Image : WTAE-TV, VOA News The mayor of a Pittsburgh suburb called on police officers to go old school on the people protesting the officer-involved shooting of a 17-year-old, even offering a photographic example: a historic photograph of cops attacking kids with water cannons and police dogs during the Birmingham, Ala., 1963 Children’s Crusade. Advertisement According to WTAE-TV, Arnold, Pa., Mayor Karen Peconi shared videos and pictures to her Facebook page that could possibly be construed as racist by the small subset of people with eyes. In one video, she posted a link to footage of cops spraying protesters with a water cannon, commenting, “We need one of these for tomorrow,” referring to the nearby protests following the police-shooting death of Antwon Rose Jr. And after one person shared an infamous photo of teenage civil rights protesters being sprayed by water hoses, Peconi commented, “I’m posting this so the authorities everywhere sees this... I agree with Tom.. bring the hoses,” adding: “They don’t care about Pgh. none of them work now.. That’s how they can do this at 7am.... very sad.” When asked for comment, Peconi reportedly told WTAE, speaking in third person by phone: “The mayor didn’t post those.” Technically, she’s right. She simply shared the media and commented on it, which is different from posting the pictures and video herself, although it might also be the whitest excuse ever. In response, Police Officer Michael Rosfeld, who shot Antwon Rose Jr. three times as the teenager was running away, did not say: “Technically, I didn’t shoot Rose. I was just sharing the bullets with his back.”<doc-sep>Follow KDKA-TV: Facebook | Twitter PITTSBURGH (KDKA) — Protests continued Friday across Pittsburgh over the fatal shooting of 17-year-old Antwon Rose Jr. by East Pittsburgh police officer Michael Rosfeld. Hundreds of people spent the evening marching, chanting and calling for justice at two separate demonstrations, one that shut down the Homestead Grays Bridge and the other in Downtown Pittsburgh and North Side. It was the third day of protests across the city. The protest Downtown ended up on the North Shore, where, around 11 p.m. a car drove through the crowd, which was gathered near PNC Park. The incident created chaos just as fans were leaving a fireworks night at PNC Park. WEB EXTRA: Car Drives Through Crowd — MORE VIDEO: Police in riot gear lined up as protesters chanted, sang and some linked arms. While the Pittsburgh Pirates game was going on, the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reported that the gates to the stadium were shut down. Before the tense, late-night moments, the protest began at the Wood Street T Station around 5 p.m. Officials blocked off a section of Liberty Avenue, where the protesters formed a circle. They then went on the move, marching down 6th Street and over the Roberto Clemente Bridge. They stood on the bridge, already closed for the Friday night’s baseball game, chanting and rallying for a short time, then moved further down, ending up in front of PNC Park. Traffic on Fort Duquesne Boulevard was moving without many issues from the protest. The protesters held signs including one reading, “Fire Killer Cop.” The demonstrators ended up back Downtown in Market Square, then moved again to the North Side where some entrances to Route 28 were blocked for a short time while the protesters made their way onto East Ohio Street, to the Allegheny Center Mall and ended up at PNC Park. KDKA’s Ralph Iannotti Reports — Meanwhile, over on the Homestead Grays Bridge, another protest was being held at the same time. Demonstrators first gathered near the Fifth Avenue entrance to The Waterfront, and as the night went on, the crowd size grew. Eventually, the bridge had to be shut down. Allegheny County Police Supt. Coleman McDonough said: “I think that original organizers just wanted a peaceful protest, we had some discussions with them, we wanted to accommodate them and provide for their safety. At one point, we secured one lane, again, trying to provide for their safety while protecting their First Amendment right to free speech. As the night progressed, some additional people came out to the bridge. They insisted on blocking traffic to the bridge. We gave them the bridge for a couple of hours, gave them repeated offers to please disperse and then we began to give them official orders to disperse.” NEW: Protestors have shut down the Homestead Grays