A SHOW OF SUPPORT—Friends, family and members of the community showed support for Leon Ford Jr. at a rally on Oct. 16 at the City-County Building, downtown. From left: Attorney Benjamin Crump; Latonya Green, mother; Ford; Leon Ford Sr., father, and attorney Monte Rabner. (Photos by J.L. Martello)
Family, friends and community members showed up in numbers to the Allegheny County Courthouse for a rally held Oct. 16 to show their support for then Pittsburgh teen Leon Ford Jr., who was shot multiple times by a Pittsburgh Police officer during what many say should have been a “routine” traffic stop and to show their outrage for the criminal charges he still faces.
The rally was held before a requested hearing to dismiss the charges against Ford, which are reckless endangerment, aggravated assault, and escape, which was added just before the morning’s proceedings.
FATHER AND SON—Leon Ford Jr. holds his son, Leon Ford VI.
“We are standing up for Leon because the Pittsburgh police paralyzed my son and now he cannot stand up for himself and will never walk again,” said Latonya Green, Ford’s mother.
According to police, on Nov. 11, 2012 Ford was pulled over on Stanton Avenue in Highland Park due to traffic violations. He gave them his license and registration, and after verifying it, officers began to question his identity and asked him to step out of the vehicle, but they said Ford refused and began moving his hand as if he was reaching for something. That’s when officer David Derbish, who was monitoring the passenger side of the vehicle, opened the door of the vehicle and reached in to grab Ford’s hand. They said Ford then began to drive off, and to avoid being dragged the officer jumped in the passenger’s side demanding Ford stop and Ford began to try and push him out of the vehicle. The officer then fired several shots, hitting Ford in the chest three times. Ford’s vehicle then crashed into a cement retaining wall and he was taken to UPMC Presbyterian Hospital. No weapon or substances were found on Ford or in the vehicle.
The rally was attended by many, including attorney Benjamin Crump, the lawyer who represented the family of Florida teen, Trayvon Martin, who addressed the crowd by saying, “We come here this morning seeking justice and to see if the court is going to continue to let the Police of Pittsburgh perpetuate a fallacy. It is a fallacy because they profiled Leon Ford Jr., they paralyzed Leon Ford Jr. and they were wrong on every level.” He added, “The police officers broke their own policies and procedures and hoped he died, but thank God, he lived.”
A few of the policies Crump referred to are not checking the validity of Ford’s information first, but instead running his name and information for a criminal history; not wearing audio, which is Pittsburgh police procedure, but leaving it in the vehicle; and reaching into the vehicle, which goes against training.
HELPING HANDS—Two unidentified men carry Leon Ford Jr. down the steps in his wheel chair, after a traffic stop with Pittsburgh Police that left him paralyzed.
While many of those who attended the rally could not enter the courtroom, they did stand outside and wait, letting their support be known. Adrienne Young, founder of Tree of Hope, said, “We are standing behind this young man. This behavior is emblematic of what they’ve (police) been doing to our young Black men. Our hope is that this can unravel and that the truth is exposed and these officers are brought to justice so that all the young Black men will receive justice.” She added, “The whole city and community are standing with him (Ford). Though he might not be able to stand, we will stand with him and for him.”
Judge Donald Machen decided to delay his ruling and give the defense more time to present their case. He gave them thirty days to submit a brief explaining their claim of how officers created a zone of danger in this case.
“It’s a first step and equivalent to fighting with your hands behind your back and winning the case,” Fred Rabner, Ford’s attorney, said in a statement after the hearing. “Our story is yet to come out and when it does it will be devastating to the prosecution’s case.”
One of the defense’s key pieces of evidence is the dash cam video of the stop. Prior to its viewing in the Oct. 16 proceedings, a community viewing was held the previous day at the Community Empowerment Association’s facility in Homewood.
“It’s obvious to anyone (who has seen the video), he (Ford) was held 20-25 minutes, he provided all the information they asked and he had no warrants on him or the vehicle. The stop was longer and there was no justification for that shooting— he had no weapon and he didn’t try to run over anyone,” said Rashad Byrdsong, CEA founder and CEO. “We would like to see the charges dropped and for those police officers to be brought upon charges of assault.”
Byrdsong said that negative incidents like Ford’s seem to be ongoing in the relationship Pittsburgh police have with the Black community, especially Black men, and that his organization has made several attempts to address these issue through community efforts, but that it’s time for the police to make some effort.
Along with a dismissal of charges against Ford, Crump and the community are asking for charges to be filed against the officers. “We ask the district attorney to look at the statements and affidavits of the police. This young man is fighting for his life. This is not fair to Leon Ford,” he said.
A federal lawsuit was filed in September against the Pittsburgh Bureau of Police, officers Derbish, Andrew Miller and former Pittsburgh police officer Michael Kosko, former police chief Nate Harper and acting police chief Regina McDonald accusing them of using excessive force, unlawful search and seizure and violation of due process.
The judge’s ruling is expected in two months.
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