City Council should be ashamed of this dodge

I was both startled and amused to read of Pittsburgh City Council's unanimous June 15 resolution, which urged the Citizen Police Review Board to delay (for years?) its pursuit of documents regarding the conduct of the city's police at last year's G-20 protests ("Council: Police Review Should Slow," June 16). Apparently, this was to protect the city from liability resulting from illegal arrests and other violations of basic constitutional rights.

The traditional definition of the Yiddish word chutzpah is: a man who has chutzpah would kill both his parents, and then ask the judge for mercy since he is an orphan. The Pittsburgh City Council truly has chutzpah. In some circumstances (perhaps in this one), this would be known as a conspiracy to obstruct justice.

This shows that City Council hopes the review board will be a whitewash agency for police, and other government, misconduct. According to the Post-Gazette, the vote on this resolution was six in favor, none opposed, and three abstaining. Any council member who did not vote "no" should be ashamed to show his or her face among honorable people.

JOSEPH BOYERS
Beechview