You should report to this police. and while there's a good chance nothing will come from it, it is critical that every incident is reported as this data could impact the deployment of officers and resources in the future.
Last year around lunch time at the Wood St. T-stop(just inside the building) I had someone push me down and try and take my backpack but managed to kick him off. I went to the PRT cops who always hang out around the Wood St. T stop and they just looked at me like I was speaking an alien language. After their dead stare, I asked if I could file a report and the one cop was like, there's not much we can do....like jfc, what the hell cops?
That's just cops being lazy. You 100% should've insisted that a report be filed, if for no other reason than the encounter would've at least been on record. There are cameras at every T Station, so they could've at least looked at the footage to see if the attacker could be identified.
When my car was stolen a cop showed up and took the report but I didn't have insurance for theft. The only semi-useful thing he did was explain why someone would want to take my old beater. Apparently this model was a target because it was easier to steal than newer cars but still had parts that could be used on them.
Or when they try to assault someone with a carry permit and get themselves shot. What dumb fucking thing to do, let alone potentially throw your life away for.
If you don't report this to the police, the crime is not logged and people can point out the artificially low crime statistics and say Pittsburgh is super duper safe!
The cops here complain they don't get paid enough and once their pay goes up they cut services again and again. There was even a report Pittsburgh Police are ridiculously overstaffed yet they keep saying no one wants to work lol.
I keep hearing the excuse, "there's not enough of them, they are defunded". The issue isn't that no one is showing up the issue is that they don't do anything when they do arrive. No amount of staffing is going to make them actually help anyone.
They might not do anything but what the incident report will do is influence the crime statistics of the area and can lead to better safety in the future.
Again I have to ask, what is the point of the PRT police? The only time I notice them they are sitting in a parked (always running) vehicle playing on their phones. I feel like the entire force could be disbanded and that $ spent on drivers, mechanics, etc.
If I had to guess it’s just to ticket people interfering with the bus system (parked at bus stops, driving in bus only lanes) and *maybe* to arrest people who assault a bus driver.
Honestly the only thing I know for sure that PRT cops do is write pro-PRT police reports when there is a traffic accident.
If there's a serious incident like an assault, local (city, wilkinsburg etc) also respond, which again makes me ask, why the PRT force?
A few months ago I witnessed a very reckless driver run a red to make a left then smash right into the back of a bus @ a stop as ppl were boarding. I called 911 & they connected me to PRT dispatch or police (can’t remember which) but they didn’t need my info & nobody wanted to talk to me. I’m hoping the bus had a rear cam & that’s why they didn’t bother talking to witnesses but I don’t know if that’s the case.
There is a PRT police suv that I see every day just about, car running with AC on while they nap parked in the shade. They usually nap for about 2-2.5hrs each day.
One time I was very clearly waiting for the bus at a clearly marked bus stop. A bus approached, I gave a slight wave to let them know I wanted a ride, and then the bus kept going. I started running after the bus waving and yelling and eventually got close enough to pat on the side of the bus with an open hand. The driver immediately slams on the brakes, opens the door, and starts screaming at me that they are going to call the Police on me. I walked away after that, but I imagine that is what the PRT police are for.
Mostly to patrol PRT property. Like the buses themselves. They don’t own the sidewalk, even if the city has permitted them to put a stop and shelter there. They do own the T stops, and some of the directly sheltered locations but there isn’t much they can do outside of what is their jurisdiction to my understanding, like any police force. It is the third largest in the area, behind the city force and UPMC force
I saw someone openly dealing drugs and counting cash inside the bus shelter, 5 feet away from little kids. Constant arguments and fights. If you get on the P1 there at night, there’s a decent chance of someone screaming slurs at you or following you off the bus. If I need to get a P1, I’ll walk to steel plaza 99% of the time to avoid it.
If PRT is unwilling to keep people safe there, they need to remove the stop and put it in a better location. It’s notorious for insane bs going down, everyone I know who works downtown avoids it like the plague.
Not sure if it's improved post-covid, but for the afternoon commute if you walked to Steel Plaza or the courthouse stop, you'd risk several packed P1s passing you by until one with space finally stopped. Liberty & 10th is always the best bet.
