District Attorney Zappala has directed that ‘the charges be withdrawn in 39 of the cases connected to the events of the last ten days.’
by Juliette Rihl
Public defenders, social workers and activists on Monday kneeled in front of the Allegheny County Courthouse in Downtown Pittsburgh to protest institutional racism in the criminal justice system.
“We, as public defenders, are here to say, ‘Black lives matter to us,’” Matt Dugan, chief public defender for Allegheny County, said to the crowd. Dugan called for an end to systemic racism in policing and criminal justice outcomes.
Public defenders throughout the country held demonstrations on Monday, including events in Philadelphia, Salt Lake City and Washington, D.C.
Several participants in Pittsburgh called for systemic changes to the criminal justice system, including defunding police and stopping the practice of laying disproportionate charges on Black people. “The District Attorney’s office has to change their method of charging and overcharging people,” attorney Lena Bryan Henderson said to attendees. “It’s a systematic way of putting their knee on peoples’ lives.”
Earlier in the day, the Allegheny County District Attorney’s office issued a statement saying that no criminal charges would be pursued against several dozen people who were arrested for allegedly choosing to “engage in civil unrest” in demonstrations against police violence in Pittsburgh.
“Until the Public Safety Director provides evidence that is both relevant and substantial, it is inappropriate to proceed with these criminal complaints,” DA spokesman Mike Manko said in the statement. “As such, District Attorney Zappala has directed that the charges be withdrawn in 39 of the cases connected to the events of the last ten days.”
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