community-based, non-corporate, participatory media
community-based, non-corporate, participatory media
Calling out Police Brutality Results in More Police Brutality
by Electric Pig
Friday, Dec. 09, 2005 at 11:19 AM
This past weekend marked yet another outrageous display of police brutality for the city of Pittsburgh.
This past weekend marked yet another outrageous display of police brutality for the city of Pittsburgh. Last Saturday night, December 3, on Carson Street in the South Side an unmarked police car hit a bicyclist and dragged the individual thirty feet before coming to a stop. The cop got out of the car, and rather than check on the bicyclist and call for medical help, pulled his gun at the individual lying on the ground.
A group of United Electrical Workers organizers walking down the street witnessed the bicyclist being hit and dragged by the cop car, and witnessed the cop pulling his gun on the cyclist. Horrified by what they had witnessed, they ran over and stepped between the bicyclist and the cop. They screamed “fascist pig!” and were also yelling about constitutional rights.
For calling out police misconduct, the witnesses were next to be brutalized. The cop started to arrest people, and tasered one individual three times. When that individual arrived at his holding cell, he was visited by a Federal agent who interrogated him about his background because he has a Middle Eastern-sounding name. Also, while in jail, those arrested learned that their friend hadn’t been the only person tasered in Pittsburgh that night; several people in that holding cell had also been shot with a taser.
While Pittsburgh Police are assaulting whomever they want in the streets, City Council is sitting on its hands and spouting weak criticisms, mainly that such atrocious actions carried out by cops are unfortunate. Ultimately, Council is not willing to do anything until a lawsuit is filed. While a lawsuit is definitely in order, it could take years to be resolved. We can’t let City Council get away with apathetically brushing aside the issue. While Council is sitting around doing nothing, people are getting beaten, tased, shot, and killed.
Some of those arrested on Saturday night will have their hearing on Monday, December 12, at 1pm. It is still unclear whether the bicyclist who was hit by the police car has been released.
We can’t let this happen in our city. We need to take action! whether it’s by calling City Council members, taking the streets, or doing whatever people see fit to express their outrage and effect this situation.
City Contacts:
Pittsburgh Mayor Tom Murphy at (412) 255-2626
Pittsburgh director of Public Safety, Robert Kennedy (412) 255-2038
Pittsburgh City Council:
Doug Shields: 412-255-8965
Sala Udin: 412-255-2134
William Peduto: 412-255-2133
Twanda Carlisle: 412-255-2137
Luke Ravenstahl: 412-255-2135
Daniel J. Deasy: 412-255-8963
James Motznik: 412-255-2131
You for got one thing
by a real biker in the city
Monday, Dec. 12, 2005 at 6:08 AM
you forgot one thing, did the biker do something stupid, like run a read, cut the officer off, I seen other bikers do things that are stupid, so I am not so sure I belive how you present it. Also if the cop saw the biker as a threat pulling the gun is the right thing to do, also it does take time for a car to stop, you don't just hit the breaks and the car stop, check your physics book. And those idiots that ran up, were interfering with a police officer, they derserve what they got, I wish he had shot them.
astounding.........
by @
Monday, Dec. 12, 2005 at 8:13 AM
Real biker - maybe you should spend less time fiddling with your gps unit and your ham radio and concentrate on learning how to fucking spell.
If someone runs a red light (not read, genious) you think that gives the police the right to put a fucking weapon to their head or drag them down the street? That gives them the right to deploy a taser 3 times.
After you develop your spelling skills we'll talk about who the police really protect.
ps - the fox tv show "cops" is not a true depiction of how society behaves
what
by a real biker
Monday, Dec. 12, 2005 at 8:21 AM
I don't have a gps, and why would I have a ham radio only old idiots use those, I have a cell phone.
i
by i
Monday, Dec. 12, 2005 at 5:23 PM
"They screamed “fascist pig!” and were also yelling about constitutional rights"
Oh yeah, screaming "fascist pig" usually does seem to calm any situation down. Congrats.
More far left bias
by Stalin
Tuesday, Dec. 13, 2005 at 9:31 PM
Not believing it. Indymedia "journalists" start with real facts and then blow them out of proportion everytime. This isn't news, this is mega-biased swill. If someone get run over by the cops, it's between them, their lawyer, and the local authorities.
Cops jobs are easy
by Lester Green
Friday, Dec. 16, 2005 at 8:51 PM
If Indy Media reporters believe being apolice officer is so easy why are they not joining up and making a difference rather then spreading the hate?
Oh wait that is too much work for them, nevermind.
Making a difference
by Leslie Mollett
Tuesday, Dec. 20, 2005 at 3:37 PM
Follow my example and it will change police work, or is it 'apolice work'?
I got lucky. I know now I should have focused on the groin, which is not armored, and has many major blood vessels.
Pittsburgh Police lie
by Donald Sjoen
Wednesday, Oct. 24, 2007 at 12:08 PM
dlsjoen@aol.com 412 277 3266 590 ingomar rd
I had an altercation with pgh police in september where my cousin and i were treated like animals instead of humans and also lied upon by pgh police officers. The officers placed a tazer to my cousins head and were yelling profanites at us while searching us. We never moved and let the cops do their job so all of that was unnessacery. I completely understand they have a job to do but telling us to shut the f!@# up and using other profanity is no way to conduct themselves as officers. They said they witnessed us in a drug transaction which is false. They said they saw me trying to hand money to an indivdual with my left hand and then place the money in my left hand into my right front pocket. Try it and see how hard that is especially wearing dockers with the pockets on the side. It was a total lie. when they pulled up the person who i was supposedly trying to hand money to had his key in the door with his hand on the key. I was wondering if anyone else has issues like this. We cant let them get away with this.
![[masthead]](/images/masthead_140.png)