Pittsburgh police, other law enforcement agencies called to disperse large crowd on South Side
Pittsburgh police say they had to call in extra help from neighboring law enforcement agencies early Sunday morning to safely disperse a large crowd of people who had gathered on East Carson Street.
No one was injured and no property was damaged, but before that, the South Side Entertainment Patrol made several arrests. Some were gun-related, others had to do with fights.
Citations were given for public intoxication, underage drinking, and public urination.
Big crowds on East Carson are nothing new at 2 a.m. for South Side neighbors.
"I didn't bat an eyebrow about it," a resident who goes by Vinny said.
Vinny says the crowds pick up each weekend after he and most others are already asleep, around the time bars close up.
"It happens because everyone is intoxicated, everyone's drinking," he added.
In Sunday's case, police had to call in help from surrounding departments to clear out what they estimated was a crowd of 1,500 to 2,000 people, with some of them fighting each other. Once help from other departments arrived, police were able to quickly clear the crowd, a statement from Pittsburgh Public Safety said.
"It's a shame because this has been going on for five years. We know where and when it's happening, and the city can't stop it," said business owner Rich Cupka. "We have a lack of police. We're 150, 200 short."
Cupka says the fact that the police couldn't clear the crowd on their own proves his point.
"Law and order would take over if you had enough police to police the area," Cupka added.
Then-Police Chief Larry Scirroto said in September 2024 that the problem on the South Side isn't due to a lack of officers, but rather bars aren't being held accountable.
"I'm thankful that we have a level of cooperation to hold problematic business owners accountable," Scirotto said in September. "For far too long, some of the businesses over there, and there are just a few to be quite honest, that operate in a manner that they don't take accountability for the actions and behavior of their patrons, as if once those individuals get outside, it's the responsibility of the police and not the responsibility of the bar ownership to regulate the type of client they solicit and more importantly, their behavior."
Cupka disagrees, saying that while certain bars are an issue, the lack of police is the main problem.
"I don't see any relief in sight," Cupka said.
On the weekends, 25 police officers are assigned to the South Side in addition to the 10 that are part of the Entertainment Patrol.
Business owners say overall crime on the South Side is down, and Vinny believes the unfortunate reality is that the South Side has gotten a bad rap.
"Everybody just have a drink. Come to the South Side. It's all good down here," he said, adding that visitors shouldn't let what happens late at night keep them from visiting.
