Pittsburgh Councilman Ricky Burgess Calls Wilkinsburg Annexation 'Shotgun Wedding'

By: KDKA-TV News Staff

PITTSBURGH (KDKA) - The Pittsburgh City Council member whose district borders Wilkinsburg says he's not in favor of a "shotgun wedding."

"I will no longer stay quiet and watch that process occur," said Reverend Ricky Burgess, who represents Pittsburgh's East End, at Tuesday's council meeting.

He called the city's potential annexation of Wilkinsburg a marriage but he disagrees with the current wedding plans for a borough that is majority Black.

"It does interest me to notice, as always in Pittsburgh, affairs that affect disproportionately African Americans are not led by African Americans. We have outside people telling both the groom and bride what's best for them. This would have been a shotgun wedding, right? They got the shotgun, those outsiders got the shotgun and decided what's gonna happen."

A judge is requiring City Council to vote on adding Wilkinsburg to the city by April 5. Wilkinsburg residents would then vote on the idea themselves which could happen during the May primary.