Promoter Don Patterson of Penn Hills could not believe his eyes while watching this year’s St. Patrick’s Day Parade. As he watched members of the Pittsburgh Police march by in their dress blues, behind them were about 70 officers wearing Green T-shirts that read “3599” on the front, and, “We Support Our Three Brothers,” on the back.

HIGH VISIBILITY— Members of Pittsburgh’s Fraternal Order of Police take advantage of the country’s second largest St. Patrick’s Day Parade to show their support for three suspended officers who allegedly beat a CAPA High School student during an arrest in January.

The three brothers are officers Michael Saldutte, David Sisak and Richard Ewing, who allegedly beat CAPA High School senior Jordan Miles during a Jan. 12 arrest near his home. The 3599 refers to the unmarked car the plainclothes officers drove that night.

There is no DNA evidence saying he drove the car. The only evidence that he did came from the shooter and another passenger who changed his story. And the jury initially returned a not guilty verdict.

DREW PRITCHETT

Yet Drew Pritchett, 18 at the time, is going away for life plus 20-40 years for his part in the 2007 homicide of Terrance Monroe on Pittsburgh’s North Side.

“He didn’t do it. He was taken advantage of by the other boys who knew the system,” said his mother, Patricia Alexander. “He was in college, had no criminal history. Now he faces a life sentence, with no possibility of parole for a crime he did not commit.”

Weeks after the incident, community groups are continuing to gather in response to the alleged beating of 18-year-old Jordan Miles by three Pittsburgh police officers. Recently groups such as the Black Political Empowerment Project, NAACP and Community Empowerment Association have united to move forward with concrete steps to ensure incidents like this do not continue.

FAMILY TIES—Jordan Miles, right, attended the meeting with his mother and grandmother.

“This is hard work because there are so many obstacles to justice. The system is not in our favor. The police are given deep deference in the courts because the police have a very difficult job to do,” said B-PEP Chairman Tim Stevens. “I have not a piece of doubt the incident with Jordan Miles will be the spark that creates change.”

A study funded by the U.S. Department of Justice found that bullying across the country has decreased, especially for children from low-income households. Released at the beginning of this month, the study showed that the percentage of children who reported being physically bullied over the past year had declined from nearly 22 percent in 2003 to under 15 percent in 2008.

STAND TOGETHER—Middle school students stand with NBA player DeJuan Blair.

In an effort to ensure bullying continues to decrease but also that incidents of bullying do not go unreported, the Pittsburgh Public School District has unrolled a new campaign against bullying. The campaign hopes to reemphasize the district’s long existing anti-bullying policy with a series of posters featuring NBA player, and Schenley grad DeJuan Blair.