Protesters take to Pittsburgh streets for 4th day in a row to demand racial justice

Megan Guza | Tuesday, June 2, 2020 5:08 p.m.

Protesters take to the streets in Downtown Pittsburgh on Tuesday, June 2, 2020.

Protesters took to Pittsburgh streets again on Tuesday for the fourth straight day, marching, chanting and demanding racial justice as part of protests that have continued across the country more than a week after the death of George Floyd.

The crowd of several hundred began forming in Market Square about 3:30 p.m., and they began snaking through Downtown streets about 45 minutes later.

The demonstration was organized by Dasia Clemons, who started the group Pittsburgh I Can’t Breathe. She reminded the protesters to remain peaceful but to stand firm and not be afraid.

“There are eyes all around you,” she said. “You will be protected. It is our right to be here.”

pic.twitter.com/CKTW8xmIGE

— Megan Guza (@meganguzaTrib) June 2, 2020

She said their actions must speak louder than the violence perpetrated by small off-shoot groups on Saturday and Monday. More than 40 people were arrested Saturday when two police cruisers burned and dozens of businesses were damaged. Another 20 were arrested in a melee Monday in East Liberty.

Another organizer who identified themselves as Nique C. said there could be troublemakers in the crowd but that the plan was to keep the peace.

“There always is in any big large crowd of people,” they said. “If you go to a bar there’s bound to be two (expletives) in the bar. When you … protest stuff, it’s just that much more because of what everybody’s here fighting for.”

From Market Square, the group of several hundred walked to the Allegheny County Jail where they sat for more than an hour. A podium and speaker were brought in, and organizers and protesters shared stories about their lives and their hopes.

City police blocked streets to keep protesters safe from cars, generally staying at least a block away from the group. Though a contingent of sheriff’s deputies in riot gear stood in front of the municipal court building about a block away from the jail entrance, there was little to no interaction between police and protesters.

Now crossing 10th Street Bridge pic.twitter.com/IyMTcaUdWf

— Nate Smallwood (@nsmallwoodphoto) June 2, 2020

The demonstrators moved from the jail and crossed the 10th Street Bridge and held court at the intersection of 10th and East Carson streets on the city’s South Side. They then went about a block up East Carson and then circled back to and across the bridge.

As they moved inbound on Second Avenue, they passed by state troopers blocking the on-ramp to Second Avenue. A handful of the protesters stood in front of the police and chased away the few who tried to heckle the troopers.

“Which Side Are You On,” (learned today it’s from 1931 and was written by poet and activist Florence Reece) pic.twitter.com/JXVRQXz2wA

— Megan Guza (@meganguzaTrib) June 2, 2020

They returned to Market Square just around 7 p.m., where protesters sat for a short time before being asked by organizers to disperse. Organizers dismissed the crowd in two groups: All of those on one side of the square were asked to leave in one direction and, after they did, the other side was asked to leave in the other direction.

The march remained peaceful for its duration, and the Public Safety Department said afterward on social media that no arrests were made.

A Pittsburgh police officer with the bureau’s Civil Awareness Team spoke briefly to the crowd before it broke up. He said everyone can agree that what happened to George Floyd was wrong, and told the crowd the police are there “to support you and be with you along this ride to protest — to make a change.”

As the crowd broke up, some fired back at the officer, asking about tear gas, rubber bullets and other police tactics.

One asked if he would kneel with protesters next time.

He said he would.