Hundreds unite against racism, bias in hushed vigil
Hundreds of people filled the sidewalks surrounding the blockwide East Liberty Presbyterian Church on Wednesday in a midday vigil calling for racial justice and an end to discrimination by police and other institutions.
There were only a few short speeches and a prayer at the end. Most of the hour was spent with participants, most wearing face masks, lining the sidewalks and holding signs on behalf of George Floyd and others killed by police in racially charged cases. Signs bore slogans including, “Make good trouble,” and “Peace on the left, justice on the right,” a signature phrase of protests following Floyd’s death.
Organized as a silent witness, the rally took on both a sober tone and a bit of a festive feeling, in part because it was a reunion of many church members who hadn’t seen each other in person since the mid-March shutdown due to COVID-19. Many other participants were not church members.
The vigil drew plenty of loud responses from passing motorists honking in support. When a Port Authority bus driver honked, a cheer went up among the participants.
“As we looked at the pain and the hurting that we saw not only in our community but across the nation, it was important to have a faith response from the faith communities,” said the Rev. Randall Bush, senior pastor of the church.
“We wanted to also … make a public witness, standing for the family of George Floyd [and] also standing for racial justice.” A former Minneapolis police officer faces a murder charge in the death of Floyd, whom he had pinned for almost nine minutes with his knee on Floyd’s neck. Three other former officers also have been charged in connection with the death.
“We’re here to say as people of faith that people of color matter,” said Lenore Williams, president of the Pittsburgh chapter of the National Black Presbyterian Caucus, which helped organize the vigil. “We recognize the fact that all police officers are not the problem. We’d like to emphasize the need of those police officers that support the cause to speak up. The blue code should not matter to them. We’re talking about the lives of innocent people.”
Among those giving brief remarks at the end was the Rev. James Harris, pastor of the nearby St. James African Methodist Episcopal Church.
“God is going to answer our cries and hear our calls,” he said. “There is a pandemic called COVID-19, but there is another pandemic that has been in this land for 400 years. It is our obligation to fall on our knees and talk to God. Talk to Allah, talk to Hare Krishna, whatever you call the sacred in your life, you talk to that, and you pray that God would move and change lives.
“Even 45 can be changed,” he added, referring to Donald Trump, the 45th president.
Pittsburgh police had a low-key presence at the vigil, and several participants engaged officers in conversation.
“A lot of people can support police and support what this cause is,” police Chief Scott Schubert said at the scene afterward. “A person lost their life at the hands of police, and it shouldn’t have happened. We want to make sure people are safe when they’re exercising their First Amendment rights.”