NAACP: Posting arrestees' names on Internet 'another nail in the coffin '
Thursday, July 29, 2004 at 05:05AM
TheSpook
Posting the names of people arrested in Allegheny County
online is an attack on "the presumption of innocence" and will damage
the image of black people in the region, the head of the local NAACP
said Wednesday. "This is just another nail in the coffin," said Tim
Stevens, president of the Pittsburgh Branch of the National Association
for the Advancement of Colored People. District Attorney Stephen A.
Zappala Jr. announced last week that he plans to place the names of
those charged with crimes in the county online. "We want you to know
who is entering the criminal justice system," Zappala said. Stevens
said the legal system in Allegheny County already is slanted against
black people. He said a lack of black judges, police officers and
attorneys creates an environment in which the rights of black people
are compromised. He said placing the names of those arrested online
before they are proven guilty will permanently damage the reputations
of members of the black community who already struggle to obtain good
jobs. [more]
Article originally appeared on (http://brownwatch.com/).
See website for complete article licensing information.