Protests and rallies sparked by the May 25 death of George Floyd in the custody of Minneapolis police officers continued around the Pittsburgh region Saturday, from Market Square Downtown to the county seat of Beaver County.
Participants in a peaceful march for the Black Lives Matter movement made their way from Market Square along the Boulevard of the Allies in downtown Pittsburgh on Saturday.
Earlier in the day, South Asians for Black Lives held a rally on Flagstaff Hill in Oakland.
“As members of the Pittsburgh community, we stand in solidarity with our Black brothers and sisters,” states the organization’s Facebook page. “We are coming together to create an equitable society, and we will work tirelessly until we achieve that dream.”
The rally was attended by nearly 100 people.
Protesters also gathered Saturday at Murray and Forbes avenues in Squirrel Hill at 3 p.m. for a march down Forbes to Oakland. Organizers called on the crowd to push for changes to Pennsylvania laws governing police use of force, according to PG news partner KDKA-TV.
In Beaver, people attending a rally against racism in front of the county courthouse clapped hands and held signs in a protest of the death of George Floyd
Elsewhere in the state, hundreds of demonstrators peacefully moved through the streets of Philadelphia during a 15th consecutive day of protests, the Philadelphia Inquirer reported, pressing demands for government accountability and recognition that Black Lives Matter.
In Philadelphia and in smaller surrounding communities Saturday, marchers spoke loudly against police brutality and racism, and called for a major restructuring of public-spending priorities, away from enforcement and toward programs and services that improve people’s lives.
First Published: June 13, 2020, 6:31 p.m.