PGHIMC - Pittsburgh Independent Media Center

On Friday, October 8, Allegheny County District Attorney Stephen A. Zappala announced that he will not prosecute the police responsible for the shooting death of Bernard Rogers. This decision comes as a blow to Rogers' survivors and to People Against Police Violence who have spent almost two years fighting for justice in this case. According to Zappala's press release, "After thorough investigation and protracted public proceedings, substantial evidence indicates that ... Bernard Rogers sustained a fatal chest wound when he assaulted [the officers] and became involved in a struggle over an officer's weapon." But there are reasons why Zappala's conclusion may be highly questionable.

[ read more | Oct 22 call to action | PAPV website ]

Beaten to death by 5 police officers in the Overbrook section of Pittsburgh on October 12th, 1995, the case of Jonny Gammage divided Allegheny County and shocked people across the world. From the beginning race was a central issue. The five police officers implicated in Gammage's death were all white. Gammage was black. Although a racially-mixed coroner's jury unanimously voted to indict all five officers, the first time that a police officer was ever indicted in Allegheny County, the eventual criminal trials were by jurors imported from the whitest corners of the State. Outrage at the outcome of the case -- two mistrials and one not-guilty verdict -- caused the City of Pittsburgh to create the Citizen's Police Review Board. Years later, the echoes of the case still shape city race-relations and the lack of trust that many residents of Pittsburgh have for the police.

October marks an important month for organizing against police brutality. In addition to the 9th anniversary of the Gammage Case, October 22 is designated a "national day of protest to stop police brutality, repression and the criminalization of a generation." Over 20 cities are participating. In Pittsburgh, People Against Police Violence has called for a 4pm rally and march to bring awareness to the ongoing regional cases of Charles Dixon, Bernard Rogers, Michael Ellerbe, and Damian Jordan: all cases of black men and youth whose deaths the police bear responsibility for.

[ Jonny Gammage Retrospective] [ Interview with Pete Shell ] [ People Against Police Violence ] [ October 22nd Coalition ]

On Malcolm X Day, May 19, 2004, People Against Police Violence (PAPV) held a press conference in which they demanded that Stephen A. Zappala, DA of Allegheny County to resign from all cases of police violence and that Governor Rendell name a special prosecutor.

Several survivors of police violence also spoke at the press conference, including the father of Michael Ellerbe, the sister of Charles Dixon and the mother of Bernard Rogers. PAPV director Renee Wilson read a letter from the family of Andrea Umphrey, the woman who was killed during a police shootout in Monroeville a few weeks ago.

PAPV members also demanded that Mary Beth Buchanan, United States Attorney for the Western District of Pennsylvania, release the findings in the Michael Ellerbe case and to file charges against the police officers responsible for the death of Ellerbe.

[ video | media advisory ]

People Against Police Violence has announced a wreath-laying ceremony today, December 24, to mark the one year anniversary of the death of 12-year-old Michael Ellerbe at the hands of state police officers.

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Previous IMC coverage of PAPV:
Feb 15 announcement, coverage, photos.
March 22 in the Hill District account, photos.
July 26 announcement.
Sept. 6 in Mt. Oliver photos, audio.
Nov 1 rally photos.

Meanwhile, instead of addressing the violent actions of officers, the Pittsburgh city Police are spending $120,000 on stun guns. Steve Donahue of Save Our Transit puts this in the context of the city budget crisis, privitization, and police suppression of dissent in Pittsburgh.

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March 22: Hundreds of people marched through downtown today, mourning the destruction caused by local police violence. Several speeches were made and prayers were said for five unarmed people who have been killed by local police officers.

Hundreds of demonstrators gathered in Uniontown, Fayette County, to protest the police killing of 12 year old Michael Ellerbe and the handling of the case by authorities afterward.

Ellerbe was shot by a state trooper after stealing an SUV and leading the trooper and his partner on a chase on Christmas Eve. When the twelve-year-old crashed the vehicle and fled on foot, the troopers pursued. One trooper fell and his gun discharged, and the other, allegedly thinking the boy had fired the gun, shot and killed the boy. Ellerbe was unarmed.

Relatives of the slain boy, along with hundreds of community members and activists, spoke out against the way the case was handled, accusing state police of a cover-up. The trooper who fired the fatal shots is not being charged.

[ Full story ] [ Past coverage with commentary ]

The City of Pittsburgh's Citizen Police Review Board held a public meeting Tuesday, Nov. 12 to discuss changes police chief Robert McNeilly plans to make to the Community Oriented Police program. McNeilly presented his case for dissolving the program as it exists today, and putting COP officers back under the authority of zone commanders. Dr. Louis Mayo presented a case for more steps to be taken in making policing more community-based, and citizens expressed their views, most saying that the matter needs to be discussed more, and more community input should be taken before such a move is made.

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