20 arrested as protests turn violent in East Liberty, Shadyside

Peaceful protests Monday in Pittsburgh ended in smoke, violence and confusion for the second time in three days, with police and city officials blaming small groups of instigators and saying they had no choice but to use force to disperse the crowd.

For hours, the protesters — nearly a thousand of them, one police official said — moved peacefully through East Liberty, chanting, singing and calling for justice for George Floyd, the latest black man to die at the hands of white officers, this time in Minneapolis.

Long video but this gives you an idea of the size of this group, which keeps growing. The intersection will likely be blocked soon. #PittsburghProtests pic.twitter.com/yvWFYcJeod

— Dillon Garrett Carr (@dillonswriting) June 1, 2020

The march came hours after large crowds gathered for a separate rally in the Hill District. Protest leaders pleaded for the gathering to remain peaceful after Saturday’s march through Downtown turned violent and ended with two police cruisers torched and more than 70 damaged or looted businesses.

By the end of the Monday evening, 20 protesters were arrested, including four who were from out of state, Public Safety Director Wendell Hissrich said. Nine officers were injured and later treated and released from hospitals. Two protesters were injured.

Some protesters and observers claim police broke the peace about 7 p.m. Police and city officials say they let a small group of agitators go until they forced their hand, resulting in smoke bombs to break up the group.

“Some people think it was tear gas,” said Narcotics and Vice Cmdr. Jason Lando, who was at the scene in East Liberty. “It was not. It was smoke.”

He said the peaceful protest was breaking up and activists were leaving when officers heard screaming.

“We looked over and it appeared a small group of agitators inserted themselves into the crowd” and began smashing windows of a Dollar Bank and a retail shop called Villa. As police moved toward that situation, Lando said, someone attacked a KDKA reporter and videographer.

He said a peaceful protester intervened, and the individual sent the violent ones away.

Lando said tactical support — SWAT officers and mounted police — were requested to “make sure everything was under control and the agitators didn’t cause any property damage.”

It is at that point that stories diverge. Police say those in the small group began hurling rocks at officers. Police then issued five warnings prior firing gas at the crowd along Centre Avenue. Several first-hand accounts from protesters said police fired rubber bullets first.

Mayor Bill Peduto received enough complaints and outrage alleging police began the violence that he called an 11 p.m. news conference and ordered police leaders to produce a written transcript of radio transmissions from 7 to 8 p.m.

According to Command Staff - they didn’t. We will have complete audio of all actions from Emergency Operations Command tomorrow. I have ordered a transcript to be produced. I have multiple confirmation of a splinter group that caused the violence that police responded to. https://t.co/FF4VPZptGL

— bill peduto (@billpeduto) June 2, 2020

Zone 5 Cmdr. Stephen Vinansky said the scene changed quickly.

“We followed the march for around three hours, and it was peaceful — everything was peaceful,” he said. “I walked … the route and there were a lot of people who were showing us support.”

There were also several who expressed concerns about some marchers they “thought might turn the protest bad,” he said.

About 7 p.m., he said, “we saw a completely different type of situation.”

Vinansky said he was on Euclid Street when a group of about 100 surrounded his police cruiser, throwing things. He said their “anger and distaste” were palpable.

Chief Scott Schubert said he saw some in the group carrying weapons: a sledgehammer, a pair of bolt cutters.

“You see these backpacks that are going down their backs, they’re not going to a picnic,” he said. “They’re throwing rocks and bricks at our officers.”

He said he wanted people to protest, and he wants the police to keep them safe. But a small group, he said, keeps changing the dynamic.

“They just needed to leave,” Schubert said of those who experienced smoke and who got arrested.

Early on, apparent leaders had the group stop at the intersection of Euclid and Penn avenues. They asked everyone with extra water bottles to pool them together in the middle as leaders took turns speaking about peace while protesting police brutality.

“Today, we’re proving that protesting can make a difference. All you who are out here — you’re making a difference. … Don’t let them tell you your voice does not matter,” he said.

At another moving point during the protest, the leaders had the group stop again, take a knee and raise their fists. Over a portable speaker system, a recording of “Oh, Freedom!” by The Golden Gospel Singers rang out.

This was a moment. Don’t really know what else to say. #PittsburghProtests pic.twitter.com/z4JThag39t

— Dillon Garrett Carr (@dillonswriting) June 1, 2020

At one point, white protesters linked arms to show support for their black peers.

Linking arms. pic.twitter.com/cpCCZjtAPO

— Dillon Garrett Carr (@dillonswriting) June 1, 2020

Brandi Fisher, president of the Alliance for Police Accountability, said about 4:30 p.m. that the protest was “beautiful.”

“But that’s how they all start out,” she said. “We’ll see how it ends.”

She credited the leaders of the protest with doing a good job keeping the peace. She declined to identify them because she wanted to protect them.

“This is no joke,” she said. “People always ask about leadership. It’s no one person. It’s a collective. And that’s on purpose because people are getting murdered.”

Two out of five of the apparent leaders for East Liberty’s protests carried what appeared to be assault weapons. They each carried signs that read, “If they won’t protect us, we will.”

A Facebook page entitled SCAM, Steel City Autonomous Movement, posted a flier that had details listed about the protest. The group, which claims on its page it is not an organization but a platform for communication, also posted details about Saturday’s protests.

One woman who spoke was Antoinette Howard, 52, of East Liberty. She said her son, Christopher Chaney Howard, 20, was shot two years ago by police at a Sunoco gas station along Highland Avenue. She said her son was running from police when he was shot. Christopher Howard pleaded no contest in April 2018 to charges of robbery, aggravated assault and multiple weapons charges.

He was sentenced to 5½ to 11 years in prison followed by three years of probation in January 2018.

At 5:30 p.m., a man warned the crowd of possible antagonizers throughout the group who might be inclined to incite violence. The protesters had stopped marching momentarily along Penn Avenue in front of Target.

“When they shoot, I expect you to jump in front of me,” he said, directing his comments at the white protesters.

About 6 p.m., one of the leaders referenced news that an autopsy commissioned for Floyd’s family found that he died of asphyxiation due to neck and back compression when a Minneapolis police officer held his knee on Floyd’s neck for several minutes and ignored his cries of distress, the family’s attorneys said Monday. Officer Derek Chauvin is charged with third-degree murder in connection with the May 25 incident.

The group has stopped at Euclid Ave and Penn intersection. #PittsburghProtests pic.twitter.com/GSQ6W2ZorU

— Dillon Garrett Carr (@dillonswriting) June 1, 2020

The man said he would have done something to protect Floyd had he witnessed what happened. He then led a chant, “Who police the police? We do!” Protesters then continued to march down Broad Street toward Larimer Avenue.

All protesters take a knee. “Look at each other, look how beautiful you are.” #PittsburghProtests pic.twitter.com/ndHs3E79en

— Dillon Garrett Carr (@dillonswriting) June 1, 2020

Pittsburgh police just declared protest going on in East liberty and unlawful assembly. pic.twitter.com/b3fdWOUBpZ

— Mike D. (@MikeJdiVittorio) June 1, 2020

Staff writer Megan Guza and The Associated Press contributed.