PITTSBURGH \u2014 As concerns over so-called \u201cyouth takeovers\u201d continue across Pittsburgh, city officials, community members and faith leaders gathered Wednesday evening to discuss ways to create safe spaces for young people without immediately treating them as a public safety problem.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe\u2019re looking for a comprehensive approach to strategy and solutions to address the issues of young people gathering,\u201d said Rashad Byrdsong, CEO of Community Empowerment Association (CEA).<\/p>\n
Dozens of people attended the meeting in Homewood inside CEA, where participants broke into small groups to share ideas and discuss how to give teenagers and young adults more opportunities to gather safely in public spaces.<\/p>\n
Pittsburgh Public Safety Director Sheldon Williams said one message came through clearly during those conversations.<\/p>\n
\u201cThat youth want a place to gather,\u201d Williams said. \u201cThey kind of want some levels of autonomy without a lot of rules. They want more creativity. They want to own their own space.\u201d<\/p>\n
The discussion also turned to Market Square\u2019s former chaperone policy,<\/a> which is now at the center of a lawsuit against the City of Pittsburgh.<\/p>\n Renee Wilson of Homewood filed the lawsuit, arguing the policy violated constitutional rights, including freedom of movement, equal protection, and due process.<\/p>\n \u201cYou cannot give a private nonprofit rule over and making policy for a public square,\u201d Wilson said. \u201cI don\u2019t think that\u2019s legal at all.\u201d<\/p>\n The policy was previously implemented by the Pittsburgh Downtown Partnership, a nonprofit organization, and the city of Pittsburgh. <\/p>\n It required anyone under the age of 18 to be accompanied by an adult who was at least 21 years old.<\/p>\n In her lawsuit, Wilson also argues the policy wasn\u2019t detailed enough and allowed teenagers to be harassed and intimidated by law enforcement.<\/p>\n Byrdsong said he hopes city leaders avoid viewing every gathering of young people as a public safety issue.<\/p>\n \u201cWe want to make sure that our young people\u2019s constitutional rights are not violated,\u201d Byrdsong said. \u201cThey need to have access to the same public spaces as everybody else.\u201d<\/p>\n Williams emphasized that the City of Pittsburgh does not currently have a citywide curfew or permanent chaperone policy for teens in public spaces. <\/p>\n He said any city-issued chaperone policy is usually temporary and oftentimes used during large events. <\/p>\n However, he noted that private organizations can establish their own rules for properties or events they manage. <\/p>\n Download the FREE WPXI News app<\/a> for breaking news alerts.<\/p>\n Follow Channel 11 News on Facebook<\/a> and Twitter<\/a>. | Watch WPXI NOW<\/a><\/p>\n TOP STORIES FROM CHANNEL 11 NEWS <\/p>\n \u00a92026 Cox Media Group<\/p>\n