Protests in Pittsburgh over police brutality and systemic racism against African Americans continued Sunday with a black men’s solidarity event in the Hill District as well as a separately organized march from Mount Washington to Market Square in Downtown.
Police appeared at both events, which were peaceful but spirited. These events culminated a weekend of demonstrations in the wake of the death of George Floyd, a black man who died May 25 after being pinned to the ground by a white Minneapolis police officer.
The solidarity event, organized by William Marshall of Stop the Violence Pittsburgh and B. Marshall Productions LLC, was intended to be a “call for accountability and action in the black community,” Mr. Marshall said in an interview. Speakers ranged from politicians to community and religious leaders to a police officer, each presenting a call to action to a crowd of around 200.
Many of the speakers pointed out how quickly the federal and state governments passed legislation and guidelines in response to the COVID-19 outbreak in recent months and called for similar swiftness in combating police brutality and oppression.
State Rep. Austin Davis, D-Allegheny, described legislation he introduced in 2018 that would address changes needed in the police force, but described the bill as “going nowhere.”
“You’re either for accountability or you’re not,” he said.
Mr. Davis has joined other representatives in renewed calls for legislative action.
George Spencer, president of MAD DADS (Men Against Destruction-Defending Against Drugs and Social-Disorder) Pittsburgh, described his organization’s neighborhood street patrol program.
“Somebody’s gotta draw a line for these kids,” he said, crediting MAD DADS, a national organization that provides role models and a visible presence in neighborhoods to combat violence and illegal drugs, with equipping him with the tools to discuss crime with the youth in his community.
Pittsburgh police Officer Alphonso “Fonz” Sloan described his history with the force since he joined in 1995. He and some of his family members reported other police officers’ misbehavior, recalling that the department ignored their complaints dozens of times.
“An officer once tried to run me over,” Officer Sloan said. “I used to get death threats on my locker…. America decided taking a knee was unpatriotic. When will police brutality be unpatriotic?”
He said the police department’s current administration is more open to criticism, but he called for emphasizing de-escalation in training and decried a culture of excessive force. He said he wasn’t seeing more incidents now than in the ’90s, but that they are more public and visible now.
“Whether you feel like the system is broken or like it’s working exactly like it’s supposed to, the system isn’t working for us,” said Aerion Andrew Abney, who on Tuesday lost to incumbent Jake Wheatley in a Democratic primary bid for a Pennsylvania House seat in District 19, which includes the Hill District.
Derrick Tillman, president and CEO of Bridging the Gap Development LLC, exhorted the crowd to invest in assets and land to build a wealth base in the community and to stop “looking for a hookup” as this undermined local business profits. Bridging the Gap is a real estate development firm working to build healthy, sustainable communities and actively trains unemployed and underemployed individuals in construction and other skills.
And Bomani M. Howze, CEO of OLMEC Development Company and a member of the National African American Gun Association, called for black men to arm themselves for purposes of self-defense in the case of excessive police force. He cited the case of Breonna Taylor, a Kentucky emergency medical technician who was fatally shot by police after they forced their way into her home in March. Her family has filed a wrongful death lawsuit against the police department.
Ms. Taylor would have celebrated her 27th birthday on Friday.
“Y’all quiet as hell, now,” Mr. Howze said when a hush fell over the crowd.
Later, a march of about 1,000 people organized by I Can’t Breathe Pittsburgh, a grassroots organization that formed in response to the Floyd death, began at the Grandview Overlook in Mount Washington. It snaked down the hillside, pausing at the intersection of Arlington Avenue and the P.J. McArdle Roadway for a silent vigil in honor of Ms. Taylor and for personal accounts of police misconduct.
After the pause, the protesters walked on to Market Square.
Gerald Trayson, 72, said Sunday’s march was his first protest.
“I felt an obligation to join,” he said, recalling a promise he made with friends in college to try and make a difference in their communities.
Mr. Trayson, a retired teacher in McKeesport, said he was encouraged by the number of young white protesters he saw during the march and that he hoped to see more young African American men at the protests.
“This is so moving to see all these young people gathering for this cause,” he said. “I came here to represent older black America.”
Another protester who asked not to be named said she had attended protests all week and intended to continue until some sort of change is enacted.
Pittsburgh police appeared — some in riot gear — and closed the Liberty Tunnel and Liberty Bridge as well as other streets in Mount Washington to allow protesters to pass.
As in protests throughout the week, marchers chanted a variety of slogans including “No justice, no peace, no racist police” and “I can’t breathe” and “Black lives, they matter here” Some protesters had what appeared to be trash cans cut into makeshift shields, and some passed out face masks, water bottles and hand sanitizer to those in need.
First Published: June 8, 2020, 2:55 a.m.
