Charles Robertson

Who is Charles Robertson?

Charles "Charlie" H. Robertson is an American politician who served as Mayor of York, Pennsylvania from 1994–2002. He attended William Penn Senior High School in York and spent two years as a medic in the United States Army.

Robertson is best remembered for his role in the 1969 York Race Riot, during which time he was a police officer. He helped to incite the violence by shouting, "White power!" and by allegedly giving white rioters ammunition and encouraging them to, "kill as many niggers as [they] can." He was arrested on May 17, 2001, and released on $50,000 bail. On May 27, 2001, Robertson was arraigned on murder charges stemming from his involvement in the riot; he was found not guilty on October 19, 2002. While he admitted that he had shouted the racial slur, he steadfastly denied all other charges against him.