'We're Stuck In Our Homes And Can't Afford Our Homes': Dozens Gather For A Rent Cancellation Protest Through Pittsburgh

PITTSBURGH (KDKA) - It's the first of the month and for many, they have no way of paying their rent or mortgage.

Right now people can't be evicted during the pandemic in Pennsylvania.

Protesters took to the streets of Pittsburgh wanting more. They want rent canceled.

A few dozen used the phrase "no pay May" as they went through several neighborhoods before ending on the Greenfield Bridge Friday.

"We don't think anyone should owe any debt during this crisis and be beyond recovery," organizer Celeste Scott said. She is with the group Pittsburgh United.

The protesters want payments to be canceled so when the pandemic is over, people are not out on the street because they owe several months of rent and can't make the payments.

"We're stuck in our homes and can't afford our homes," Heather McClain from Beechview said.

"Nobody is working. Nobody is getting a check," Tom Hoffman from Point Breeze said.

Then there is the issue of the stimulus check. Some people still have not received it.

"I haven't gotten mine. I seriously don't know anyone that has gotten theirs yet," Hoffman said.

"They are the people that absolutely needed it first. I didn't need it first," McClain said.

One of the protesters' stops was outside Congressman Mike Doyle's office in the South Side, bringing traffic on East Carson Street to a standstill.

They were asking him for help in getting a bill passed at the federal level to cancel rent and prevent evictions.

They also are calling on the governor to extend his eviction freeze for three months past the lifting of the stay-at-home order.

"Once they lift those, a mass eviction like that will be a public health crisis," Scott told KDKA.

The protest ended on the Greenfield Bridge with protesters wanting to put a banner over the bridge's fence. Police would not allow it because of safety concerns with the Parkway below. They ultimately agreed for it to be displayed on the inside of the fence.

KDKA reached out to Congressman Doyle about what is being done at the federal level.

His office provided this statement:

"Millions of Americans are in a bind financially as a result of the coronavirus shutdown.

"House Democrats have consistently pushed for more rental assistance nationwide but unfortunately have not been able to get agreement from the Senate or the White House.

"We must do more to help families struggling right now, but I don't think that subsidizing the rent of wealthy individuals and the profits of wealthy real estate investors is the smartest or most effective way to use federal funds, and instead we should focus on getting funding to those most affected by this crisis.

"That's why I'm a cosponsor of the Emergency Rental Assistance Act, which would provide $100 billion to help subsidize rents. These funds would be distributed through the Community Development Block Grant program to local government agencies and nonprofits, which would distribute it to individuals and families with less than 80% of the area's median income when they apply. This bill uses an already established and successful program to target help to those who need it most."

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• Protest
• Pittsburgh