Pittsburgh community leaders say violence is out of control, call for an end

PITTSBURGH — Our community leaders say the violence on our streets and in our schools is out of control, and it’s going to take a community effort to create solutions.

The pews were full of people at Potter’s House Ministries in Mount Oliver. The Rev. Eileen Smith with the South Pittsburgh Coalition for Peace says this prayer vigil was a chance for people to come together as one and heal.

“People are hurting, people are seeing too much, witnessing too much,” Smith told Channel 11.

Pittsburgh Police Chief Scott Schubert was also at the vigil and said we need community action in addition to talking.

“The last couple weeks especially, it’s been pretty traumatic in the city with the level of violence,” Schubert said.

There have been 19 homicides in the city this year.  That number doesn’t account for all of the neighboring towns and boroughs around Pittsburgh.

As families were praying and mourning, Allegheny County Police investigated a man shot multiple times in an apartment along Broadway Avenue in Stowe Township.  Detectives brought out brown bags of evidence, including the gun used in the shooting. Three men - one believed to be the shooter - were detained.

Pittsburgh’s police chief says a place to start is getting guns out of kids’ hands. For parents, that means locking them up and not leaving them in places like cars.

“We have to do everything to stop that, to keep guns from getting into hands, but it’s even bigger than that,” Schubert adds.  “Everyone has to work together to get people to the point they’re not resorting to violence.”

Our leaders say it’s also about holding perpetrators accountable and mentoring those who could go down a different path to stop them before they do.

“It’s all about unity and doing this together as a village for our children for our families,” Smith adds.

Back-to-back meetings calling for stop to community violence in South Pittsburgh

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