This page was last updated on August 20, 2012.
Retrial necessary; Lynn Coleman [Gardner]; Beaver County Times; August 19, 2012. Though the letter was signed “Lynn Coleman,” I’m guessing this is the same author who signed her name “Lynn Coleman Gardner,” also of White Township, to previous letters. If any readers know differently, please let me know.
Ms. Gardner has written at least 47 letters since 2005. Previous letters from Ms. Gardner I critiqued are here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, and here.
Below is a detailed critique of the subject letter.
“There absolutely should be a retrial in the case where three Pittsburgh police officers maliciously beat Jordan Miles without just cause.”
[RWC] As a reminder, this was a civil trial, not criminal. No criminal charges were filed. The jury ruled “not guilty” on the malicious prosecution charge but was hung on the other two charges. Whether there’s a retrial on the other two charges is up to Mr. Miles and his attorneys.
“We have seen pictures of the brutal beating. No police officer should be permitted to brutally beat citizens. The officers should have immediately been fired. They practically ripped Miles’ hair and face off.
“There is no doubt there was excessive force. Look at the pictures closely. They choked him and hit him in the head with a hard object after he was handcuffed, among other alleged abuses that left him traumatized and suffering from stress disorders and short-term memory problems.”
[RWC] Was Ms. Coleman at the trial and hear/see all the evidence?
“It will keep him from completing his college education. And why just one black male jury member, all the rest white? Doesn’t seem fair in my estimation. Those kind of police officers need to be taken off the streets.”
[RWC] If Ms. Coleman has questions about the jury demographics, she should ask Mr. Miles’ attorneys, J. Kerrington Lewis and Timothy O’Brien. Since this was a trial in the United States District Court for the Western District of Pennsylvania – Pittsburgh Division, the juror pool would include the area covered by that division. I don’t know the specific areas covered by the Western District divisions (Erie, Johnstown, and Pittsburgh). FYI, the presiding judge was U.S. District Chief Judge Gary L. Lancaster; not that it should matter, but Judge Lancaster is black.
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