KDKA Exclusive: City Councilman Introduces Legislation Calling For Reinvestment In The Black Community
PITTSBURGH (KDKA) - In the wake of the Black Lives Matter movement, there are calls locally for a comprehensive plan to address inequality. The mayor and one city councilman say they need to go beyond police reform.
The mayor has joined Councilman Ricky Burgess in calling for the reinvestment in the Black community, starting in the heart of Homewood on Homewood Avenue.
"Black lives matter when Black communities matter, when we transform these depressed communities of concentrated poverty into mixed income stable communities," Burgess says.
Burgess is introducing legislation calling for reinvestment in the Black community. The centerpiece would be the redevelopment of Homewood Avenue — once a thriving business district now mostly blighted.
He is calling on the corporate community, the foundations, the healthcare systems and the universities to partner with the city to bring Black businesses to Homewood Avenue and develop new housing.
"We must rebuild the Black community, for Black people, by Black people with partners and allies," says Burgess.
Burgess has the support of Mayor Peduto, who has joined him in calling for a comprehensive plan to lift up the Black community, which has not participated equally in Pittsburgh's economic renaissance.
RELATED STORIES:
- 'Pittsburgh Police, Not The 3rd Infantry': Lawmakers Introduce Legislation To Demilitarize Police, While Law Enforcement Officers Say They Need Gear For Protection
- 'We Need To Get To The Root Causes Of Systematic Racism': Legislation To Freeze Hiring And Divert Police Funding Has Broad Support On Council
- KDKA Exclusive: City Councilman Proposes Pittsburgh Police Hiring Freeze, Budget Redirection Following George Floyd's Death
- Allegheny County Councilwomen Prepare To Introduce Ordinance Against The Use Of Tear Gas In Allegheny County
- Mayor Peduto Calls For Independent Investigations Into Disbursement Of Crowd At East Liberty Protest
"If we really want to adopt principals of Black Lives Matter, we're going to have to deal with that through access to healthcare, access to quality jobs, access to quality education, access to housing and police reform," says Mayor Peduto.
People believe Homewood Avenue is a good place to start.
The redevelopment would be a centerpiece of a broader plan -- one visible and shining example of the resurgence of the Black community.
