Stephen Zappala’s Attorney General campaign picked up the support of another labor union yesterday.
The United Mine Workers of America (UMWA) District 2 is backing the Allegheny County District Attorney.
District 2 includes the Northeast United States and Eastern Canada and is an affiliate of the Pennsylvania AFL-CIO.
“We know Stephen Zappala and what he stands for. He has stood with workers and taken on powerful corporations and corrupt public officials, something UMWA members have been doing for more than a century,” said Ed Yankovich, District 2 UMWA International Vice President.
“More workers in Pennsylvania have suffered loss of life from accidents in coal mines or black lung disease caused by working in coal mines, than any other profession,” Zappala stated. “When workers who face such dire consequences day-in-and-day-out on the job, by their endorsement, say I am the best person to protect their lives and interests, it is trust given that cannot be broken. I am honored to have their support.”
Zappala is running against Montgomery County Commissioner Josh Shapiro and Northampton DA John Morganelli in the April 26th Democratic primary.
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13 Responses
Well Played Jim Burn. You played the victim for a year and half. Telling State Committee members, Wolf was a bully. Only to find out he refused to pay you to leave. You used the membership again to cry your a victim and need their votes for your boss Zappala. You are a piece of work. Membership is catching onto your games. What cry of victim will you play them for the next meeting? Poor Little Jimmy Burns…
The Critical Incident Review Report that Zappala refused to turn over in the Ford case is publicly available. It was attached to a motion filed in Federal Court. I do not have a link.
It should also be noted that Zappala’s Office has taken no action against the Police Officer who mistook Leon Ford for someone else, shot him, and then lied about it. The commenter below talks about “body cameras.” The Officer who shot Leon Ford was supposed to be wearing his body microphone. But he wasn’t. That was a violation of Police Protocol. And it meant that what the Officer did and said to that young man was not recorded (which was his objective). It also turned out that the other Officers on the scene also failed to wear their body microphones.
The microphones and body cameras are of no use if Officers purposely refuse to wear them when interacting with civilians. That is exactly what happened in the case of Leon Ford. But that did not stop Zappala from charging Leon Ford with criminal offenses he did not commit. Maybe someone should ask Zappala why he has not issued “letters” on the Officer who shot Ford. Maybe someone should ask him why he charged Ford so quickly – before a thorough investigation could be completed.
It was bad enough that Leon Ford had to be called a liar and shot. His paralyzation is awful. Zappala added insult to injury. Literally. He tried to help the police cover-up. Luckily – he failed. The truth is now coming out.
Has Fina resigned yet?
Public pretender: you are a DA in disguise. What are the docket numbers in all of these cases where Zappala prosecuted and convicted cops? And let’s have an audit by state auditor general on all of the asset forfeiture money that the DA has raked in since 1998. Perhaps it is now in his campaign fund?
Checkout Zappala finance report with the Department of State. Jim Burn is a Paid staffer of the Zappala election scam. Jim Burn pathetic plea at the Democrat State Committee Meeting wasn’t because he cared/loved the party, it was because he is PAID to speak. Burn played the party again for his own good. To bad he can’t count. You are a disgrace Burn.
Judge Machen is the brother of Mike.Machen, former head of the Allegheny County Public Defender’s office who was fired without cause and replaced in a deal between Phony Fitz, the exalted ruler and Junior Zappala, duh D.A.. The replacement was a former assistant D.A., Elliot Howze a fast friend of Junior. I don’t know what kind of fool would replace a p.d. With a d. A., but even a dumb hoopie like Fitz should have known better. It’s the kind of deal U.M.W. Boss Tony Boyle made with Pgh. Mafia boss John Bazzano (Junior’s great uncle).
Seems to me Zappala is worse than Rahm Emannuel in Chicago.
Maybe someone ought to dig up that report!!
A quick internet search led me to the article below. Seems Jim is correct. Steven Zappala’s DA’s Office did not turn over the report until over a year after it was written. And he didn’t do so until Court threatened to toss the case. This is not looking good for Zappala. Now I need to see the report (which is not attached to the article). Jim – Do you have a link??
This is from the article:
During an October hearing before Common Pleas Judge Donald Machen to dismiss the charges against Leon Ford, who was shot by Pittsburgh police during a 2012 traffic stop, attorney Fred Rabner argued that his client was reacting to a fluid, escalating situation when he tried to flee the officers.
