A CAPA student was recently beaten by three police officers. We asked Pittsburghers what they thought and what they think should happen to the police. Here’s what you said:

“A man of color is always guilty by reason of suspicion. The police officers should be suspended without pay and not rehired for the simple fact that if it happened once it will happen again. Police need to be evaluated before given the job to ensure that they don’t have ethnic biases. They are meant to serve and protect, not disrespect and destroy.”

GEORGE LANE, DARIS SCHULER and GEORGE ALLEN

George Lane
Labor worker
Sheraden

Joined by about 60 CAPA students outside Pittsburgh council chambers, Black Political Empowerment Project Director Tim Stevens called on Police Chief Nate Harper to reassign officers Richard Ewing, David Sisak and Michael Saldutte to desk duty. These officers beat CAPA senior Jordan Miles during a Jan. 12 arrest outside his home.

MARCHING FOR MILES —CAPA students march into the City-County Building to deliver letters to Pittsburgh Council and Police Chief Nate Harper calling for charges to be dropped against Jordan Miles and punishment for the officers who beat him during a Jan. 12 arrest.

Carrying signs and chanting, the students marched from their school on a windy 26-degree day to demand justice for their schoolmate. Stevens thanked them for, what for most, was their first foray into civil activism.

This year will mark the 15th anniversary of the death of Jonny Gammage, a man killed while in police custody Oct. 12 1995.  Each year the Black and White Reunion, created in response to Gammage’s death, holds the Summit Against Racism to confront the status of race relations in Pittsburgh and work to improve them.

JORDAN MILES

“Today we hope to have a fruitful conversation of where do we go from here with regard to race relations in the Pittsburgh region and how can we more effectively implement changes many of us seek,” said BWR founder Tim Stevens.