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Historically, the relationship between the police and the Black
community has been a difficult one. There has always been serious
tensions and great mistrust. B-PEP, the Black Political Empowerment
Project, over the years has attempted to address the policy and
procedure issues which continue to negatively impact police-community
relations. In October 1995 B-PEP and the Black & White Reunion
hosted a power-packed televised special Pittsburgh Council Hearing on
our collective attempts to codify, or make permanent, the policy and
procedure changes brought about by the 1997 Federal Consent Decree. The
decree was imposed upon the City of Pittsburgh as a result of the 1996
ACLU of Greater Pittsburgh, the NAACP Pittsburgh Branch and Parents Against Violence lawsuit. Pittsburgh
became the first city in the nation to have its Police Bureau
supervised by the Federal Government through legislation passed by the
Federal Government in 1994. The Consent Decree was lifted on Friday,
September 13, 2002 by then Federal Judge Robert Cindrich, following a
five year period of federal oversight. The Federal Government's
oversight of the Office of Municipal Investigations, however, continued
for some time, but has now also been lifted.
In recent years the Black Political Empowerment Project through
letters and conversations with City of Pittsburgh Council members, City
officials and Police Chiefs, have continued its push to have the policy
and procedure changes brought about by the 1997 Federal Consent Decree
made permanent. We have not as yet been fully successful, but do now
have the commitment of some City Council members to support this
effort. In addition members of the B-PEP Planning Council have met with
both former Pittsburgh Bureau of Police Chief Charles Moffet and current Police Chief Nathan Harper to pursue this goal.
Letters on
Police Issues
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-- Letter to Police Chief
Nate Harper regarding Police accreditation --
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-- Open Letter to Public Officials
in Pittsburgh Following the Jordan Miles Incident --
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-- Letter to Mayor and Chief
Harper regarding Incident involving Jordan Miles --
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- The Citizen Police Review Board (CPRB) is
an independent agency set up to investigate citizen complaints about
improper police conduct. The CPRB was created by voter referendum, and
its rules are governed by Title Six, Article VI of the City Code.
The CPRB is made up of seven unpaid board members appointed by City Council and the Mayor. Board members serve a four-year term. While serving, they oversee all aspects of complaint handling: from initial review to public hearings and meetings to recommendations, if applicable. The October 22nd Coalition to Stop Police Brutality, Repression and the Criminalization of a Generation
has been mobilizing every year since 1996 for a National Day of Protest
on October 22nd, bringing together those under the gun and those not
under the gun as a powerful voice to expose the epidemic of police
brutality.
http://www.city.pittsburgh.pa.us/cprb/
- The
Coalition also works on the Stolen Lives Project, which documents cases
of killings by law enforcement agents nationwide. The second edition
of the Stole n Lives book documents over 2000 cases in the 1990's
alone. (available for $15 from Amazon.com or from the National Office.)
Research
and collection of data in preparation for a second volume continues,
and volunteers for researching or editing are welcomed.
- http://www.nommoproductions.com/ On October 12, 1995 Jonny Gammage,
a 31-year-old African-American businessman, churchgoer and volunteer,
was pulled over by five white police officers while driving a Jaguar
owned by his cousin, Pittsburgh Steeler Ray Seals. During the ensuing
struggle Gammage was asphyxiated. There was shock and revulsion in the
community, and thousands, both black and white, took to the streets to
protest.
- Enough is ENOUGH! a documentary by Pittsburgh filmmaker Billy Jackson, examines the criminal justice
system and the procedural relationships among the law enforcement
officers, the Coroner's office, the District Attorneys, and the courts.
Interwoven with the story line are interviews with prominent lawyers,
politicians and activists such as Prof. Charles Ogletree of Harvard
- http://www.blackandwhitereunion.org/ The Black and White Reunion was organized in 1996 response to the
death of black motorist Jonny Gammage while in police custody and the
unacceptable not-guilty verdicts of the perpetrators. Tim Stevens, then
NAACP Pittsburgh
Branch president, founded the Black & White Reunion with a vision
to rekindle the spirit of the 1960's, to bring together a "reunion" of
Black and White people in a collaborative spirit to address the racial
and class inequality and division in our society.
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