Across Downtown Pittsburgh, city workers, volunteers clean up after protests
One day after violence erupted on the streets of Pittsburgh over the death of George Floyd, volunteers picked up their brooms to spend their Sunday Downtown helping with the clean-up.
What they found was a sobering view of smashed windows, stores looted and buildings vandalized with spray-painted messages about Floyd, who died last week May 25 when a Minneapolis police officer kneeled on his neck during an arrest.
Through the early part of the day, city workers and volunteers spent time boarding up windows, sweeping glass off sidewalks and picking up trash from overturned dumpsters.
Jam Hammond was sweeping glass off the Wood Street sidewalk at about 9 a.m. He was with a group of Pittsburghers who organized volunteer cleanup efforts on Reddit.
“I feel bad for small businesses and the organizers of the original protest as well,” Hammond said.
He said it’s clear the original peaceful protest against police violence and discrimination was co-opted by violent rioters. He said he feared the destruction would sow division between the protesters and city residents.
Mayor Bill Peduto said on Twitter that the vast majority of protesters were peaceful and that a contingent of about 100 violent anarchists were behind the destruction.
Many storefronts and the statue of Mario Lemieux outside PPG Paints Arena were spray-painted with red hammer and sickle symbols, with slogans like “Right to Rebel” and “Take What Is Yours.”
A vandal spray-painted a red hammer and sickle on the World War I veterans’ memorial in Lawrenceville last week. It is unknown whether the acts are related.
Many of the volunteer efforts were spontaneous. Some were organized within a matter of hours on social media, and many individuals came on their own to help any way they could.
Several volunteers said they supported the peaceful protest’s message, and wanted to help rebuild the city.
“We’re with the protest, but we want to change the narrative to be more positive,” said Andrea Hills, who organized a group of friends on Facebook to come Downtown to clean. “We want justice to be served, but without damage and destruction to our city, the city we live in.”
Squirrel Hill resident Rachel Myers said she believed in the protest’s message, and that it was her responsibility as a city resident to help clean up her city.
“It’s been really encouraging just to see so many people coming together to help out,” she said.
Myers said she and her friends recently have been learning more about the history of racism in Pittsburgh and want to do more to act against racism.
“We feel like we haven’t given much focus to the issue for a long time,” she said.
Volunteers are aiding #Pittsburgh’s Streets & Parks Division’s as we work to clean up @DowntownPitt following yesterday’s events.
Thank you for your help! pic.twitter.com/88qooaErK4
— Pittsburgh Public Works (@PGHDPW) May 31, 2020
Ryan Wysocki runs a volunteer group called Sheraden Neighbors. Though the group usually focuses its efforts on the Sheraden neighborhood, they packed up their brooms and came Downtown on Sunday.
“We said this is what we’re about, so let’s help our neighbors Downtown,” he said.
Cleanup efforts were focused on Market Square, Forbes Avenue and Wood Street, where the damage and vandalism was most intense.
“Knowing what we’ve already been through in 2020, this is the last thing we needed,” said Kent McClure, another volunteer who brought a broom Downtown to help.
The leader of the Pittsburgh Downtown Partnership lauded the efforts.
“The immediate clean-up response today by residents from around the region joining with city workers and our team is truly Pittsburgh at its best,” said Jeremy Waldrup, president and CEO of the partnership. “When our neighbors are in need we have a community that is compelled to take action, and we could not be more grateful for their support.”
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