In Pittsburgh, two controversial cases reveal divide between the black community and the police
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November 1996: Brentwood police Officer John Vojtas looks away from protesters in front of the Allegheny County Courthouse, as he and his legal team cross Grant Street during a recess in now-Sgt. Vojtas' trial.
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One was a young businessman, the other an honors high school student. Their paths never crossed, but Jonny Gammage and Jordan Miles are inextricably linked as black men who were injured, one fatally, while being subdued by white police officers.
Their violent encounters -- Mr. Miles' fight with three plainclothes Pittsburgh police officers in 2010 and Mr. Gammage's fatal clash with five suburban police officers in 1995 -- elicited charges in some quarters that blacks received unfair treatment at the hands of white police officers. Police vehemently denied the allegations.
Both cases provoked outrage and protests and revealed a raw cultural divide between the black community and police.
Parallels between the cases have spurred the production of "The Gammage Project," a docudrama that begins this week at the University of Pittsburgh. The hope of supporters of the project -- produced jointly by Pitt's repertory company and Pittsburgh Playwrights -- is that revisiting a tragedy 16 years in the past will help prevent one in the future.
PG SLIDESHOWSome observers note that Mr. Gammage's death sparked needed reforms, such as improved police training, procedures and oversight.
Still, they say, there remains much to glean from what happened during what should have been a routine traffic stop.
Syracuse, N.Y., native Jonny Gammage, 31, was driving north on Route 51 in Brentwood shortly after midnight in a dark blue 1988 Jaguar XJ6 owned by his cousin, then-Steelers defensive lineman Ray Seals, for whom he worked.
PG VIDEOBrentwood police Lt. Milton E. Mulholland would later testify he spotted the vehicle driving erratically. He said he activated his lights and siren but Mr. Gammage refused to pull over, weaving from lane to lane and driving through three red lights.
Eventually, Mr. Gammage stopped just inside the Pittsburgh city limits in Overbrook. Brentwood police Officer John Vojtas and Whitehall Sgt. Keith Henderson arrived as backup.
It was 1:47 a.m.
Officers, the only witnesses to what happened during the next few minutes, testified the following occurred:
Mr. Gammage acted suspiciously and disobeyed commands to keep his hands visible to them. A small amount of marijuana was found in the car, but toxicology tests later showed he had taken no drugs and was not legally intoxicated.
First Published February 5, 2012 12:00 am
