Pittsburgh Protest To Take Place In Response To The Death Of George Floyd
PITTSBURGH (KDKA) -- A protest in response to the death of George Floyd is set to take place in Pittsburgh on Saturday afternoon.
The protest is planned for 2:30 on Saturday afternoon downtown at the intersection of Liberty Avenue and 6th Street.
The demonstration is being organized by the Steel City Autonomous Movement.
One of the organizers took to Facebook to say whether it stays peaceful or not will depend on how the Police respond.
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Pittsburgh's Black Political Empowerment Project doesn't want to see what's happened across the country happen here.
'I'm calling for calm here in Pittsburgh, we don't need to mimic anything that's happening," said Sharon Macintosh.
The group is also praising Pittsburgh Police Chief Scott Schubert for the letter he wrote to officers regarding Floyd's death.
"A person in handcuffs and face down on the ground should not lose their life due to the actions or inactions of the involved officers. It was difficult to watch Mr. Floyd pleading for help and gasping for breath before saying his final words," Schubert wrote in part.
As an African-American and as a guy who has been a civil rights activist for five decades plus, I was very moved by that," Tim Stevens, CEO of the B-PEP said.
The executive director of Pittsburgh's Citizen Police Review Board is also praising the Chief for calling upon the Police Academy to review Floyd' death as a reinforcement of the Bureau's training against the use of excessive force.
"When a police leader says 'we are going to evaluate our training practice, our polices, our procedures,' that's a sign of leadership," said Beth Pittinger, Executive Director of the PCPRB.
If you are planning on attending the protest, you are being asked to wear a mask and do your best to practice social distancing guidelines.
