Far too often, we see law enforcement or other agents of the state abusing their power instead of serving and protecting their communities. When an officer abuses their power, they are committing an injustice. And while injustice happens in an instant, accountability can take months or even years to realize.
McKeesport is a suburb of Pittsburgh that traces its roots to the earliest days of steel production in western Pennsylvania. It’s also a city that has retained some of the historical boundaries of segregation, even as the city’s population has grown into one of the more diverse communities in all of Allegheny County.
In December of 2020, a McKeesport police officer was shot while in pursuit of a suspect. The suspect was an individual who was well-known to McKeesport police. As they called in reinforcements from other police departments across the county, McKeesport police began an aggressive manhunt that intentionally and unconstitutionally targeted and terrorized Black residents.
Black McKeesport residents reported police pointing firearms at unarmed and nonviolent individuals, demanding entry into private residences without a search warrant, and using excessive force during traffic stops. White residents were reportedly treated far less harshly.
In just a few short hours, countless injustices had been committed against residents who would spend the next five years fighting for accountability.
After the dust settled, a group of residents who had been targets of the police’s violent tactics decided to take action. Working with advocates at Take Action Advocacy Group (formerly Take Action Mon Valley), they began organizing to hold the McKeesport police accountable for their actions and to implement badly-needed changes inside the department.
Some of those same residents also alerted the ACLU of Pennsylvania about the incident. After an investigation, we teamed up with the law firm Reed Smith, LLP to file a lawsuit against the police department and City of McKeesport on the residents’ behalf. Included in that lawsuit were similar demands for change.
Finally, after years of litigation, in early 2026, the police department and the city entered into an agreement with our clients that included changes within the police department and a small cash settlement. But even after the settlement was agreed to, our clients are still waiting for McKeesport police to put their promises into practice.
Nothing can undo the week of terror police officers put Black McKeesport residents through in December 2020. The trauma that the police have all too often inflicted on the community didn’t start or end on that day. And even though our clients’ legal victory is a win, to be sure, the fact is that we are still waiting for the city and police department to implement the settlement demands. For instance, the city is now required to create a citizen-review board to help hold the police accountable; the steps to form this board have yet to be initiated. Further, the city must do better when it comes to making public meetings regarding police accountability accessible to residents. That means announcing the meetings far enough in advance that residents can reasonably make plans to attend, and it means providing a virtual option for those who cannot attend in person.
The fight for justice didn't start with the lawsuit, and it certainly doesn't stop with the lawsuit. Remember: injustice can happen in an instant, but accountability takes time.
It’s worth repeating this adage as we witness the parade of horrors march down our streets and across our screens. Every day, the Trump administration cruelly and unconstitutionally terrorizes immigrants and Black and brown people it assumes are immigrants simply because of how they look.
Every day, it seems, the news is flooded by images, videos, and stories of ICE agents routinely flouting the law and the Constitution. We see leadership at the Department of Homeland Security toss aside court decisions as if they were the scoldings of an overbearing and out-of-touch parent. We see plans for the rapid expansion of “detention centers” and a budget for ICE that surpasses the military spending of most countries.
It’s easy to be overwhelmed by the avalanche of injustice right now on top of the pervasive and persistent historical injustices that never stopped. I confess, as I write this blog post, I feel overwhelmed. But even as so many in the Trump administration do their best to dodge the law, they would do well to remember that nobody is above our Constitution.
To those who think the Bill of Rights is optional or that laws don’t apply to them because the president said so: think again. Those who feel emboldened to break the law and commit injustices should understand that accountability is coming for you.
It may not be today, it may not be this year, but we are not afraid of time—we play the long game. You will be held accountable for your actions.
Just ask the City of McKeesport.
