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Fourth Straight Day Of Protests In Pittsburgh As Demonstrators Stage Sit-In Outside County Jail

Sarah Boden
/
90.5 WESA
Demonstrators sitting in the street in front of the Allegheny County Jail on Tuesday, June 2.

Protesters in downtown Pittsburgh marched from Downtown to the South Side and back Tuesday afternoon and early evening. They staged sit-ins outside the Allegheny County Jail, on East Carson Street, and in Market Square. Organizers say they are seeking to bring awareness to the disproportionate policing and incarceration of black men in the United States.

*EDITOR'S NOTE: This is a breaking news story and will be updated with new developments.

The group started in Market Square before moving to the Allegheny County Jail, where they staged a sit-in, with organizers calling for a peaceful demonstration. Police officers followed marchers to the jail but broke off to assemble behind the facility on First Avenue. A small group of officers stationed themselves just east of the demonstration near the 10th Street Bridge.

The protesters then walked over the 10th Street Bridge to the South Side, pausing at 10th and East Carson streets.

The group returned over the bridge to Downtown, ending in Market Square. Organizers asked the group to disperse around 7:20 p.m.

Tuesday marks the fourth straight day of local protests in response to the death of George Floyd in police custody in Minneapolis last Monday.  Confrontations with Pittsburgh police turned violent on Saturday afternoon and on Monday evening, with both police and protestors blaming each other for instigating violence.