East Carson Street closure and checkpoints could be coming to South Side amid rowdy crowds crackdown
The Pittsburgh Bureau of Police and city leaders are working on a new idea to end the unruly crowds and violence plaguing the South Side this summer.
Among the mayhem on the South Side this month, two police officers were injured after a man threw a lit firework at them and shots were fired during the Fourth of July weekend.
"When you see these gangs not have respect for officers, it's really concerning, and clearly we know that we need to do something differently here at the South Side," Pittsburgh City Councilman Bob Charland said on Wednesday.
Police have had trouble clearing the large crowds filled with teens not from the South Side.
"One of the ideas that we've looked at has been finding a way to keep youth out of the bar district after 10 o'clock," Charland said.
Charland points to Capo's bar as having a reputation for underage drinking, overserving and loose security. The bar was labeled as a disruptive property, which means anytime fire, EMS or police are called, the owners will be billed. The city is working with the district attorney's office to take the next step.
New plan for South Side
Pennsylvania State Police and the city of Pittsburgh are collaborating to improve public safety on the South Side.
Sources told KDKA the city is considering a partial shutdown of East Carson Street on Friday and Saturday nights to better control the crowds. People would also have to walk through security checkpoints at 10th and 18th streets.
A PennDOT spokesperson said the closures are pending approval of a special permit from the city, which PennDOT hasn't received as of Wednesday night. East Carson Street is a state road.
"Who would be checking these IDs, how would that work?" KDKA's Jennifer Borrasso asked Charland.
"One of the things we know is officers can't be the ones checking IDs," Charland said. "We probably would look at a private security firm to give us some help with that. But as it stands right now, so much of this plan is in formation. We are working with what we legally are allowed to do and also what is feasible."
KDKA was told the East Carson Street closure plan is not permanent. It's just being tested. But it could be the reality for some time.
