ACLU suing white officer who arrested black teacher
PITTSBURGH (AP) – The American Civil Liberties Union plans to announce a lawsuit by a black Pittsburgh teacher who claims he was wrongly arrested by a white city police officer, after the teacher commented on his driving.
The Allegheny County district attorney advised police to drop charges of disorderly conduct and resisting arrest against the teacher, 38-year-old Dennis Henderson.
Henderson had just left a community group meeting that addressed community-police relations when Officer Jonathan Gromek stopped after hearing Henderson criticize his driving. The meeting was in Homewood, a crime-ravaged neighborhood.
The incident happened June 26 and Gromek was pulled of patrol duty while the city’s Office of Municipal Investigations reviewed the incident. The outcome of that inquiry isn’t known.
Henderson was jailed about 12 hours following his arrest.
The ACLU has scheduled a Tuesday afternoon news conference.