FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
April 28, 2023
Contact: Walter Harris (412) 919–7570
PITTSBURGH, PA—This week marks six years that Todd Robinson has sat behind bars at the Allegheny County Jail, awaiting effective representation at trial. Back on April 24, 2017, Robinson was parked at the McDonald’s in Wilkinsburg, Pittsburgh when police approached his vehicle. When Robinson tried to drive away, a police officer shot him in the shoulder and the chest. The cops charged Robinson with two counts of assault on an officer, a charge he has vehemently denied since that night.
The McDonald’s surveillance cameras caught the incident, but Robinson has been denied access to view the footage. Robinson’s demand is simple: release the camera footage. On May 2, 2022, the prosecution finally released the video footage to the defense, but according to Robinson, his attorney told him, “You will never see this footage.” The prosecution even offered Robinson a plea deal of 1 to 3 years time served, but he declined, demanding justice and accountability for the officers whose bullets easily could have killed him that night.
Robinson believes that the footage would not only exonerate him of the charges but would incriminate the law enforcement who shot him. In 2014, 17-year-old Laquan McDonald was shot 16 times by the Chicago police. Laquan died from the shots. But it wasn’t until later that the video footage surfaced and exposed the lies that the cops fabricated to cover up their culpability.
“Laquan was walking away from the officers. I was driving away from the officers,” Robinson said. “Let the footage speak for itself. If I had been killed by those bullets, my name would ring out in the street. Instead, I survived and have been trapped behind bars in an attempt to muzzle my voice for almost 2,200 days. I am a survivor with a voice! With the presumption of innocence in pre-trial detention as my only shield, I’ve been defending my liberty. I’ve been patiently standing my ground awaiting the gathering of We the People to assist me with the guarantees of due process that balances the Scales of Justice.”
Western PA Participatory Defense Hub is part of a national network. Participatory Defense is a community organizing model for people facing charges, their families, and communities to impact the outcomes of cases and transform the landscape