Pennsylvania State Chapter National Action Network releases statement on grand report on Darrin Manning investigation.

1. FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: Paula Peebles
Pennsylvania State Chapter National Action Network
(215) 765-6181
thepananoffice@yahoo.com
STATEMENT FROM PENNSYLVANIA NATIONAL ACTION NETWORK ON
GRAND JURY REPORT OF DARRIN MANNING INVESTIGATION
Philadelphia, PA – July 18, 2014 – The report of the Grand Jury of Philadelphia Police
officers’ investigatory stop of Darrin Manning has been released. To no one’s surprise the
grand jury concluded “the police acted responsibly and that no criminal act was committed
by any members of the police department on that day.”
“The real news would have been if the grand jury had not exonerated the police officers,”
said Matthew Smith Sr., president of the Pennsylvania State Chapter National Action
Network (PA NAN). “For the past 40 years, the names of the victims and police officers have
changed, but the conclusion is always the same – no criminal act was committed.”
“It strains credulity to suggest Officer Thomas Purcell stopped in the middle of Girard
Avenue out of concern the teenagers were trying to get his attention. When they ran that
should have been a clue they didn’t want to talk with him. And that should have been the
end of the story. But it wasn’t. Darrin Manning stopped because he knew he had done
nothing wrong. Everything that followed flowed from an illegal investigatory stop.”
Smith continued: “For PA NAN, the issue is bigger than this one case. The issue is police
misconduct. District Attorney Seth Williams reportedly said ‘it could have gone terribly
wrong and thankfully it didn’t’. What does the DA mean by that statement? Is he suggesting
Darrin Manning could have ended up like Albert Pernell Jr. or Phillip Holland?”
“The black community knows the police do not stop anyone out of concern for their well-
being. That’s not the relationship the black community has with the Philadelphia Police
Department. That’s why PA NAN will continue to call for the U.S. Department of Justice to
appoint a master to oversee the Philadelphia Police Department.”

2. PA NAN Chair Paula Peebles added: “It’s outrageous that District Attorney Seth Williams
would smear Darrin Manning’s mother by saying his distrust of police officers is ‘based on
the way he was raised.’ No, Darrin’s fear is well-grounded. The Philadelphia Police
Department is being monitored by a federal district court judge because of its pattern or
practice of conducting investigative detentions without reasonable suspicion.”
Peebles continued: “Just last week, the Department of Justice and the Police Advisory
Commission held a public forum on police-involved shootings and the excessive use of
force in Philadelphia. If the District Attorney had bothered to show up, he would have
heard first-hand why black Philadelphians distrust the police.”
About Pennsylvania State Chapter National Action Network: The Pennsylvania State
Chapter National Action Network is a nonprofit organization incorporated for the purpose
of advocating for equal education opportunities and equal justice under the law; promoting
policies and initiatives to reduce gun violence, racial profiling, police brutality, and “stop
and frisk” policing; and fostering civic engagement by hosting community forums, rallies
and other nonpartisan events. For more information, visit www.pastatenan.org.
About National Action Network: The National Action Network is the nation’s leading civil
rights and human rights organization, with chapters throughout the United States. Founded
in 1991 by Reverend Al Sharpton, NAN works within the spirit and tradition of Dr. Martin
Luther King, Jr. to promote a modern civil rights agenda that includes the fight for one
standard of justice, decency and equal opportunities for all people regardless of race,
religion, nationality or gender. For more information, visit
www.nationalactionnetwork.net.
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