Massive police presence for trial of cop in murder of Antwon Rose
By
Samuel Davidson
21 March 2019
A massive show of police force is taking place for the trial of former East Pittsburgh police officer Michael Rosfeld, who shot 17-year-old Woodland High School honor student Antwon Rose three times in the back last year, killing him.
Antwon was shot and killed on June 19, 2018 as he and another youth ran away from the car they were riding in, after Rosfeld pulled over the car and ordered the driver out.
The streets around the courthouse building have been blocked with dump trucks filled with gravel and the sidewalks have been barricaded, as police in full riot gear patrol the area. Reinforcements and SWAT teams are on standby.
The massive police presence is designed to intimidate protesters from showing up outside the court building. The murder of Antwon provoked weeks of protests over the summer, and city and county officials want to use a show of force to frighten people away from renewing their protests.
The police are very fearful of the anger that is growing over the increasing number of police killings throughout the country. In the few cases where police officers are brought to trial, the vast majority are acquitted.
Earlier this month, officials announced that no charges would be filed against the two police officers who shot and killed Stephon Clark in Sacramento, California while he held a cell phone in his grandmother’s backyard.
The police presence in Pittsburgh is in sharp contrast to the treatment of two rallies held in December in which about 150 heavily armed supporters of gun rights were allowed to carry multiple weapons, including fully loaded AR-15 and automatic handguns, throughout the downtown area of the city,…