Meeting Being Held After 2nd Police Incident In Homewood
PITTSBURGH (KDKA) – There was an incident in Homewood Tuesday afternoon, which is expected to be brought up at a community meeting.
It's the second incident in less than a week.
The meeting is expected to underscore the problems involving the police and the community at large, and was held by the Homewood Community Empowerment Association.
Residents spoke out about alleged police misconduct.
Tuesday, two brothers, 18-year-old Beyshaud and 21-year-old Will El, were taken into custody by police.
Police say the reason was because officers had doubt as to whether they were old enough to make some tobacco purchases. Police also say one of them tried to punch an officer.
KDKA talked to their mother.
"There's a thousand children who smoke cigarettes on the corner," said their mother Medina El. "The police never stop children for smoking cigarettes."
When asked if anyone saw what happened, El said yes.
"I've talked to several witnesses who say that a woman lieutenant in a white shirt followed my children from the corner store all the way up the street, harassed them, had them empty their pockets, saw that they did not have any drugs, any guns, nothing, turn back around. My one son asked her why were they being harassed an another officer said, 'he's a smart mouth, get him,' at that point they took my oldest son, slammed him on his head, commenced to beating him up, tasered my other son and beat him up as well."
The two men are currently in police custody and at least one will be charged with resisting arrest.
This happened less than a week after another incident in Homewood involving police, a teacher and a freelance photographer.
Councilman Rev. Ricky Burgess also said the community needed to have a voice in the selection of the next police chief. He added that police need more sensitivity training, and right now "the community believes the entire police force hates them, and at the same rime, the police feel people in the (Homewood) community hate, and have no respect for them."
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