed, no doubt, by last year?s protests in San Francisco. Sidewalks leading up to the center were restricted to badge-carrying attendees...
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