PITTSBURGH (Newsradio 1020 KDKA) - Pittsburgh Public Safety Department released a statement Tuesday following confrontations between Black Lives Matter protesters and restaurant patrons on Saturday.
In addition, Public Safety Director Wendell Hissrich said in a released statement, “People have the right to dine in public without being accosted and without vulgarities being thrown at them. What we saw this weekend was assault and battery. It was embarrassing. The vast majority of the protests in Pittsburgh have been peaceful, but this weekend was anything but peaceful.”
“As a native Pittsburgher, what I saw this weekend was disturbing and cannot continue,” Police Chief Scott Schubert said in a released statement. “Sadly, the protesters’ message gets erased when you have certain organizers inciting violence, which is what a handful of them are doing. It creates a dangerous and volatile situation. Our goal, now and always, is to maintain safety for everyone, and that includes protesters, residents, visitors, business owners and patrons and our police officers who are working under difficult conditions to serve the public.”
US Attorney Scott Brady says he will look to prosecute any violations of federal law after a confrontation between Black Lives Matter demonstrators and outdoor diners downtown Saturday night.
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."