Black History Month: Det. Howard McKinney & Hill City
PITTSBURGH (KDKA) - In the late 1930's, an African-American Pittsburgh Police detective came up with a novel approach to helping children in the community.
In the end, what he created was a program that changed how young people viewed themselves.
Policing juvenile delinquency by letting kids police themselves sounded like a plan that wouldn't work.
But, Det. Howard McKinney was betting that it would when he founded Hill City in 1939.
"Hill City was a youth municipality, a city within a city based here in the Hill District. It was really amazing what Howard McKinney did," historian Dorothy Spangler said.
What he did was use his knowledge and understanding of young people
"He realized that youth governing themselves, putting the responsibility of self-government and self-policing as it were into the hands of these youths was a way to get them accountable to each other. It was really looking out for one another not a gotcha program. It was looking out for one another," Spangler said.
Hill City had two judges, a district attorney, 18 investigators, nine council members and even a mayor - all elected by their peers.
"McKinney put a tremendous amount of responsibility and faith in these young people that they could handle their own problems," Spangler said.
And they did - reducing the amount of juvenile delinquency.
"McKinney began then getting phone calls from cities across the country, saying, 'Tell us more about your program. We think we may want to emulate it in our city too,'" Spangler said.
McKinney grew up in the Hill District and as an adult, saw kids as integral part of the community.
"He knew that they would sink as low or rise as high as the challenge and expectations you set before them. Young people of excellence were the result of the Hill City youth municipality program," Spangler said.
Since it was a volunteer program, McKinney used his own money to keep it alive.
"It was so much the brainchild and the heart and the passion of Howard McKinney that it's possible that it ran out of steam after his death," Spangler said.
In the 20 years Hill City did exist, more than 8.000 young people came through the program - all because of one man's vision and passion.
"Howard McKinney was intensely interested in bringing out the best in people," Spangler said.
Hill City began in the New Granada Theater before moving to Bedford Avenue in the Hill District.
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