Attendance of national figures at Saturday protest still uncertain
Whether national figures will attend Saturday’s march in Uniontown to protest the death of 12-year-old Michael Ellerbe is still up in the air. Paula Patterson of the Uniontown chapter of People Against Police Violence said she is uncertain of the attendance of the Rev. Al Sharpton, the Rev. Jesse Jackson and national NAACP President Kweisi Mfume.
The 1 p.m. march is scheduled as a protest to demand justice in Ellerbe’s name, according to Renee Wilson of Pittsburgh, founder of People Against Police Violence.
Ellerbe was fatally shot Christmas Eve by state police trooper Samuel Nassan.
The rookie trooper said he fired on Ellerbe after a foot chase, believing that his partner, trooper Juan Curry, had been shot.
Police ultimately discovered that Ellerbe was unarmed, but Nassan, who testified at an inquest that Ellerbe’s hand was in his pants pocket, said he believed Curry had been hit when he heard a gunshot and saw Curry fall to the ground.
However, according to testimony at the inquest, Curry’s gun accidentally discharged as he scaled a
4-foot fence and fell to the other side.
District Attorney Nancy D. Vernon announced she did not intend to prosecute either trooper in the days after the daylong inquest. Her decision sparked the formation of a small group of protesters who have appeared daily at the courthouse for nearly two weeks.
The march will begin at Mount Calvary United Methodist Church along Clark Street in Uniontown, travel past the site of Ellerbe’s shooting along Murray Avenue and end up at the county courthouse.
There, speakers will address those gathered. A press release from Wilson indicated that those speakers include leadership from the NAACP and the Thomas Merton Center in Pittsburgh.
At least three caravans from Pittsburgh are scheduled to join the march, said Wilson.
Law enforcement officials, in the form of members of the sheriff’s office and Uniontown police, said they will be on hand during the march to ensure everything runs smoothly. State police will not be on hand at the march, said Lt. Charles Depp, commander of the Uniontown barracks, but they will be able to respond if called upon.
“We’ve taken necessary precautions to ensure all public safety,” said Uniontown Police Chief Kyle Sneddon, who said he met with members of the PAPV and NAACP. “We expect the day of peace and prayer that they’ve indicated.”
Police will block off East Main Street east of five corners and Connellsville Street from the intersection of Bouquet Street. Sneddon noted that the Department of Justice and the Pennsylvania Human Relations Commission also will be on call if they are needed to assist in any matters.
Uniontown Police Capt. Ronald Kozak said members of the Uniontown Police Reserve will assist with traffic control.
The march comes less than a week after Depp and state police community relations officer Brian Burden met with a group of East End ministers and members of the NAACP in an attempt to foster a better relationship.
Depp, just transferred back to the Uniontown barracks after a brief time as the head of the Washington barracks, said they met on Monday and plan to continue meeting in the future.
“We’re working on some common goals and agendas,” he said, noting that he is eager to build up a relationship between police and the community.
Burden agreed, noting that he hoped to “maintain and build” the relationship.
“I think our community needs it,” he said.
While Vernon opted not to pursue charges against Nassan or Curry, the troopers are still subject to an ongoing federal probe under the direction of U.S. Attorney Mary Beth Buchanan.
According to the Associated Press, Buchanan is starting her investigation into the shooting from scratch, bypassing the investigation done by state police.
Buchanan said that a separate investigation such as this is rare because of the number of man-hours it takes. She also invited Ellerbe family attorney Joel Sansone to provide her the names of any witnesses he believes police might have skipped over.
Sansone earlier accused police of protecting one another by ignoring potential witnesses who may have different accounts than the ones presented at the inquest.
Nassan and Curry remain on administrative duty.