PGHIMC - Pittsburgh Independent Media Center

Letter to the Editor : Police Prejudice Exposed in Pittsburgh (Long Version)
by Caroline Savery Thursday, Aug. 09, 2007 at 1:16 AM
carolinesavery@gmail.com

Comments made by two officers at the August 8 Pittsburgh Organizing Group counter-recruitment protest in Oakland offend an accidental listener.

To Whom It May Concern:

I am writing because I am distressed by the dialog I overheard between police officers during the August 8 Pittsburgh Organizing Group counter-recruitment protest in Oakland. Well into the protest, one officer commented that he was “waiting for one of them to start something,” to which the other replied that he had witnessed a protester brandishing a post like a spear. I chuckled at their comments. It was not long before I realized the officers were not joking.

Astonished, I looked around me. All I could see were dozens of protesters, smiling, joking, and conversing. Not only that, it was more than apparent that the person brandishing the stick was joking. In fact, that day’s protest featured a rare event: a counter-protester who is currently enrolled in the Army appeared, with a sign reading “Ignore them: Support the Troops.” His presence was honored by all those in attendance. I witnessed several participants of the protest chatting respectfully with him throughout the event. Overall, it was a uniformly cheerful group—happy to be supporting a cause they believe in, pleased to have a difference of opinion represented, and excited to debut their September “End the War Fast” actions to the crowd.

Apparently the simple good humor the group exhibited was lost on the officers.

I am shocked at the blatant prejudice displayed by the police officers present. The police seemed to have pre-determined that these docile protesters were capable of and intent on violent actions. That is prejudice, plain and simple: it is no less offensive than if an officer were to see a Muslim on the street and conclude “she must be getting ready to bomb something.”

Shall I suppose that the law is being upheld fairly in our community when the police secretly perpetuate attitudes such as this? The officers at the protest seemed less interested in protecting the free exercise of the Constitutional rights of the protesting citizens, and more concerned about an imagined threat to the businesses on that street. It is common, though troubling, that our city’s officers often do a better job of “protecting and serving” the interests of capital, rather than the rights of their citizens.

I wish I could say that I have the utmost respect for the police officers of our fine city, and that I am confident they complete their duties with the fairness and consideration necessary for a healthy democracy. I cannot say this, however, for in my personal experience, and perhaps in the experience of many others who were protesting that day, the police sometimes act—and apparently think—in a less than respectable manner.

Sincerely,
Caroline Savery