PITTSBURGH — Members of Allegheny County’s Pennsylvania House delegation sent a letter to District Attorney Stephen Zappala Friday demanding his policy of not offering plea deals for clients of a Black attorney be rescinded.
According to our partners at TribLive.com, the letter was signed by:
- Emily Kinkead
- Austin Davis
- Lindsey Williams
- Sara Innamorato
- Summer Lee
- Dan Deasy
- Jessica Benham
- Nick Pisciottano
- Brandon Markosek
- Ed Gainey
- Jake Wheatley
>>>RELATED: Mayor Peduto calls for investigation after DA says he won’t offer plea deals for Black attorney’s clients
The letter followed attorney Milton Raiford criticizing Zappala’s office, calling it “systematically racist.” He told a judge he believed people of color get less favorable plea deals in Allegheny County.
Zappala issued an email in response and sent Channel 11 a statement that said the policy was enacted in part “to ensure that this office makes consistent, evidence-based decisions, and avoids false claims of racism.”
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