Judge Donald Machen has refused to dismiss the remaining charges against Leon Ford, forcing the District Attorneys’ office to make a decision one way or another
Allegheny County prosecutors still haven’t said if they will retry Ford in a case in which Ford was shot five times by police even though he had no gun nor was he wanted for any crime. He is now paralyzed. Police said he was trying to drive off after a traffic stop in which they mistook him for someone else.
By the judge not dismissing the charges he forces the prosecution to either retry or drop the charges against Ford. He ordered prosecutors to report back in two weeks stating that “this is a highly important case. It has a lot of people wondering what the court’s going to do.”
At issue is a court imposed gag order that remains in effect in the criminal case but also affects the civil rights lawsuit Ford has against the police officers and the city.
A jury last month acquitted Ford of aggravated assault but couldn’t agree on a verdict on charges of resisting arrest, escape and three counts of reckless endangerment.
The prosecutors are saying that the order by the judge is unfair and that by law they have up to a year to decide. Thus the judge ordered an Oct. 21 hearing. If the prosecutors don’t decide on what they are going to do by then, the judge will probably lift the gag order, giving Ford and his attorneys the freedom to pursue and discuss the civil case.
It’s really amazing that 12 people could not acquit Ford of all charges. Here was a 19-year-old youngster who was stopped because officers thought he was someone else, and even after he gave him or her his identification proving he wasn’t they still retained him.
I’m sure there was some heated verbal conversation, because I don’t blame Ford for being upset. Why the continued harassment after they found out he wasn’t the one they were looking for. Why didn’t they just give him a ticket if he was speeding or ran a stop sign, and let him go on about his business like anyone else?
But no, he’s a young Black man so he can be talked to any way and treated any way. But I guess it’s impossible for most White people to say that the police were wrong and the young Black man should not have to spend the rest of his life in a wheelchair at the age of 19. He’s 21 now. Especially when testimony states that one officer was pulling him from one side and the other officer was pulling him from the other, with his hands on the gear shift.
What probably happened was the gear shift was shifted either by Ford, the officer inside the car or both. But my contention is that since they had his identification and knew he wasn’t a criminal or danger to society, even if he had driven off all they had to do was follow him, they had his license which has his address.
Where could he have gone? Was it worth shooting a man? Shouldn’t the use of deadly force, a gun, be the last resort? Shouldn’t the jury have considered this in their decision? I guess in their eyes the Black man in always guilty and the police always innocent.
I commend the judge for forcing the prosecutors to either take actions or drop the charges.
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In watching the Sunday morning news shows the major media is determined to force President Obama into committing ground troops in the Middle East, especially Iraq and Syria. Maybe they should volunteer. They are more determined than the Republicans to get us into a ground war. Are they blind are just that dumb. President Bush sent ground and air troops into Iraq to replace Saddam Hussein who was suppose to have been the number one threat to world peace with weapons of mass destruction.
Well we went in killing thousands and hanging Hussein, and installed our government. But within a few months all hell broke out in Iraq with all kinds of Muslim fractions fighting for power and the government we put in power becoming more oppressive than Hussein.
The mistake the US made was that they left the country, and left a tyrant in power that was not fair to the minority group of people, the Sunni and Kurds. The people who shared in the power were the majority Shiites. This more than anything else is why Isis has risen to power and become the number one threat in the Middle East right now. But if something isn’t done to make sure everyone is treated fairly defeating Isis will only mean there will be another force to take his or her place.
Remember Vietnam? What can we do? I keep saying this but no one is listening. Go into Iraq and Syria, maybe the entire Middle East, and arm everybody. Men and women. Then get the hell out of there and let them fight their own wars, and defend their own country.
We lost in Vietnam because the majority of people didn’t give a damn about Democracy or Communism. They cared about eating, working and a roof over their heads. They cared about their families. They could have cared less about who ruled the country, as long as they didn’t take what little they had. Most people no matter what part of the world they are in only want to be left alone, or allowed to provide for themselves and their family.
In other words, there’s absolutely no way we should be sending ground troops into Iraq or any other Middle Eastern country. Because the more of them we kill the more enemies we create.
Yes they are a threat to this country, but killing them over there is not going to stop some simple minded fool from bombing or doing something else destructive in this country.
Susan Rice, National Security Advisor; impressed me when she wouldn’t allow Meet the Press host Chuck Todd to pressure her into stating that there was a need for “Boots on the Ground” forces in Iraq.
(Ulish Carter is managing editor of the New Pittsburgh Courier.)
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