Letter on Odell Brown shooting to D.A. Zappala, Sheriff Mullen, Chief Harper

June 25, 2012

Hon. Stephen A. Zappala, Jr.
District Attorney of Allegheny County
303 Court House
436 Grant Street
Pittsburgh, PA 15219

Hon. William P. Mullen
Sheriff of Allegheny County
County Office Building, Room 111
436 Grant Street
Pittsburgh, PA 15219

Mr. Nate Harper, Chief
Pittsburgh Bureau of Police
1203 Western Avenue
Pittsburgh, PA 15233

Dear District Attorney Zappala, Sheriff Mullen and Chief Harper:

The Black Political Empowerment Project (B-PEP) joins with the NAACP Pittsburgh Unit in sharing concern about the June 13, 2012 shooting of East Liberty teenager Odell Brown.   As you might be aware representatives of the B-PEP walked with Creative And Performing Arts (CAPA) students on January 26, 2010 to City Council, days following the January 12, 2010 beating of CAPA honor student Jordan Miles, to urge City Council and Mayor Ravenstahl to initiate new legislation aimed at both improving police-community relations in Pittsburgh and at adding a new level of professionalism within the operation of the Pittsburgh Bureau of Police.   We are proud that that effort helped lead to the passage of four pieces of police reform legislation in City Council introduced by Councilman Rev. Ricky Burgess.   We were joined in that initiative by representatives of various organizations, including the ACLU, the Black & White Reunion, the Alliance for Police Accountability (APA), the Urban League of Greater Pittsburgh, the NAACP Pittsburgh Unit and the Citizen Police Review Board.   As Chairman& CEO of the Black Political Empowerment Project I have participated in  numerous meetings initiated by U.S. Attorney for the Western District, David Hickton, aimed at creating a new level of communication between police officials (city and county), city officials,  various community leaders and the citizens of Metropolitan Pittsburgh.   It is with this backdrop that B-PEP expresses its concern about the shooting and killing of Odell Brown.   We would hate to see the positive efforts in the last two years be negatively impacted by any incident.

Any incident which involves the shooting of a citizen by any police officer, and particularly one which ends in death, can add to the already volatile situation of police-community relations in the Pittsburgh Region.   The Black Political Empowerment Project therefore requests that the most thorough and fair investigation possible take place around the shooting and death of nineteen year old Odell Brown.  We realize that the officers involved did interact with Mr. Brown for approximately ninety minutes before the fatal shot was fired, and we understand that what appeared to be a gun was in the hands of Mr. Brown, though that weapon was in fact a pellet gun.  We realize too that the officers would not necessarily have known that fact in the midst of the interaction between Mr. Brown and the police.  One question that an interested citizen asked me was: “Did or could the police have asked family members who were present to attempt to calm Mr. Brown and encourage him to surrender?”  The NAACP asked “Why wasn’t information relayed to officers if the mother knew that the gun was a pellet gun?”  We ask:  Was every possible step taken, that could have been taken, to avoid the death of Odell Brown? With the awesome powers which police officers have their possession on a daily basis: mace, tasers, batons, handcuffs and guns (with the power to kill) it remains one of the primary goals of the Black Political Empowerment Project that those awesome powers be used judicially, and always in a fair, impartial and professional manner.   In addition we ask that all police institutions in the region continue to review their policies and procedures, as well as the level of training of police officers, with regard to the potential use of deadly force.  It remains the strongly held position of B-PEP that deadly force be used only when it is absolutely necessary.  We remain committed to the end of violence, be it at the hands of our fellow citizens, or at the hands of police.

Sincerely,
Tim Stevens, Chairman & CEO, The Black Political Empowerment Project (B-PEP)

cc:   David Hickton, U.S. Attorney, Western District
        City Council of Pittsburgh
        The B-PEP Planning Council
        M. Gayle Moss, President & Constance Parker, First V.P.,  NAACP Pittsburgh Unit
        Brandi Fisher, Chairperson, APA
        Beth Pittinger, Executive Director, Pgh. CPRB
        Esther L. Bush, Pres. & CEO, Urban League of Pgh
        Bob Maddock, B&W Reunion