Machen, who declined to dismiss the charges, replied, “As far as that goes, he escalated it.” But according to a previously withheld internal police memo, only released under threat of sanctions, the opposite is true.
“In its conclusion, (the report) says the incident could have been entirely avoided,” said Rabner.
Rabner said the 2012 memo from the police bureau’s critical incident review board criticized officer David Derbish’s actions and said he violated multiple procedures. The review board is comprised of command staff and looks at incidents like the Ford arrest to see what lessons can be applied to improve future outcomes.
The memo was part of discovery evidence only released by county prosecutors after Machen threatened to dismiss the case. The memo could turn the case in Ford’s favor, Rabner said.
Ford, 21, was shot multiple times by police during a November 2012 traffic stop after officers from Pittsburgh’s Zone 5 station misidentified him as a Lamont Ford, with whom they’d had previous contact …
Saying he was satisfied at a July 1 hearing that everything had been turned over, Machen declined to sanction Assistant District Attorney Robert Shupansky for withholding evidence. Rabner said he was “disgusted” that he had to ask for sanctions to get a report that was written a year ago …
As a result of the shooting Ford was left paralyzed. Police then charged him with aggravated assault, reckless endangerment and resisting arrest. He has since filed a federal lawsuit against Derbish, the city, former Chief Nate Harper, current Chief Regina McDonald and two other officers.
I need to read up on this Ford case. It seems that there is a lot going on. I remember reading that Ford prevailed in the criminal trial. I remember that the video did not show the officer being dragged as he claimed. Did not see the “report” referenced below. Does anyone have a link? Jim?
Public defender equals Zappala toady, either Elliot Howze it hang in’ or Brandon “Ging of the jungle”
Mr. Public Defender – I did not confuse anything. It seems you may have, though. It was Zappala that hid the Report critical of the Officer that shot Mr. Ford. Not the Police Department. That Report found, amongst other things, that the Officer was not “hanging out” of the car. The dash-cam video footage proves conclusively that he was not. Of course – the Officers did not know the camera was running – which led to the ridiculous story they made up about “hanging out” of the car (which you just repeated).
Leon Ford was charged by Zappala with assault on police and many other serious charges. And he was acquitted by the jury. Zappala lost. You might want to re-read the Common Pleas Court’s finding of facts. They state that there was no evidence of any traffic violation. That’s because the officers pulled Leon Ford over in a pre textual stop. They wanted to “rouse” the kid. They ended up nearly killing him. Five shots to the torso. After they mistook him for someone else and called him a liar. It’s a miracle Mr. Ford is still alive – and a tragedy that he is in a wheelchair for the rest of his life.
Zappala knows what he did. He knows what the cops did. I suspect, based on the spin you are attempting, that you do too.
Jim J, you are entitled to your own opinion but not your own facts.
Stephen Zappala has convicted a boatload of corrupt public officials including Justice Orie Melvin, Senator Jane Orie, Representative Jeff Habay, Council Woman Tawanda Carlisle and many more.
He has convicted more police officers and police officials of crimes that include manslaughter, theft, assault, weapons charges, domestic violence and stalking and more than any other District Attorney serving in Pennsylvania and maybe even America. He is the only DA in Pennslvania who has convicted an on duty cop with killing an unarmed black man. Why do you think the police union endorsed Josh Shapiro?
As for the Ford case, Zappala is DA. Don’t confuse what the cops do with what the DA does. He charged Leon Ford with the traffic violations that led to him being stopped by police and then fleeing the scene with a police officer hanging out of his car, charges that a Common Pleas Judge and a panel of Superior Court Judges upheld and agreed with. The Ford case and others similar to it, led him to work with police to change traffic stop protocols and put body cameras on cops so these kinds of stops do not escalate into unnecessary violence.
Stephen Zappala does not take on corrupt government officials. In the Leon Ford case, he actively helped the Police Department cover-up the shooting of an innocent, unarmed 19 year-old.
Not only did Zappala arrest the kid and shackle his paralyzed legs to a hospital bed, he buried a report that was critical of the Officer who shot Ford. Even after the Court ordered Zappala to give Ford’s lawyers the report, Zappala failed to do so.
The Police in Pittsburgh messed up. They mistook Leon Ford for someone else, shot him and then made up a story that would keep them out of trouble/jail. Zappala supported them in that effort.
This is all public information. There were articles written. Zappala lost his criminal case in Court. The officers were shown to be lying (just like the report that Zappala tried to bury said they were lying).
Zappala better hope Ford’s civil case does not go to trial before this election.