Target 11 Exclusive: City sponsored movie night shut down after gun scare

PITTSBURGH — Target 11 Investigator Rick Earle has learned exclusively that a movie night at a city of Pittsburgh park was canceled Monday night after a city worker spotted a teenager with what he thought was a gun. The worker called Pittsburgh Police and by the time they arrived the juvenile had left the area.

It happened last night at Liberty Green Park on the border of East Liberty and Larimer. The city was prepared to hold a first ever movie night in the city’s newest park.

Earle visited the park Tuesday, the day after the show was canceled. He spoke with Ahmad Wesley, who runs a hot dog and snow cone stand near the park. He told Earle he was looking forward to the movie night.

“Just to bring the community out so everybody knows who everyone is,” said Wesley.

But it didn’t go off as planned.

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A city employee setting up a screen and sound system for the movie night noticed several teens in the park playing around, and then he spotted what appeared to be a gun fall out of a waistband of one of the teens.

He immediately called police, but by the time they arrived the teens were gone.

Out of an abundance of caution, the city decided to cancel the first ever movie night here, much to the disappointment of one neighbor who was too afraid to show her face.

“It’s a shame for the other little kids that it spoils it for them. It’s a shame, it really is,” said the neighbor, who indicated that teens are often at the park.

“It’s awful, of course it’s awful, especially for something like a park that we built. That’s a million dollar park and one of the newest and best parks in the city and not to be able to use it in the hot summer for the kids is disappointing,” said Pittsburgh City Councilman Rev. Ricky Burgess, who represents this neighborhood.

Burgess said this is a prime example of the prevalence of guns in the hands of juveniles. He said he believes juveniles carry guns as a status symbol. He doesn’t believe most of them intend to use them.

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Burgess spoke with Earle on the same day Mayor Ed Gainey unveiled a plan to distribute several million dollars to nonprofit agencies to aimed at stopping the violence. The mayor outlined eligibility requirements to obtain grants ranging from $15,000 to $90,000. Councilman Burgess was responsible for creating this fund, which takes the amount equal to 6% of the police budget every year and puts that money into the Stop The Violence Trust Fund. The city established the trust fund last year.

“We will actually be putting money on the street to pay for these intervention programs to prevent these kids from growing up to be shooters, and for the kids who are shooters, that gives them an alternative to the lifestyle in terms of jobs and rehabilitation,” said Burgess.

Organizations must meet certain criteria when applying for those grants.

Councilman Burgess told Target 11 that movie night will return to Liberty Green, and he said the city will make sure it’s a safe experience for everyone.

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