The president of Black Lives Matter Pittsburgh, Tanisha Long, told KDKA Radio that not all Black Lives Matter groups are the same.
"I founded the current iteration of this Black Lives Matter movement on a Facebook group and we mobilize under that title, but Black Lives Matter, as a movement, as a whole, is so many different groups just trying to make change but it doesn't necessarily mean we're all doing the same thing."
"Unfortunately, we all get grouped together but you have so many groups in Pittsburgh who are trying to make a lasting change through community efforts, thrugh peaceful protest, through legislation, trying to meet with our officials," she said. "When one bad thing happens, we all kinda get blamed for it. And it's really unfortunate because a lot of us are really trying to do things a little bit differently.
Over the weekend, Black Lives Matter protesters confronted outdoor diners downtown and struck a bicyclist in the head.
"I can't begin to understand why they chose those actions and I can't really speak for them," said Long. "It's not really how I operate or how a lot of people I associate with operate. It's really sad when people are ready to throw the whole Black Lives Matter movement away just because people acting in the name of Black Lives."
Long said she does not condone that type of violence or interaction. "That's not really something I personally think is productive. I can't understand why they did it," she said.
She explained that anythig she's involved in or the peoples she's with are involved in doesn't operate that way. "I tend to take more of the peaceful approach towards things. I understand that there are people who disagree, but that's not us and that's not me.
"It really doesn't help when the president tweets about it because then that's all people see. They don't time to look deeper and see hey, not every group is doing the ame thing."
Brady told KDKA Radio that he spoke with police chief Scott Schubert and the local head of the FBI Monday. "We're not gonna stand for that. We're not going to allow Pittsburgh and the protests here to devolve into chaos and rioting like we saw on May 31st."
Brady says what happened downtown Saturday night is not an example of protest protected by the First Amendment. "Where you cross that line, then law enforcement is united and my office is ready to prosecute."
Long said she believes the individuals who confronted the people dining were not associated with a particular group, but rather acted on their own.