PITTSBURGH — Traffic in the east end of Pittsburgh and into Wilkinsburg was significantly impacted as hundreds of protesters marched for hours on Saturday.
According to Pittsburgh Public Safety, the protest started around 3:30 p.m. in Bakery Square. The crowd quickly grew to more than 500 people as they marched through the area.
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Road closures started at Penn Avenue and continued through East Liberty Boulevard and Fifth Avenue until around 6:30 p.m. When protesters blocked off specific intersections to sit down and listen to speeches, officials said traffic was blocked in all directions.
Police advised drivers to avoid that area if possible as the protest continued.
Two separate protests merged in Wilkinsburg, adding a few hundred people to the march. Public safety officials said a small group broke off and went near the mayor’s house in Point Breeze, but they cleared the area after about 20 minutes.
After the crowd returned to Bakery Square, most everyone dispersed from the area. Police said there were no issues to report.
This marked the first protest since Mayor Bill Peduto announced sweeping changes as to how Pittsburgh police respond to protests in the city.
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