Pleasant Hills demonstrators rally for justice, condemn video mocking death

By ERIC SEIVERLING
eseiverling@yourmvi.com
Amid a backdrop of boarded-up buildings and a heavy police presence, demonstrators took to Pleasant Hills’ Southland Shopping Center on Wednesday afternoon to voice their outrage over the death of George Floyd, the Minneapolis black man who died last week under the knee of a white police officer.
And despite residents and nearby businesses being fearful of violence and looting, the protest was peaceful and spirited.
Pleasant Hills police officers patrolling the scene reported no arrests or incidents as demonstrators walked to their cars at the protest’s conclusion.
The event was organized by Jefferson Hills resident and Family and Friends Director Hillary Williams-Hilton in response to a 15-second viral video that circulated online earlier this week that showed two Pleasant Hills Middle School students mocking Floyd as one student pinned the other student to the ground, with the pinned student saying “Please sir, stop it, I cannot breathe, please sir, I am going to die,” as people are heard laughing in the background.
“It upset my home and it upset my kids,” Williams-Hilton said of the video in a private moment after the demonstration. “There was a deep level of hurt.”
While Williams-Hilton was soft-spoken after the demonstration, she was anything but subdued as she led chants, prayer and applause to the crowd of approximately 150 people gathered in front of LA Fitness.
“We are all our brother’s keepers,” she told the crowd. “I live here, you live here, we all live here. There’s egregious things being done to black lives. That’s why we say black lives matter. We say ‘no justice, no peace,’ but instead we should by saying ‘we want justice, we want peace.’”
During the demonstration, which lasted from noon to 2 p.m., Williams-Hilton led the crowd in prayer, sing alongs and implored others to report incidents of racism.
“Keep your phones charged and keep your phones on,” she said. “Report every incident. We have to take the blinders off.”
She also handed the megaphone to other speakers, including Cpl. Aaron Allen of the Pennsylvania State Police, Pleasant Hills Police Chief Brian Finnerty and Thomas Jefferson High School students Jackie Guenther and Zyan Barrett.
“I see you, I hear you and I’m honored to sing with you,” Guenther, a junior at TJHS, told the crowd. “We must love and respect each other the same way we love and respect ourselves. Every person is someone’s child. I pray everyday that our community will become more diverse.”
Barrett, also a TJHS junior, told the crowd he was angry after he viewed the video of the students making fun of Floyd’s death.
“In the wake of tragedy, they mocked my pain,” he said. “When I walk the halls at my school, I see no black educators. I see no black administrators. Now is the time to love like never before. There shall be love and there shall be peace.”
Demonstrators then walked to Route 51 where they stood roadside displaying signs while being greeted by honking horns and waves of encouragement from drivers.
“I’m here to support my black friends,” Pleasant Hills resident Gabriella Caruso said before joining her fellow demonstrators along Route 51. “I knew it was going to be peaceful. I’m glad our community is doing this because these are the places that need it.”
Tosin Adebayo made the trip from Brookline to Pleasant Hills to attend his first demonstration.
“It’s important to show support for these people,” Adebayo said. “I’m here not just to protest but to pray for the people involved. It’s expected that these things get backlash, but we will not let that tear us down.”
Floyd’s death has garnered world-wide attention, and has resulted in demonstrations and rioting across the country.
Floyd, 46, died on May 25 after pleading “I can’t breathe” while a white police officer pressed his knee into his neck, in an encounter that was captured on video by a bystander.
The former Minneapolis police officer seen in the video pinning Floyd to the ground, Derek Chauvin, was arrested by the Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension and has been charged with second-degree murder and manslaughter.
On Wednesday afternoon, three other Minneapolis police officers at the scene while Floyd died have been charged with aiding and abetting Floyd’s murder.
Finnerty said in his 27 years in law enforcement he’s never seen an officer put a knee on someone’s neck.
“You’re creating history,” Finnerty told the crowd. “Power is knowledge. Look into your politicians. We need to stop it before it happens.”
While the demonstration was patrolled by Pleasant Hills, West Mifflin and Pennsylvania State police officers, a group of retired U.S. Marines were also present to keep an eye out for anyone who might try to hijack the demonstration and incite riots and looting.
“There were people who expressed concerns of violence,” said Jefferson Hills resident Paul Chasko, who served as sergeant in the U.S. Marine Corps from 1978 to 1982. “Our only purpose is to make sure it doesn’t turn stupid.”
But Chasko soon revealed other motives for attending the demonstration.
“I grew up in Homestead where one side of the street was white and the other side of the street was black,” he said while watching the demonstrators along Route 51. “I was 10 years old and I couldn’t believe people were attacking each other for the color of their skin. This is the first time I’ve been driven to do something like this. I’m here to support everyone to have their voices heard in a peaceful manner. I’ve been defending the Constitution my entire life. All the blood on the American flag is so that we can do things like this.”