Pittsburgh Police increase patrols in South Side after frequent gun violence

PITTSBURGH — Pittsburgh Police were out in full force Saturday night patrolling the busy strip along East Carson Street.

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“I definitely have seen a little bit more cops even during the day,” said James Shin who lives on the South Side.

People on the city’s South Side will now see more boots on the ground four nights a week. It comes after a deadly shooting on East Carson Street overnight on Sunday, July 9.

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The ongoing violence has forced Carson City Saloon, a popular bar on the street, to temporarily shut its doors.

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“Definitely, I think it can get rowdy,” said 23-year-old Gabrielle Lynn, who lives in South Side Slopes.

Many said they don’t feel safe.

“I don’t go out that much at night because South Side is a little bit dangerous,” Shin said.

The police department is hoping to change that. A special team of seven officers will be working Thursday through Sunday from 6 p.m. to 4 a.m. They’ll be keeping a close eye on any violence that might break out.

Chris Bonfili, who is the owner and chef at Bonfire Food & Drink, one of the hot spots on East Carson, believes other added security measures, including more lighting, have helped curb crime. He’s hopeful the increased patrols will help people feel safer.

“I think that it should make people more safe or feel more safe, and that’s what we want obviously,” Bonfili said. “We’re in a business of hospitality and wanting people to come through the door, so I think whatever we need to do as a city to make people feel more comfortable in this area, I’m all for it.”

Others, however, believe more police isn’t the answer.

“I don’t necessarily think that’s going to solve anything because a lot of times, police are more reactive than proactive,” Lynn said. “What I will say that helps is those huge lights. I think that just makes everyone more aware of each other.”

Tania Vas, 24, said she used to go out to the bars along East Carson when she was in college and didn’t feel safe, but doesn’t believe a bigger police presence to combat crime will help.

“I think people find them quite daunting and quite scary because it hasn’t felt like they’ve historically just been there for the people or built on principles that support treating people with different backgrounds ethically,” Vas said.

The new safety measure kicked off on Thursday, July 20, and will continue for the foreseeable future.

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