Bridge. pic.twitter.com/IEHw91IxVx — Ralph Iannotti (@IannottiRalph) June 23, 2018 Supt. McDonough said officers made at least four arrests. “We cleared the bridge, but the some of the groups came down 8th Avenue were still disorderly, so we attempted to clear 8th Avenue,” he said. “At that time, I think we made four arrests for failure to disperse, at least one resisting arrest and potentially an assault arrest.” These protests come a day after hundreds of protesters marched from the East Pittsburgh Police Station, down Route 30 in Forest Hills to the Parkway East on Thursday. They shut down the highway into the early morning hours of Friday. Eventually, police in riot gear moved in to clear what was left of the demonstrators on around 2 a.m. “We can’t tie up major arteries in the city; obviously, there’s people with medical emergencies, it’s not just a matter of inconvenience, we have to keep our roads open,” said Supt. McDonough on the Homestead Grays Bridge.<doc-sep>(CNN) — Protesters demanded justice in the police shooting of Antwon Rose II on Tuesday and called for the district attorney’s ouster. They gathered at Freedom Corner in Pittsburgh before marching downtown, carrying signs saying, “Three shots in in the back; How do you justify that?” and chanting, “Hey, hey, ho, ho, Steve Zappala has got to go,” referring to the prosecutor who has so far declined to charge East Pittsburgh officer Michael Rosfeld. Some protesters expressed concern Zappala has a questionable record when it comes to holding police accountable. Both Zappala’s spokesman, Mike Manko, and Rose family attorney Lee Merritt said they didn’t expect any developments to be announced Tuesday. Rosfeld shot Antwon, 17, three times last week as he fled a car suspected in an earlier shooting. Elected officials join calls for justice During the march and protest, police stopped traffic along the almost mile-long route that took demonstrators, a few children among them, from Freedom Corner to the Allegheny County Courthouse, which houses Zappala’s office, on to the Pittsburgh City-County Building. It began with a group of about 50 but doubled along the way. 01:42 - Source: CNN Four arrested in protest over police shooting “We’re going to be respectful, but we’re going to make our presence known,” organizer Nicky Jo Dawson said. Once at the Pittsburgh City-County Building, speakers took to a podium to address their fellow protesters and reporters. Included were city, county and state leaders lending their voices to the calls for justice. “If it wasn’t for your voice, justice might not be served,” said Allegheny County Controller Chelsa Wagner. “You will continue to have our support. … We will absolutely not stand for this, and as a community we absolutely support the need to file charges.” State Rep. Ed Gainey, who represents Pittsburgh, said that if police want the community to trust them, they must demonstrate that they’re willing to discipline one of their own. Justin Merriman/Getty Images Trey Willis, 32, of Washington, Pennsylvania, marches during a Tuesday protest in downtown Pittsburgh. “They need diversity education within the police department,” he said. Though the shooting occurred in East Pittsburgh, about a 15-minute drive east of Pittsburgh, at least five members of the nine-member Pittsburgh City Council were in attendance. Councilman Daniel Lavelle called on Zappala to bring charges against Rosfeld. ’We will not rest’ Brandi Fisher, president of the Alliance for Police Accountability, urged protesters to look out for each other. Be vigilant, remain brave and beware agitators, she told the crowd. “We’re putting our lives on the line,” Fisher said. “We’re in a different political climate. We have this Trump era of policing and it’s very aggressive.” 01:53 - Source: CNN Trial begins for ex-officer who shot teen There were no confrontations during the march and news conference. Appointed “marshals” helped direct the demonstrators along the route. Fisher said she and others were organizing for a major protest Saturday. A woman identifying herself as Carmen Ashley, one of Antwon’s relatives, echoed the sentiments of Antwon’s mother, who in an interview that aired Monday, accused Rosfeld of killing her son in “cold blood.” Ashley told protesters, “Since his life was taken for no reason, the pain (Rosfeld) has caused this family will never be healed.” CNN The program at Rose's funeral features images of him, an obituary and a poem he wrote. “We will