PITTSBURGH — More than a dozen people spoke inside council chambers in support of the Stop The Violence fund Tuesday morning and the programs that receive grant money. In the end, council members voted unanimously to also support those efforts, but emotions ran high after last week’s meeting.
“No one was taking the funding. Nobody was - the funding wasn’t even on the table,” said Councilwoman Theresa Kail-Smith of District 2.
Some Pittsburgh City Council members were looking for clarity on Tuesday, prior to a vote regarding the community grant program, which allocates resources to organizations that operate in areas experiencing high levels of crime.
“From shootings to stabbings, to now – what’s next? And you don’t want to think of that reality. That’s why this fund is here,” said Amarachi Iheme, who lives in Oakland and came to speak in support of the initiative.
Last month, city council introduced the legislation to restructure the fund, which co-sponsor Khari Mosley said would add transparency and accountability while ensuring annual funding.
But when some community members believed the future of that money could be in jeopardy, they came to speak at last Wednesday’s meeting, during which the council’s Sergeant-at-Arms called the county sheriff for backup, much to the surprise of many.
“At no time was there any sense of violence, presentation of violence, indication of violence,” said Tim Stevens, Chairman & CEO of The Black Political Empowerment Project.
Council members voted 9-0 in support of the Stop the Violence fund, but several of them said there’s still work to be done.
“I want to make sure we’re yielding results and we’re holding people accountable for the public dollars that they’re getting,” Kail-Smith said. “Let’s stay focused on what it is we’re trying to do here, not attacking one another, not attacking the administration, not attacking the people doing the programs. Let’s try to come together and do what is right for the city of Pittsburgh.”
“I had a conversation with folks from Beltzhoover and Knoxville,” said Councilperson Bob Charland, who represents District 3. “Do we need to take programs that are currently existing and embed them in a new organization so that we can make ourselves eligible for funding here? Maybe that’s something we have to do.”
As for last Wednesday’s meeting, Council President Daniel Lavelle and Councilman Mosley have called for a full report on why that back-up was called by the Sergeant-at-Arms. They issued a joint statement:
“It has come to our attention that during the Standing Committee Meeting on Wednesday, July 2nd, City Council’s Sergeant-at-Arms contacted the Allegheny County Sheriff for assistance. While the speakers were passionate and unfiltered, at no point did we believe additional law enforcement was necessary.
The majority of those in attendance were advocating for the Stop the Violence Fund—citizens committed to making our city safer. Calling law enforcement on residents peacefully lobbying for anti-violence initiatives is, at best, puzzling and, at worst, deeply troubling.
We are requesting a full report on what prompted the call, its content, and what occurred when the sheriffs arrived. Council Chambers is the people’s house—citizens must feel welcome and safe to engage their government without fear or intimidation.
After the holiday, we will further investigate and take steps to ensure this does not happen again. Thank you for your attention to this matter.”
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