Activists call for Pittsburgh to cancel bid for supplies of less-lethal weapons

May 5—Activists on Wednesday called on Pittsburgh officials to cancel a bid seeking supplies of "less-lethal" weapons like the ones deployed against protesters in Pittsburgh and other cities during civil unrest.

"These munitions are turned on people fighting for the rights of Black and brown community members," said Joshua Friedman, of Bend the Arc Pittsburgh, which co-hosted the Downtown Pittsburgh event with the Alliance for Police Accountability. Also present were several protesters who say they were caught up in clouds of tear gas, smoke and other munitions during the summer's protests.

Friedman called the use of less-lethal tactics by police last summer a continuation of those used to suppress the fight for civil rights in the 1960s.

"That's not what we want out of our city," he said. "I know that's not what this administration wants out of this city, although they're continuing with these policies."

The calls come days after a federal judge in Ohio ordered police in Columbus to stop using certain less-lethal munitions — including tear gas, pepper spray and rubber bullets — against nonviolent protesters. Nonviolent protesters include those who are chanting, blocking streets, holding up their hands as they approach police, passively resisting police orders and verbally confronting police.

"Why do Pittsburghers have to wait for these to be banned for these items to no longer be in use here?" asked Myra Taylor, a nurse in Pittsburgh who said she has seen firsthand the trauma less-lethal munitions can cause.

Algenon Marbley, chief judge of Ohio's Southern District, criticized the weapons and tactics used by the Columbus police last year during protests sparked by the murder of George Floyd in Minneapolis, according to NPR.

"This case is the sad tale of police officers, clothed with the awesome power of the state, run amok," Marbley wrote in his opinion siding with 26 plaintiffs who filed suit against the city last year.

In Pittsburgh, the city on April 14 sent out what's called a Formal Invitation for Bids. It's essentially a call to vendors to propose contracts to fulfill, in this case, a long list of less-lethal weaponry for the Pittsburgh Bureau of Police.

Public Safety spokeswoman Cara Cruz noted that less-lethal options are not used solely for crowd control.

"Throughout the year, SWAT, for example, often uses it or has it available during emergency call-outs, which can involve barricade and hostage situations, including some domestic violence calls," Cruz said via email.

She said the equipment is also used when police serve search warrants or arrest warrants, and the equipment is used by other Public Safety bureaus as well.

Brandi Fisher, president of the Alliance for Police Accountability, said she wants real data on how often less-lethal munitions are actually used in those situations.

"How often is the city really using tear gas and rubber bullets and these sponge rounds outside of protests?" she said.

Cruz said Tasers, gas and distraction devices have serial numbers, and therefore are tracked. Others, like beanbags, do not. She said she did not know if there are plans to make that data public.

A spokesman for the city referred to Public Safety's statement.

SWAT call-outs on the whole have been increasing over the past decade, according to a Tribune-Review analysis last year.

In 2009, the earliest year for which data was available, the unit was called upon 96 times, including 45 times for warrant service, 20 times for a barricaded subject and 13 times for tactical support. Other categories of SWAT deployments that are used less often overall include active shooters, dignitary protection, community events, special details, mutual aid and marksman/observer operations.

Last year, the city's SWAT unit — an acronym for Special Weapons and Tactics — was utilized 271 times, according to the police bureau's annual report. That's the highest year on record since 2009, records show.

Eighty-two instances were for warrant service, nine were for hostage situations and 37 were for situations in which someone barricaded themselves in a home or vehicle. The unit was called out 140 times for tactical support.

Pittsburgh's invitation for bids was open from April 14 to April 22 for a contract that would run from May 1 to April 30, 2023. The dozens of line items included hundreds of less-lethal weapons and ammunition — sponge rounds, tear gas grenades, smoke canister grenades, bean bags and flash bangs.

"These are the same things that are being rejected by other cities," said Taylor, the Pittsburgh nurse. "Why not ours?"

Megan Guza is a Tribune-Review staff writer. You can contact Megan at 412-380-8519, mguza@triblive.com or via Twitter .