BRANDI FISHER, ALLIANCE FOR POLICE ACCOUNTABILITY, TIM STEVENS, BPEP, DAYLON DAVIS, NAACP PITTSBURGH BRANCH PRESIDENT
Pittsburgh Police officers using the “closed fist” on a Black male whom they were trying to arrest in Downtown Pittsburgh on Aug. 25 didn’t sit well with many African Americans in the city, who viewed the video on social media tens of thousands of times.
But when Pittsburgh Police Chief Larry Scirotto announced on Sept. 1 that the use of force the officers used was “justified,” that really didn’t sit well with some African Americans in the city.
Thirty-two-year-old Jashon Martin, according to police, was observed by officers engaging in drug dealing and other activities in the Downtown area on the evening of Friday, Aug. 25. When they tried to apprehend him, he was taken to the ground and subsequently punched by at least one officer. The officers outnumbered him by at least 4 to 1, with other officers in the vicinity. In their official statements, police said they found a fixed-blade knife near where Martin was arrested. The initial punch from an officer came from the reasoning that he thought Martin was reaching for a weapon.
Prior to Scirotto’s announcement on Sept. 1, a collective statement was released to the media from Tim Stevens, Black Political Empowerment Project Chairman and CEO; Daylon A. Davis, NAACP Pittsburgh Branch President; and Brandi Fisher, Alliance for Police Accountability President and CEO. It read, in part: “The arrest of Jashon Martin raises concerns regarding the methods and approach deployed by the Pittsburgh Police Bureau during his detention and apprehension, shedding light on potential broader issues that goes far beyond the specific criminal charges he is facing. This situation also underscores the growing expectations for law enforcement to maintain transparency and accountability as they interact with the public. The community is increasingly vigilant about holding officers and public officials accountable when departmental policies contradict ethical & moral standards. In our shared pursuit of a safer Downtown, it’s imperative that we address these issues with a profound respect for human lives and consideration for residents and business owners of the City of Pittsburgh.”
Mayor Ed Gainey, standing next to his police chief, said on Sept. 1 that the city had come up with a “Sentinel Review Task Force,” which will investigate all police use of force incidents in the city.
But at least for the incident involving Martin, activists like Davis, the NAACP Pittsburgh Branch President, wasn’t impressed by the officers’ use of force being justified by the city.
“We have now elected a Black man to be our mayor…and still we have the same issues,” Davis said at a press conference following the city’s announcement on Sept. 1., reported by the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. “We will hold this administration accountable as well as our state elected partners and while this may be the current policy, it will not be the policy going forward.”
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