Town Hall Meeting to Address Community Safety and Policing Planned
Pittsburgh, PA, June 27, 2018. The NAACP Pennsylvania State Conference is appalled at the unnecessary and brutal death of Antwon Rose at the hands of law enforcement in East Pittsburgh, a borough near the city of Pittsburgh. Our hearts go out to his surviving family and friends, and we join their calls for justice. We are encouraged by the news that East Pittsburgh Police Officer Michael Rosfeld has been charged with criminal homicide, but we recognize this is just the first step in a long process to hold him fully accountable. Therefore, in accordance with our position about the independence of prosecutions in police shooting cases, we call for the Pennsylvania Attorney General to take over the case.
National, state, and local NAACP representatives met with Alleghany County and Pittsburgh officials yesterday to express our deep concerns about transparency, accountability, and public safety. We discussed the measures being put in place to ensure the protection of the constitutional right to peacefully protest without harm. We emphasized the need for consistent and open communications with the community.
In collaboration with the Urban League and other social justice organizations, the Pennsylvania NAACP is organizing a town hall meeting. The purpose is to ensure the community is heard and to call for effective measures to stop the unnecessary use of deadly force. These measures include independent review of police shootings, strong training requirements and hiring practices, transparency, and data collection.
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Founded in 1909, the NAACP is the nation’s oldest and largest nonpartisan civil rights organization. Its members throughout the United States and the world are the premier advocates for civil rights in their communities. You can read more about the NAACP’s work and our six “Game Changer” issue areas by visiting NAACP.org.
Contact:
Joan Duvall-Flynn
NAACP Pennsylvania State Conference President
484-636-9308
National Contact:
Malik Russell
Director of Communications
mrussell@naacpnet.org
