CLAYSBURG - A dead black bear is cause celebre in this southern Blair County town.
The bear was killed Tuesday by police as a large crowd, including children, looked on.
To some, the shooting gave a black eye to the community because of the way the crowd turned out and reacted.
Others believe Greenfield Township police, other responding police departments and the Pennsylvania Game Commission are the ones with the black eye.
The shooting stirred up the close-knit community because of the way it went down.
''Because all of the spectators, some who brought their children, expected to see the bear quietly and safely removed and relocated, not to be gunned down that way as it was trying to get away from everyone,'' Chad Slagenweit said.
The bear's story went global on the Internet.
A video of the incident is on YouTube. It logged almost 5,000 views by late Saturday, three days after Slagenweit posted it.
The story also spread throughout the blogosphere and online message boards.
The Game Commission said Friday that the police actions were justified because the bear became aggressive after it was hit with a tranquilizer dart and descended a tree on Bedford Street. With the crowd so close, it became a public safety hazard.
''I think the crowd almost had everything to do with what happened,'' Claysburg resident Ian Leslie said.
''There were too many people too close. I think that the way everything worked out puts the town as a whole in a pretty poor light," Leslie said.
The video, though, shows what happened without any spin.
''The people who want to know and should know how it all happened,'' Slagenweit said. ''They can see it firsthand and judge for themselves instead of hearing a story that changes as it is told from one person to the next.''
Slagenweit's wife suggested he get the camera, but he said he was hesitant because he might miss the bear being freed.
''Little did I know I would capture all that took place,'' he said.
The authorities could try to talk their way out of the situation, but the video tells all, said a Claysburg businessman, who asked not to be identified for fear of police harassment.
Leslie believes the police could have done a better job of getting the crowd of 150 to 200 people out of the way.
''But people aren't grasping how they created the problem. I think people put the police and the Game Commission in a hard position.''
Leslie and Greenfield Township Supervisor Bill Lightner said they're concerned about the perception nonresidents now have of their community.
''The way they acted. They started shouting. People just went nuts,'' Leslie said of the crowd after the shots were fired.
Leslie said there's already a stereotype that Claysburg is a ''small redneck town out of control.''
''Unfortunately that's what was shown on Tuesday,'' he said. ''I think Claysburg is a great community and a really good town."
Lightner said he received a few telephone calls about the incident, but those who did call were offended by the way the crowd behaved.
''They said it was a mob scene,'' he said. ''To me, the mob killed the bear. I don't think our officers had any choice.
''It's absolutely a black eye on our community. It looked like a lot of out-of-control people. This was a dangerous situation. The decision was up to the authorities on the scene - not the citizens. They had to make a decision to protect the life and limb of the public.''
Mirror Staff Writer Mark Leberfinger is at 946-7462.
