It goes back millennia to when we were created, crawling, or in caves as part of once very small social circles.
I get it. It is engrained in all of us. Engrained in our being as a self-preservation or self-defense mechanism that calls us to be slightly wary or suspicious of situations and those we are unfamiliar with.
It is a cautious distrust, suspicion, prejudice or any multitude of ‘ism.’ There are varying degrees built into all of us.
Initially, we are always a little unsure of an unknown entity, idea, event, or person coming into our space, clan, region, or area until that entity says, does, or presents something that is, or allows them to be, acceptable.
It may take a matter of seconds, minutes, hours, days, months, or years before they are accepted, if they ever are. Sometimes that has more to do with ‘us’ than ‘them.’
However, I heard it all on KDKA Radio last week. Wow. Some callers were furious.
Imagine this: One person who wants to lead the City of Pittsburgh had enough nerve to announce his candidacy in a neighborhood in which he does not live and did not grow up in. And, to top it off: his skin tones are too light and he is representing a rival political party that is now embracing him!
That’s true. Retired Pittsburgh police detective Tony Moreno has a lot of nerve. The resident of the Brighton Heights section of town had the audacity to announce his candidacy for mayor of Pittsburgh in the Pittsburgh neighborhood of Homewood.
Some callers to KDKA were livid. Some pointed out that Homewood is part of state representative (and Democratic mayoral nominee) Ed Gainey’s district and that Moreno did not get permission to go into Homewood to make the announcement.
WHAT? Since when do we need permission to travel across neighborhood borders?
Mr. Moreno, next time you are bold enough to want to cross a bridge to the South Hills can you please call me first?
The candidate was in Homewood because he was solving a problem for a taxpaying resident - at no cost to that person. The former plumber’s apprentice actually dared to coordinate a plan to help a life-long resident fix a broken pipe that was spewing human feces and raw sewerage into her home for FOUR YEARS as various leaders and bureaucrats allegedly FAILED to take action or offer any concern.
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Other callers were upset that Mr. Moreno was not ‘dark enough’ to make the announcement on Race Street in the now-largely African-American neighborhood.
I say ‘now’ because Homewood was not always a predominantly black enclave. Once a wealthy suburb, it was taken over by the city in 1884. Andrew Carnegie once called it home as did Chuck Cooper, the first black player drafted into the NBA.
In the early 1900’s it was largely a Scots-Irish immigrant neighborhood that quickly welcomed equal parts German, Italian, and African-American families. Like most places in the area, Homewood transitioned and transformed as immigrants arrived from various worldly locales.
It was no Shangri-La but longtime residents will tell you that it was a mixed-income, mixed-race, mostly stable community. It grew and offered affordable housing and lifestyles for families.
That affordable housing spurred a large migration in the early 1950’s when the city commandeered large parts of the Hill District to build the Civic Arena for the Civic Light Opera.
Over 8,000 residents of Pittsburgh’s oldest predominately black neighborhood were displaced. Most quickly moved to affordable Homewood. This resulted in the relatively equal mix of ethnicities in that area to become predominately African-American, as it is today.
Why the quick ‘CliffsNotes’ history lesson? Well, because I actually heard callers say that Mr. Moreno is not the right color to make his announcement in Homewood.
If complexion matters to you, Mr. Moreno told the KDKA Radio Morning Show earlier this year that his father was of Mexican, Native-American/Indigenous, Spanish decent. His mother is Scots-Irish.
The most glaring issue some had with the U.S. Army veteran’s interloping was that he announced that he will now be running for mayor of Pittsburgh as a, say it quietly…whisper so the neighbors won’t hear... a republican.
There. I said it.
Moreno, who came up short for the Democratic nomination, got enough write-in votes during the May primary to switch parties.
Moreno is now a FREAKIN’ REPUBLICAN. Three strikes. Out. One of those people has not held that office since being booted out in 1934! Let’s keep it that way.
The situation reminds of the lyrics of a ‘Seven Mary Three’ song: ’Too heavy, too light, too black or too white. Too wrong or too right, today or tonight. Cumbersome.’
Be serious, folks. Who cares? Let’s stop dwelling on ‘Person of Color’ or ‘Person of Party’ or ‘Person of Physiography’ and settle on a ‘Person of Action.’ Cast a ballot for the candidate whose ‘Actions’ will be most agreeable.
We need a person who will not jam an agenda or theory down on the populace but a person who will uphold the law, preserve order, make the best financial and business decisions for the city.
We need a unifier who, according to Article 2, Section 202 of the Home Rule Charter, has been a resident of the city ‘for at least 3 years immediately preceding the election.’ Hmmmm. No mention of which neighborhood they can travel to or from, no mention of proper amounts of melanin in their cells, no mention of tribalism or party. Interesting.
We need a person who will ensure and improve the educational, economic, recreational, and living ‘conditions conducive to human growth’ in all neighborhoods.
We need a person who will protect and ensure your right to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness regardless of their political affiliation.
Your major choices in November will (most likely) be:
Rep. Ed Gainey - D
Det. Tom Moreno - R
Mr. Marlin Woods - I
The job of qualified electors in the city of Pittsburgh will be to choose the best ‘Person of Action’ regardless of how one feels about a candidate’s race, color, creed, origin, sex, genetic information, or location picked to announce their candidacy.
This editorial is not intended as an endorsement but as an indicator of some of the idiocy and ignorance that candidates and society face.
Kevin Battle may be an insular ignoramus at times. He is also Co-Host 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 KDKA.’ Thank you. Have a great day.