PITTSBURGH — A community group says something needs to change after an incident involving teenagers in Market Square.
Last month, as many as 50 teens got into a fight there during a Juneteenth celebration. Officers used pepper spray to break things up.
Officials later said Market Square’s chaperone policy was not in effect because it was a special permitted event.
During a press conference held on Friday, Renee Wilson, founder of the Allegheny County African American Elders Council, said the response went too far and said teens shouldn’t be kept out of public spaces.
“We believe that it is totally wrong and illegal for them to do that, for them to have rules that let you have people like the Downtown Partnership and businesses direct who can be in a space that belongs to the public.”
The group is also calling on the city to involve teens in discussions about safety issues.
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