By Emily Linder and Colten Oakes
On June 19, 2018 at 8:40 p.m., 17-year-old Antwon Rose of Pittsburgh was shot three times and later died from his injuries. Rose had been in a vehicle that was pulled over and in running away from the inside of the car, he was shot to death. In response, several protests have been held by people outraged over the incident. Those expressing their frustrations have successfully blocked the parkway and even PNC Park downtown. How does the rest of the city feel about the protests? We interviewed several people in Market Square to find out.
David Penn, 54, Penn Hills, Retired Pennsylvania State Trooper
When we asked Penn if the protesters were justified in their actions, he answered “To be frank, hell yes!” Penn explained that he is a retired state trooper who has disarmed murderers without firing his service weapon. He teaches his children discipline and respect for authority. Even when out of uniform he said he has been stopped multiple times due to his color. He is stopped so often that he developed a routine of “turning the car off, turing on his lights inside the car, keeping his hands on the steering wheel, informing the approaching officer of his badge number and where his firearm is located in his vehicle.” Penn also recalls the time where “you were responsible for your bullets.” where every shot you take, if you were wrong, you can be sued and lose everything. Penn feels that today you can get out of anything depending on the color of your skin. Penn feels that people need to be looked at and treated like people, not by the color of their skin.
Davida Penn, 25, Youth Coach, Penn Hills
When Davida was asked about her opinion if the protestors were justified, she said that they were and that situations like Rose’s are ongoing issues. She expressed her feelings about the incident and said that it was “not okay”and that black people were receiving “the short end of the stick” through society. Penn told us that people aren’t seeing things through the point of view of black people or they “choose not to” see things through their point of view. Penn stated that she supports the cause and effect of the protests. She said that she has always respected authority and that her father was a policeman. She told us a personal story where she was at a party and the police came and they were going to let the white girls go, but not her. She also experienced a situation where she was pulled over for issues with a license plate. When she was pulled over, the policeman asked her if she had illegal substances in her vehicle, and she answered that she did not but was a little shook up. She remembers the officer asking her “Why are you scared?” She was startled because of her prior experiences with targeting and thus she supports the protests that the city has experienced.
Selena Zhang, 18, from Rochester, N.Y., an incoming freshman at Harvard
When asked about whether the protestors were justified in their actions, Zhang told us “Absolutely”. She expressed to us her concern for systematic racism and she believes that if Rose was white, then he wouldn’t have been shot. Zhang hopes that the protests bring awareness to the issues at hand.
Ben (requested not to have last name used), 28, Pitt Grad Student, from Point Breeze
When we questioned Ben about his ideas on the protestors related to Antwon Rose’s situation, Ben told us that he believes that they are justified. He stated “the more visible it is, the better.” Though he supports the protests, he is not confident that change will arise from the protests themselves.
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