NAACP Pushing State Attorney to Investigate Miles Case: Unarmed Black Student Assaulted by Pittsburgh Police

From [HERE] The president of the NAACP called the Jordan Miles case "disturbing" Thursday and pledged to assist local advocates petitioning the state attorney general to take up the matter. 

At an appearance at the University of Pittsburgh, Benjamin Todd Jealous said the amount of time it took Allegheny County District Attorney Stephen A. Zappala Jr. to decide whether to criminally charge three white police officers accused of beating Mr. Miles in January 2010 "suggests perhaps an intentional delay."

The officers said they confronted Mr. Miles because he appeared to be "sneaking around" with a heavy object in his coat that they thought was a concealed weapon. When he was approached by the officers he ran away, but the officers soon caught up with him and beat him into submission by delivering violent blows that left his face swollen and distorted. Police also used a stun gun and pulled out a chunk of his hair. He is 5-foot-6 and 150 pounds and was unarmed. 

"We, again, are deeply disturbed that the DA took a year-and-a-half to say 'no,' " Mr. Jealous said.

Last month, Mr. Zappala concluded that, after consulting with several experts, he did not have enough evidence to bring criminal charges against the officers accused of beating Mr. Miles, then 18, in Homewood.

The U.S. attorney's office also decided not to bring charges of civil rights violations against any of the officers.

During his visit, Mr. Jealous met with Gayle Moss, president of the Pittsburgh National Association for the Advancement of Colored People, and Brandi Fisher of the Pittsburgh Alliance for Police Accountability. Both groups are hopeful the state attorney general will investigate the case, and the three discussed options at the state and federal levels.

Mr. Jealous said it's important to "bring somebody in from the outside" to facilitate an "honest, clear look" at the facts. He praised Allegheny County Councilman Bill Robinson's concern about possible conflicts of interest when the district attorney's office investigates cases of citizens' claims of police misconduct.

"It unfortunately inflames long-standing suspicions that local law enforcement are incapable of policing local law enforcement," Mr. Jealous said.

Mike Manko, Mr. Zappala's spokesman, said four agencies investigated the case: the district attorney's office, the FBI, the U.S. attorney's office and the city Office of Municipal Investigations.

"During the course of those investigations, four use-of-force experts provided opinions," he said in a statement. "If the NAACP believes that a different investigative approach to police officers is necessary in Pennsylvania, this office will comply with whatever scheme the legislature puts into effect."

Mr. Manko also noted that as for the length of the investigation, the district attorney's office looked into the matter before government agencies took jurisdiction.

Mr. Miles said he was walking to his grandmother's home that January day, but according to police reports, the three officers said they confronted him because he appeared to be "sneaking around" a house. The officers thought Mr. Miles had a concealed weapon in his pocket, but investigators determined that item was a bottle of Mountain Dew.

The three officers said they identified themselves as police and ordered Mr. Miles to stop. He ran, and they chased and caught him. They hit him several times when he resisted, according to their report.

Mr. Jealous said the matter is part of the NAACP's national review of outstanding cases "defined by the consequences of racial profiling."

"We are seeking right now to force a real honest, national conversation about this problem until the problem is dealt with and addressed," he said.

Mr. Jealous was on campus Thursday as part of Pitt's Center on Race and Social Problems' 10th anniversary celebration, where he discussed the case of Florida teen Trayvon Martin, who was shot to death in February by a neighborhood watch volunteer.