NAACP calls for new trial for collapse demolition contractor
Citing Tuesday’s verdicts in the civil trial resulting from the deadly 2013 Center City building collapse, the head of the Philadelphia branch of the NAACP has renewed his call for a new trial for imprisoned demolition contractor Griffin Campbell.
“After four months of testimony they found {Campbell} to be only one-percent liable,” said NAACP President Minister Rodney Muhammad, referring to the civil verdict. “They found him negligent but not reckless ... we are here demanding that there be a new trial for Griffin Campbell that will allow for a just due process of law, not this limited testimony that has landed him in prison for nearly 30 years.”
Muhammad spoke to reporters Thursday outside City Council chambers, accompanied by Campbell’s wife, Kim Lee Campbell.
Campbell, wiping tears from her eyes, said her husband, who recently missed the birth of his grandchild, took some solace in the civil verdict: “He just praised God. He’s just so happy it’s finally coming out -- what we weren’t allowed to say in court {in the criminal trial} is finally coming out.”
Read more: http://www.philly.com/philly/news/crime/NAACP-says-civil-verdict-justifies-new-trial-for-collapse-demolition-contractor.html