Over the weekend, Black Lives Matter protesters marching through Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, targeted customers sitting at an outdoor café, with one female protester marching over to a table where an elderly couple sat and seizing a glass of beer from the table to chug the beer down.
A woman wearing a “Nazi Lives Don’t Matter” T-shirt has been filmed drinking an elderly woman’s beer as protesters harassed outdoor diners.https://t.co/2R0n78re2H
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On Saturday, protesters headed to Pittsburgh Democratic mayor Bill Peduto’s home. The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reported:
Once arriving at Mr. Peduto’s, protesters were met with about a half-dozen Pittsburgh Police officers standing in front of the mayor’s front door. The blinds were drawn at the windows in front of his house, and no lights seemed to be on in the rooms at the front of his house. The protesters stood and chanted in front of the home while regular uniformed police officers stood near the house at the top of the steps …
Later in the night, Mr. Peduto addressed Saturday night’s protest in front of his house on Twitter. “Last time I sat on my porch & welcomed protestors w/ dialogue. They chose to end it,” Mr. Peduto said. “Together, we work w/ our Black Community to reimagine policing in our city. Pittsburgh remains open to any & all ideas to work together to create a better city.”
In mid-August, after protesters had stayed overnight outside his home, harassing residents and blowing sirens, Peduto condemned them.
In a statement, as the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette noted, Peduto said he “strongly believe[s] Black Lives Matter, that we are in a historic fight for civil rights in this country,” then added:
What I cannot defend is any neighborhood in our city — and their residents and families — being disturbed through the night and morning, and a peaceful protest devolving into unacceptable conduct in which residents are being harassed and threatened. This crosses a line that cannot be allowed to continue, causing those committing crimes against residents to face possible legal consequences for their actions. Using protests to create conflict and division, as some are doing, only impacts the ability of others to exercise their constitutional rights safely.
Jazz Shaw of HotAir commented, “As long as the demonstrations remained in the downtown area, both Mayor Bill Peduto and many of the police seemed content to let the situation play out. But Peduto’s attitude took a decided turn toward the less tolerant side when the protests moved to a new location.”
In June, after protests around the nation surged following the death of George Floyd, Peduto stated:
Reform doesn’t happen overnight, and we don’t have all the answers right now, but the work has begun and we will continue to work directly with our communities to create a city that’s livable for all. Black neighbors, residents, partners – we hear you. Your voice is important and necessary to rebuilding. We will have phases of policy reform and we’ll talk and walk together the whole way. We will better collect racial and demographic data so that we know who we are serving and who we are not so we can do better.
I do believe that we are a city where when we are met with adversity, we pull together to take care of our neighbors and come out stronger. It’s time again for us to go to work. Let’s work harder and let’s work better for ALL of our neighbors. Especially our black neighbors who need our support right now. Our Black Neighbors Matter. Black Lives Matter.