Mayor Ravenstahl Lays Out Plan To Restore Safety On South Side
PITTSBURGH (KDKA) -- It's often considered the nightlife hub of Pittsburgh, but the South Side is plagued by problems at night.
Now though, Mayor Luke Ravenstahl has laid out a plan to restore safety for business owners and residents. He was joined at the Tuesday press conference by the police chief, the fire chief and building inspectors.
The South Side has its share of bars and restaurants along Carson Street; and from Friday nights through Sunday mornings, the main drag can offer some pretty exciting nonstop night life.
But if you go beyond Carson Street, you will see that the South Side is also a neighborhood filled with longtime residents who care about their community.
"I am not saying that people should not come over here and party. I partied, I enjoyed myself," says Mary Lou Collinger, a South Side resident. "What I am saying is, when you come to our neighborhood be respectful of the people that live here."
That is the point Mayor Ravenstahl is driving home.
At the news conference at the corner of 16th and Carson Streets, he called for all hands on deck to restore peace, harmony and respect to the community. It all begins this Friday.
"First, we are going to have the deployment of building inspectors and firefighters who will be actively and aggressively cracking down on overly-crowded bars that are violating our building codes," said Mayor Ravenstahl.
The Mayor calls it an aggressive blitz, and midway through his announcement many in the crowd cheered.
"I am thrilled actually, it's a wonderful improvement for this community and it will make it safer," said Karl Horn, a South Side business owner. "Everyone is going to feel comfortable down here."
"We will bring back the alleyway saturation patrols who will be on the lookout to cite for disorderly conduct such as public drunkenness and urination," Mayor Ravenstahl added.
And on any given weekend, DUI patrols will be on the move.
"Every weekend, we will increase our towing enforcement here in the South Side," the Mayor said.
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