2020-08-16: Police Kidnappings Come to Pittsburgh rak
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Yesterday afternoon around 5 p.m., armed plain clothes
Pittsburgh Police officers snatched a protester off the streets
and drove off in an unmarked white van.
The city announced that he faces three charges [0]: "failure to
disperse", "disorderly conduct", and "obstructing highways and
other public passages".
Mayor Peduto offered the following defence of the police's
actions [1]:
Just a quick reminder of Constitutional rights. They have
restrictions. The right to assemble is a guaranteed right,
the right to shut down public streets, is a privilege. That
privilege is sanctioned by laws and codes. In Pittsburgh, we
worked w ACLU & CPRB to create our codes.
The ACLU of Pennsylvania responded [2-3] that it does not
support the kidnapping of protesters.
The Post-Gazette reports that [4]:
Mr. Cartier declined to comment by phone, but on his Twitter
account, he said he was asked by a passenger in the van for
directions around the protest. "When I approached the van to
provide directions the passenger grabbed me and multiple
other men sprang out of the back of the van heavily armed to
arrest me. I was driven to the busway where officers
searched me and transported me to ACJ [Allegheny County
Jail]," he tweeted.
In the rest of the world, we have a word for snatching people
off the streets: kidnapping. For countless reasons, it behooves
you to identify yourself as law enforcement when make an arrest.
J'aurais honte.
[0]
https://twitter.com/PghPublicSafety/status/1294811823334739969
[1]
https://twitter.com/billpeduto/status/1294841567174365186
[2]
https://twitter.com/aclupa/status/1295029192271237121
[3]
https://www.aclupa.org/en/press-releases/aclu-pa-statement-pittsburgh-police-tactics-weekend-protest
[4]
https://www.post-gazette.com/news/crime-courts/2020/08/16/arrest-protest-march-terrifying-matthew-cartier-Pittsburgh-BLM-police-unmarked-van-armed/stories/202008160162
