Pittsburgh Mayor Bill Peduto speaks at a Senate Democrats' Special Committee on the Climate Crisis on Capitol Hill in Washington, Wednesday, July 17, 2019. Former New York City mayor Michael Bloomberg is courting Peduto's endorsement in the Democratic presidential primary. (AP Photo/Andrew Harnik)
AP Photo/Andrew Harnik
AP Photo/Andrew Harnik
Pittsburgh Mayor Bill Peduto speaks at a Senate Democrats' Special Committee on the Climate Crisis on Capitol Hill in Washington, Wednesday, July 17, 2019. Former New York City mayor Michael Bloomberg is courting Peduto's endorsement in the Democratic presidential primary. (AP Photo/Andrew Harnik)
PITTSBURGH (AP) — A small number of protesters who remained outside the home of the mayor of Pittsburgh overnight were dispersed by police Wednesday morning and the mayor issued a statement decrying residents being “harassed and threatened.”
Public safety officials said the remaining protesters were ordered to disperse just before 9:45 a.m. Wednesday following “multiple 911 calls overnight for ordinance complaints” in the Point Breeze neighborhood.
Mayor Bill Peduto said he had “long defended” the right to peaceful protest but couldn’t support any neighborhood “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,” he said.
The Tribune-Review reported that a protest group that grew from about 150 to more than 300 people Tuesday night marched to Peduto’s home and some stayed into the early morning, with the few remaining all night sounding sirens and chanting.
The protests stem from the arrest of a protester during a march over the weekend that drew condemnation from the American Civil Liberties Union and others. The mayor said Sunday that he had “serious concerns” about the tactics and issued a stronger statement Monday, saying he was “livid” at the images and “will never tolerate these tactics being used at peaceful protests again.” Public safety officials said the protester was endangering the public and they opted for a “low visibility” arrest to avoid drawing a crowd and inflaming the situation.
Sometimes, your mornings are just too busy to catch the news beyond a headline or two. Don’t worry. The Morning Agenda has got your back. Each weekday morning, host Tim Lambert will keep you informed, amused, enlightened and up-to-date on what’s happening in central Pennsylvania and the rest of this great commonwealth.
