Protesters march to South Side
March that drew an estimated 1,000 participants remained peaceful
A demonstration that began around 2 p.m. Thursday in Downtown grew steadily throughout the day, marching to the Allegheny County Jail for a lay-in, the South Side, across the Birmingham Bridge and back into the city.
An estimated 1,000 people had walked miles and for nearly four hours to protest police brutality, racism and social injustice in the wake of the death of George Floyd, a Minneapolis man who died while in police custody.
The march began at Liberty Avenue and Wood Street, but only near the end, at the county courthouse, did the group encounter a police presence. There, police in riot gear manned the sidewalk alongside the marchers. One of the event’s organizers, Nique C., talked to the officers as protesters chanted, “This is not a riot.” The protesters avoided the police by turning onto Sixth Avenue.
The march remained peaceful throughout.
Earlier in the journey, protesters laid down along Second Avenue and the sidewalk at the front entrance of the jail. They arrived there shortly after 3 p.m.
“I think they’re starting to see change,” said an organizer who identified herself as Alyza F., of her fellow demonstrators. “But we’re not anywhere near where we should be, and there’s plenty of more work to do.
“We’re not stopping these protests until our voices are heard and real systemic change starts to happen,” she said.
After a five-minute sit-in at Smithfield Street and Boulevard of the Allies, the group headed for the county jail and the Municipal Court Building on nearby First Avenue. Police could be
seen near the front entrance of the court but were not wearing riot gear. They did not interact with the marchers.
Around 3:40 p.m., the group ended its stop at the jail and made its way across the 10th Street Bridge and down East Carson Street.
At 18th Street, where so many celebrations were held for Super Bowl wins and Stanley Cup championships, the protesters flooded the intersection and chanted, “Black lives matter!” and “I can’t breathe!” before sitting or kneeling in a sustained moment of silence.
The group continued down Carson, where business owners at Piper’s Pub and Benny Fierro’s gave out free water and pizza slices.
They made their way to the Birmingham Bridge, which connects the South Side to the Bluff, Hill District and West Oakland neighborhoods, just ahead of gusting winds and a rapidly approaching thunderstorm.
They reached the end of the bridge around 4:30 p.m. and made a left onto Fifth Avenue, in the direction of PPG Paints Arena, where a demonstration on Saturday included clashes between police and protesters.
By then, the skies had opened.
“Showing up, even when it’s wet, even when it’s hard, is crucial for this movement to thrive and continue,” said protester Zach Liga.
“This march is all well and good, but continuing action at home, during our everyday lives and once the world eventually gets back to normal, is essential, too,” he said. “The fight must and will continue.”
Rain couldn’t stop the march. Nor did other threats.
Earlier, before the group began marching, an organizer told the protesters there were reports on social media of people threatening to cause trouble during the demonstration. Soon after, a man arrived wearing a bulletproof vest and an assault rifle claiming he was there for security.
“It’s definitely a possibility, but we’re trying to make sure everyone stays safe and removes themselves from the area if they see a person looking to cause trouble,” said Alyza F. “But people know that they are risking their health and lives by being here.”
The march ended before 6 p.m., nearly four hours after it began, at Liberty and Sixth avenues.
Many businesses in Downtown, especially along Smithfield and Wood streets and Liberty and Seventh avenues were closed. Other businesses, including a GNC, Domino’s Pizza, a KeyBank branch and a 7-Eleven, were boarded up. The driver’s license center at Smithfield and Seventh also was closed, as was the entrance to the K&L Gates Center on Sixth Avenue.