One week after George Floyd’s death in the custody of Minneapolis police, a peaceful Pittsburgh march of hundreds of Black Lives Matter demonstrators in East Liberty ended with slogans and songs around 6:45 p.m. on Monday.
Around 7:15 p.m. a large splinter crowd of protesters faced off with the police in front of the Kennilworth apartment building at the Centre and Negley intersection.
After issuing multiple warnings that declared the protest an “unlawful assembly,” police in riot gear fired several rounds of tear gas and rubber bullets, forcing protesters to retreat down Centre Avenue.
SWAT and state police on foot and horseback backed up Pittsburgh police to clear the avenue, with helicopters droning overhead.
In his letter to OMI, Peduto lists several questions, including about the use of gas, that he wants to see scatter along Centre Avenue after riot police release several rounds of tear gas.