Law encounters raise questions

On a chilly day in late March this year, Pitt student and activist Katie Emery wanted to… On a chilly day in late March this year, Pitt student and activist Katie Emery wanted to express her outrage for a war that had just begun. Like many others, she went to Downtown Pittsburgh, where a protest was forming on March 20.

“There were older people, students, families there – people from all walks of life,” Emery recounted.

As the day dragged on, the tension between the crowd and the police grew. At about 7 p.m., the pressure started to come to a head.

“The police began to force us to move to the sidewalk. Eventually, they began to drag people off the sidewalk and arrest them for being on the street,” Emery said.

The protestors were surrounded, subdued and arrested, and Emery was one of the 122 people who came to be known as the “Pittsburgh 122.”

Events like this led students to ask: Was this legal?

To answer this question, the American Civil Liberties Union and the Black Action Society held an open forum Wednesday evening titled “Students and the Police: Your Rights and Responsibilities.” The event filled Room 207 of David Lawrence Hall to standing-room-only capacity, as Emery and speakers from the American Civil Liberties Union and Black Action Society offered their commentary.

The Pitt Police were invited to speak, but declined, citing a scheduling conflict.

“You need statistics; you need to prepare yourself,” said Pitt Police Chief Tim Delaney. “I just can’t devote any time right now.”

Delaney added that he encourages dialogue between the Pitt police and students, not only as a “one-time affair,” but annually. He said he frequently meets with groups at the beginning of the school year, and again at the end, to review the year.

“For it to be a positive, interactive thing, I’m not going to debate anybody,” he said, addressing the possible format of the forum.

One thing that the groups at the forum and Delaney agreed on is a need for police-student interaction.

“It is in our best interest to create forums like this where we can work our problems,” said Raheem Dawson, former political action chair of BAS. “If you aggravate the police, they will just come down on us harder.”

Mike Healey, a lawyer who represents the ACLU and has helped the Pittsburgh 122, was on hand to talk about what rights citizens have, and to offer some guidelines to remember when interacting with authorities.

“If you make a false statement to the FBI, it’s a federal crime,” Healey said. He also handed out a packet that provided more specific information, such as where to and where not to pass out leaflets, and the safest way to hold protests.

“When asked by the police if your car can be searched, most people don’t know they have a choice,” Healey said.

“We have an obligation to let students know their rights,” said Nick Marritz, an ACLU intern and the organizer of the event.

“We were never read our rights,” Emery said.

“This is a common occurrence,” Healey added.

Those at the forum also discussed the problem of racial profiling.

“Sometimes [profiling] happens without you being conscious of it,” Marritz said.

“There are lots of organizations that have a vested interest in racial profiling. We are hoping to work with BAS, various Middle Eastern groups and the Asian [Student Alliance],” said Sam Joel, Pitt’s undergraduate chapter ACLU club president.