An atrocity compounded
On May 30, 2015, an atrocity occurred at the Wood Street, Downtown Pittsburgh ‘T’ station. This month, it was compounded.
Following a Kenny Chesney concert, an event which is known to attract unruly intoxicants, five drunken white men in their 20s brutally assaulted a 54-year-old black man, throwing him onto the subway tracks, attempting to keep him from returning to the platform and repeatedly punching him in the head until he was unconscious. The victim has required and will continue to need expensive treatment from health care providers as he seeks to recover. The incident was captured on surveillance video, bolstering the victim’s rendering of events to the extent that he can remember them. The police report indicates that one of the hoodlums asked what the fuss was over the actions of his gang, given that the victim was simply a ‘racial slur.’
To a reasonable person, the assailants attempted to commit homicide, and in fact, one of them was originally charged as such. To District Attorney Stephen Zappala, this notorious crime was not serious at all. His office negotiated plea bargains, reducing serious charges to those which are nominal, and agreeing to sentences of probation and community service for those who have demonstrated themselves to be racist menaces to society. Even the sentencing judge, Jeffrey Manning, expressed his disappointment with the leniency that was dispensed as he chided the hoodlums for their lack of remorse.
I wanted to believe that the atrocious bargaining down of these charges was engaged in by some oblivious underling of Zappala without his knowledge, but that was disproven as the DA has had the audacity to attempt to justify the plea bargains, telling the media that he has no problem with what took place.
Zappala vigorously pursued prosecution of former State Senate leader Jane Orie, securing a multi-year prison term and Order of Restitution for white-collar crime. A violent crime committed by a gang against an innocent man, though, somehow merits mere probation. The unwillingness to prosecute those who pose a threat to all of us is a more grave matter in light of Zappala’s bid to become the state’s chief law enforcement officer, Attorney General. Suddenly, Kathleen Kane does not look so bad.
What was the rationale behind the unwillingness to punish those who committed a vicious attack? Was it the fact that the victim was unimportant … black? Is it that choosing to be drunk is an excuse for depravity? Did one or more of the assailants know someone who determined that they were worthy of there being a thumb on the scale for them?
The people deserve answers and the District Attorney refuses to provide them. Equal justice under the law? Ha!
I hope fair-minded, reasonable voters of Allegheny County will not make the mistake of anointing as Attorney General a man who does not understand the need to vigorously prosecute crimes against society.
My money is on the truly honorable and distinguished candidate for Attorney General: Montgomery County Commission chairman, attorney and former State Representative, my friend, Josh Shapiro – but I would vote for someone whose name was selected at random from the phone book rather than Stephen Zappala. It is time for District Attorney Zappala to undertake some line of work which will not place the public at risk.
Oren Spiegler lives in Upper St. Clair.