not rest until there is a conviction for this man who killed my nephew,” she said. “We will not rest. I will be here everyday with y’all. I will walk. I will cry. Somebody will have to carry me, but I will be here.” Antwon was laid to rest Monday, with mourners gathering at Woodland Hills Intermediate School in Swissvale to remember the teen described in his funeral program as “beautiful, bright, charming and generous.” Antwon ‘bolted,’ police say According to Allegheny County police, Antwon was a passenger in a car that authorities suspected of being involved in a shooting in nearby North Braddock on June 19. Rosfeld pulled the car over and ordered the driver out of the car and onto the ground, police said. Antwon and another passenger “bolted” from the vehicle, and the East Pittsburgh officer opened fire, striking the teenager, police said. 00:44 - Source: HLN Teen shot by police after running from car suspected in a shooting The driver was questioned and released. The other passenger, a juvenile, was arrested on separate charges and is expected to be charged in the North Braddock shooting, Allegheny County Police Department spokeswoman Amie Downs said. No further information was immediately available. Antwon had an empty magazine clip in his pocket, according to Manko, the spokesman for the prosecutor’s office. Pressed for more information, officials declined to elaborate. The unidentified 23-year-old who captured video of the shooting appeared in silhouette during an ABC interview to describe what she saw that day. “It was like he was taking target practice out on this young man’s back. He didn’t flinch. He didn’t say, ‘Stop running.’ He didn’t say anything,” she said. Rosfeld had been sworn in to the East Pittsburgh police force just hours before the shooting, though he’d worked with other local departments for seven years, CNN affiliate WPXI reported. CNN’s Athena Jones and Bonney Kapp reported from Pittsburgh. Carma Hassan reported from Atlanta and Eliott C. McLaughlin reported and wrote in Atlanta.<doc-sep>
Dozens of protestors blocked traffic in downtown Pittsburgh Tuesday as they demanded justice for Antwon Rose, an unarmed black 17-year-old who was killed by police last week. Rose was shot in the back three times by Allegheny County police Officer Michael Rosfeld on June 19 as Rose attempted to flee police during a traffic stop, according to authorities. Rose and two others were stopped by police because their vehicle matched the description of a car used in a nearby drive-by shooting, police said. During the traffic stop Rose and a fellow passenger ran away. A video that showed Rose being shot as he ran was widely shared on social media. Protestors carried signs that said “3 Shots in the Back/ How Do You Justify That?” They are demanding that the officer who shot Rose face charges. The latest round of protests come one day after Rose’s funeral – and one week after he was killed. his undated frame from video provided by John Fetterman for Lieutenant Governor shows Antwon Rose in a campaign announcement. Funeral services are being held Monday, June 25, 2018, for Rose, who was shot and killed by police when he fled a traffic stop in Pennsylvania John Fetterman for Lieutenant Governor via APT Many protestors also want Allegheny County District Attorney Zappala to step down from the case and allow the Pennsylvania Attorney General to take over. The Black Political Empowerment Project, a local civil rights group, sent a letter to Zappala on Tuesday asking him to hand over the case: “With all of the emotions throughout this area around the death of Antwon Michael Rose, II, you could help provide some emotional relief to a very tension filled situation by removing yourself from this case.” Zappala told the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette that he wanted the Allegheny County Police Department to conclude its investigation of the shooting before he made any decisions. Police have said two guns were found in the car that Rose ran from. Zappala told the Post-Gazette that Rose had an empty handgun magazine in his pocket when he was killed. On Tuesday afternoon, Allegheny County police arrested a teen in connection to the drive-by shooting that took place right before Rose was pulled over. Police said they believe the suspect was the other person who fled the car with Rose during the traffic stop. He was not identified by authorities. Write to Gina Martinez at gina.martinez@time.com.