A large portion of today’s crowd of about 200 people raised their hands when asked if they were present on June 1 in East Liberty for a demonstration that started peacefully and ended with Pittsburgh Police and SWAT lining up in riot gear before launching tear gas and rubber bullets at protesters near the intersection of Centre and Negley avenues. Today, the march from Target to the same intersection had only a few police officers redirecting traffic from their motorcycles nearby. It was still triggering, however, for some people in attendance, including Lorenzo Rulli, who was hit with tear gas on June 1 (as were a number of nearby journalists, including myself). The group, organized by Pittsburgh I Can’t Breathe, chanted “Lorenzo Rulli was a freedom fighter and he taught us how to fight …” to lift his spirits following an emotional moment.

Today’s intention, according to protest organizers, was to specifically amplify Black voices and to address police brutality to Black women and the trans community. It lasted around four and a half hours before dispersing around 7:30 p.m.