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BEFORE TRAYVON MARTIN was killed in Florida, the Pittsburgh region had its own recent high-profile case of alleged racial profiling. On Jan. 12, 2010, a 17-year-old CAPA High School student named Jordan Miles was stopped by three white undercover police officers who, he says, failed to identify themselves. Miles was badly beaten by the officers, who put the blame on the teen, saying that he was acting suspiciously, ran from them and had a “bulge” in his jacket. The officers did not face criminal charges. A civil trial last year ended with a hung jury, and partial exoneration for the officers for alleged malicious prosecution. A new civil trial is scheduled for November on the more serious allegations of false arrest and excessive force. Miles’ name was brought up frequently at Saturday’s rally. His civil attorney, Joel Sansone, even called Miles “Pittsburgh’s Trayvon Martin.” But those in attendance say profiling in the city is happening far more often than a few high-profile cases. Rapper and activist Che Smith, who performs under the name Rhymefest, says “everyone has been the victim of profiling. Black people are profiled as criminals, as the cases of George Zimmerman and Trayvon Martin show. But, there is also profiling of white people, gay people and women.” Fisher echoed that point, saying that white people have been stopped by police while driving through neighborhoods like Homewood, because it is assumed they must be buying drugs. Still, Terence Campbell, 24, of the Hill District, believes that profiling of African Americans is the major problem. He says that officers are “aggressive towards us. I don’t feel like it is fair to be stopped and searched when I am doing nothing wrong.” Campbell, who works at South Side Steaks and will attend CCAC in the fall, says he has been stopped and searched while walking because his hands were in his
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{PHOTO BY CHRIS POTTER}
Protesters speak to mayoral staffer Jim Sheppard during a demonstration outside the mayor’s office in the wake of the George Zimmerman verdict.
pocket, and police said that made him look suspicious. “You don’t see that happening to white men,” Campbell says. Smith says controversial laws like “Stand Your Ground,” which was cited in the Zimmerman trial, must be changed because they are “open to interpretation ... [and] end up being interpreted against people of color.”
“AFRICAN AMERICANS’ REALITY WITH POLICE IS SIMPLY DIFFERENT THAN THE MAJORITY COMMUNITY.”
UNIVERSITY OF Pittsburgh law professor David Harris, who studies racial profiling and wrote a book on the subject, says the encounters Jones and Campbell say they’ve
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had with police are not unique. “It is almost impossible to meet an African-American person in this country who has not experienced racial profiling.” “African Americans’ reality with police is simply different than the majority community,” Harris explains. “They’ve experienced profiling firsthand and heard about it for years. This cannot help but to create a different attitude toward police.” Harris says this experience can lead to a less-safe society. “It is not a matter of bruised feelings,” he continues. “It is a matter of public safety. Good police work is built on trust-based relationships between the police and the community they serve.” Pittsburgh Police Chief Regina McDonald did not return requests for comment. Many who attended the July 20 rally said they were concerned about the situation worsening. Barbara Beckham, of the North Side, says she fears for the safety of her 17- and 19-year-old sons, and often worries whether they’ll make it home. “I talk to them [about these issues]. I fear for them, but I can’t make them stay in the house,” Beckham says. “You see these cases, here and around the country, and you hope that the reason for them is not CONTINUES ON PG. 10
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PITTSBURGH CITY PAPER 07.24/07.31.2013