Listening to my man, Marty Griffin, 9a-Noon on KDKA Radio last week. He was talking about a city pool on the North Side being shut down due to violence and drug overdoses in the immediate neighborhood. Imagine that in the heat of summer.
Pittsburgh Mayor Ed Gainey is trying. He recently stated that the city is attempting to “strengthen up security around the pool” hoping to “eliminate a lot of the criminal activity that you see.” However, in spite of efforts, major problems persist. Plus, resources are spread thin especially when violence pops up in other parts of town.
Marty reported that one of his ‘insiders’ - a wealthy individual who would like to remain anonymous - has offered the city a deal that no reasonable person would refuse. This thoughtful, generous person, who has thrived in Pittsburgh, wanted to pay their hometown back.
This philanthropist’s plan was to pay for extra security around the pool in order to ensure that the surrounding blocks were safe so that kids could go swimming free of fear on these hot summer days. The offer was to work with the city to ensure the safety of all looking to use the pool while also paying for all the costs of keeping that section of town safe. He would literally absorb the costs of policing. Guess what? No one called him back!
Often times political actors of all stripes seem to love to push various public/private partnerships in which they latch onto a private individual or a developer who has a grand idea or vision of redevelopment. They tag along and put an official stamp of approval onto the plans of the investors and idea providers. It could be in the name of revitalizing a neighborhood. It could be redeveloping an old commercial space like the former Civic Arena site. Some work. Some don’t. Many public officials, bureaucrats, or activists then float a wish list of politically expedient demands from the developer. Maybe some donations are also expected to be made to various organizations. In the end, a few items make it to the final ribbon cutting. Pictures are taken and the leaders can take credit and collect votes for the improvements.
This pool idea seems like a slam dunk. It seems to be a perfect example of a truly good ‘public/private partnership’ even to the most jaded editorialist. Why wouldn’t someone in City Hall get behind this idea? Why wouldn’t anyone call this person back? This generous achiever wanted NO CREDIT for the plan or idea. All credit could be taken by any number of those on Grant Street.
Why wouldn’t a council member, department head, or staffer get behind this offer? After all, it’s for the kids. Wouldn’t the safety of the children be enough to warrant consideration even if you did not personally care for the person with the checkbook? Is it a liability concern? Do the ‘bad guys’ control this section of town or does the city? You would be helping to secure a neighborhood that recently made national headlines for its deadly violence. You would be keeping swimming pools open during a hot summer so kids have a recreational outlet. This as the lack of such positive activity, many say, leads to our youth being negatively influenced and tempted by the less reputable acts that plague our society. You would be helping to stamp down crime in a city that has seen a 21% spike in homicides this year.
By not returning one phone call or agreeing to one meeting to hear this generous person out - the cycle of crime in Pittsburgh has immediately gotten worse. This is because the kids in that area who are innocent are now forced to leave the the pool and stand on the streets the rest of the summer. No fun. No frolicking. No communal bonding at the pool with family, friends or neighbors. Basically, without the pools good kids could get into trouble. Trouble means more murders in an era in which the Pittsburgh Police have a 32% homicide clearance rate.
If this neighborhood in question is a spot for crime and violence then crack down on it. This is a golden opportunity that will not cost city taxpayers any money. It is a true public/private partnership for safer streets. It seems that this proposal is for the good of the entire community instead of a special interest or voting block.
Call this person back. Have a meeting. UNLESS, of course, the objective is to allow criminal activity to grow unchecked and just destroy any kind of residential or economic activities that may be left in that section of town. Maybe someone downtown has a different partnership in mind after real estate values drop and more small businesses flee.
Unfortunately, some of those kids looking through the locked gates at the clear blue waters of the empty pool may not survive long enough to see that plan through.
Kevin Battle is cohost of the KDKA Radio Morning Show with Larry Richert. It airs M-F 5a-9a on Pittsburgh’s 100.1FM & AM1020 KDKA or on the free Audacy app. Ask your smartspeaker to: ‘Play NewsRadio KDKA.’ Thank you.