FILE PHOTO: Pittsburgh Mayor Bill Peduto in his office.
Rachel Gobep / WESA
Pittsburgh mayor addresses protest arrest condemned by ACLU and others
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The Associated Press
Rachel Gobep / WESA
FILE PHOTO: Pittsburgh Mayor Bill Peduto in his office.
(Pittsburgh) — The mayor of Pittsburgh is strongly condemning tactics used in the arrest of a protester during a march over the weekend that drew condemnation from the American Civil Liberties Union and others, and he says he won’t tolerate such actions in the future.
“It is hard to find the words for how livid I was after seeing the online videos of the disturbing arrest at Saturday’s protest,” Mayor Bill Peduto said in a statement Monday. “I have taken the time to review all the video and information that has been made available to me. As mayor, I will never tolerate these tactics being used at peaceful protests again.”
On Sunday, Peduto, speaking at a news conference with public safety officials, said he had “serious concerns” after plainclothes officers arrested a protester at about 5 p.m. Saturday in Oakland and placed him in an unmarked, white van. After Peduto’s remarks Sunday, about 150 protesters marched to his house and demonstrated there.
This is a kidnapping. Protestors have been met by escalating violence and harassment with no condemnation from city leadership.
This can’t be tolerated @billpeduto https://t.co/ADwd867lOW
— Summer Lee (@SummerForPA) August 16, 2020
Public Safety officials said they were trying to protect the public, saying the protester refused to work with police, blocked intersections needed for hospital access and they feared he might direct cars into other vehicles or pedestrians. Officials said they opted for a “low visibility” arrest to avoid drawing a crowd and inflaming the situation.
A collection of interviews, photos, and music videos, featuring local musicians who have stopped by the WITF performance studio to share a little discussion and sound. Produced by WITF’s Joe Ulrich.
