YORK, Pa. — On Monday, for the 1,800th consecutive day, a man from York County brought fresh flowers to a pair of memorial benches dedicated to two people who died during the race riots in the city in 1969.
Lillie Belle Allen, a 27-year-old Black woman from Georgia, and York City Police Officer Henry C. Schaad, a 22-year-old white man, were shot in separate incidents in the city during a period of racial tension in July 1969.
Schaad was paralyzed when someone shot at the armored police vehicle he was riding in, and the bullet struck him on July 18, 1969. He died of his injuries two weeks later. Three days after Schaad was shot, Allen was shot and killed by a group of white men when the car she was riding in stalled on the railroad tracks at Newberry Street.
"It was a sad thing. I saw the ambulance pull up and put her in and take her away, and it was just a horrible scene," said Bob Mann of Dover.
Bob Mann was 14 years old in 1969 when he witnessed Allen's shooting. In the summer of 2019, he decided to begin bringing fresh flowers every day to the memorial benches dedicated to Allen and Schaad in Farquhar Park as a way of paying his respects and keeping their memories alive.
"I want them to be remembered. I don’t just want their memories to fade away into nothing," said Mann.
In addition to putting down flowers, he and his wife donated a Story Walk sign that tells visitors a little about the York race riots and Lillie Belle Allen and Officer Schaad.
"It’s not something that’s going to go away, it happened. It’s part of our history, and history needs to be told," said Mann.
Mann says he’s currently working towards having a separate memorial for Allen somewhere in York since one for Officer Schaad will be dedicated to him in front of the police department later this year.
"If you have a minute, please stop by 402 N. Newberry St. in York, Pa., at the site of the Memorial Benches and pay your respects to the two people who lost their lives in the 1969 race riots here in York," he said via e-mail. "The end of July will mark the 55th anniversary of these two senseless deaths."