Location(s)

303 County Courthouse

436 Grant St

Outside of the Office of Allegheny County DA Stephen Zappala

Pittsburgh, PA, 15219

United States

The Black and White Reunion, Black Political Empowerment Project (B-PEP), NAACP Pittsburgh Branch, One HOOD, Stop Taser Abuse Today! (STAT!) and other groups are calling for a moratorium on the use of Tasers in Allegheny County. Please come out and show your support. Feel free to bring signs or props.

A group of organizations that came together following the death of Andre Thomas to support his family and the residents of Swissvale in their quest for truth and justice are again joining forces in response to the questionable Tasering of Jason Schmidt on August 22nd and the announcement that same day that North Braddock Borough had settled for $100,000 the suit brought by Shawn Hicks, who last year was Tasered three times by police who came into his house unannounced while he was asleep on his couch. In his suit, Hicks said police, who claimed they thought he was a burglar, continued to Taser him even after he offered to show them his ID.

"The concerns we expressed after Andre Thomas died have not been fully addressed," said Black and White Reunion spokesperson Celeste Taylor. "Now another young man has been Tasered under questionable circumstances. We applaud District Attorney Zappala for convening a committee of law enforcement and medical experts to examine the physical effects of Tasers, but that is not enough. There needs to be a halt to their use pending the results of the investigations, and all police officers involved in both the Thomas and Schmidt tragedies should be removed from their duties pending the outcome of an independent investigation, not based on the views of their Chiefs of Police. One young man is dead and another is hospitalized in a coma. Their families and the residents of these communities deserve to know why, based on facts, and there must be an effort put forward to reduce the chances of these inhumane police tactics being used again."

The Black and White Reunion and its partnering organizations reiterate the demands in their August 24 letter to law enforcement officials and are now adding additional concerns that should be taken up by the newly formed committee:

1. The newly formed Allegheny County committee of law enforcement and medical professionals must have access to the factual information about Taser and use-of-force policies in EACH police department in Allegheny County. We ask that the District Attorney compile this information and make it available to the public immediately.

2. In light of the Andre Thomas and Jason Schmidt cases, the committee should examine, in addition to the physical effects of Tasers, the existing police policies, procedures, and training in their use, and recommend changes to safeguard the public against their misuse. All members of the newly formed committee should review the reports about Taser/use-of-force policies from Amnesty International, which has called for a moratorium on Taser use.

3. The committee should invite residents and activists to participate, or at minimum make a complete and public report of the committee's findings.

4. Because in two recent cases there were indications that the victim might have been mentally ill and/or experiencing a reaction to prescribed or illegal drugs, the committee must include mental health and law enforcement professionals with expertise in appropriate responses to individuals in these types of distress. We believe that there are better, more humane ways to manage these situations than to risk killing or disabling the victim with Tasers, and we believe police policies, procedures, and training should reflect best practices.

5. If it is determined that it is not possible to assure safe use of Tasers regardless of policies, procedures, and training, their use should be discontinued entirely.

We join with the families in demanding forthright, honorable, and compassionate responses to the death of Mr. Thomas, the disability of Mr. Schmidt, and the countless injuries and deaths that have resulted from improper use of Tasers.

We ask again that the appropriate law enforcement and criminal justice authorities report publicly what actions they intend to take to address these issues.