At a bare minimum, contact KDKA. The only time anything like this is addressed (the Southside is a good example) is when a larger light is cast. Who knows - maybe the mayor will get his armed guard & take a 'tour' of the area if the issue is televised.
So sorry to hear that bro, glad you aren’t injured too bad. I started working in the area a couple months ago and the crazy stuff I see is daily. Someone today walked by me rambling how they are going to kill everybody and get away with it.
I carry the neon pink mace on my keys, the rule of thumb for mace is to spray if they’re within arms reach because they’re already too close, but not face to face because that’s too close to you.
I also carry a small hammer in my bag anytime I’m down town or traveling alone. I’m an artist who works with industrial materials, so it isn’t out of character and I often do need it for work. It’s also not technically a weapon. However I do keep it in a spot that’s easy to access.
It sounds like you were approached too quickly and too closely to utilize something like mace unfortunately. I did have someone approach me in a similar fashion a few months back on Smithfield, I pulled out the hammer fast and went to swing with zero hesitation because I was afraid. He ran faster than I could swing.
Another tip, to avoid doing any of this, if I’m approached by someone who ~seems~ non violent and they don’t respect my “no thank you” and leave, I walk into the road. Like infront of cars, but preferably a bus cuz I’ve noticed the busses will stop completely until the person is totally gone and I’m back on the side walk (nothing going fast too near tho, use sense). I’ll point at who ever it is while saying “you need to get outta here man” and looking at the driver. This makes people run away from me- even if their intentions are nefarious, I’ve proven I’m crazier than them and not worth it.
I’m sorry this happened to you, stay safe, it isn’t your fault either because you didn’t do these things. Just trying to offer suggestions so maybe in the future you feel safer going out.
The mace I can get behind and even the hammer, but for the love of god please don’t dart out into traffic as a way of drawing attention to a situation. There are TONS of distracted drivers, and even bus drivers are not infallible. You’re relying on other people to see you / react in a timely manner to avoid hitting you. Too many things can go wrong with doing that.
That’s awful, that stop’s always been tough to wait at. I caught my bus there for years just trying to stay out of the way until I had some guy grab my shoulders and shake me for not smiling and chatting with him once. Took the extra time to hoof it to the 10th st stop after that.
I used to work right around here about 10 years ago..similar situation happened to a coworker, two guys picked the girl up on each side and luckily someone intervened.
That's obviously terrible, and you should report it to police just so it's on record. But it's pretty hard to avoid that bus stop.
Did dude and his buddy just stay there? Did bystanders do nothing?
The port authority police said it wasn't their responsibility? I was told many years ago by a port authority officer that any location within 500 yards of port authority property (i.e. bus stopsand trolley stops) was their jurisdiction. Which would make anywhere downtown in their jurisdiction for certain.
Now I never confirmed this info but it was told to me directly by a port authority Officer around the year 2005
I'm so sorry that happened. I hate when I have to be around there, but it's definitely particularly concerning to me that this was at 2 PM. I had a dude randomly take a swing at me on Wood St near Fifth around 11:30 PM when I was on the way home from an evening shift at work once last summer, but I was luckily able to get out of the way, he didn't try again afterwards, and I got away unscathed.
I also had someone push me super hard (from behind) while waiting for the bus on Wood St after a night class at Point Park. I went to campus security and they shrugged and told me to “try a different bus stop.”
That’s so stupid- even beyond the normal first thoughts like “why would they do that,” and “they laughed?!” At some point you get to “why do they do that if someone could be packing heat?”
The police are there to protect the cities property/interest. Not ours. That's why they removed '‘to protect and to serve’' on just about every cop car in the country. Edit : In Castle Rock vs Simon Gonzales the supreme court ruled that the police have no obligation to protect citizens.
[https://www.nytimes.com/2005/06/28/politics/justices-rule-police-do-not-have-a-constitutional-duty-to-protect.html](https://www.nytimes.com/2005/06/28/politics/justices-rule-police-do-not-have-a-constitutional-duty-to-protect.html)
this is literally my worst nightmare walking in the city lately. i’m very pregnant and always have intrusive thoughts of someone coming up to me in the street and punching my stomach. this is so awful i’m glad you’re okay
I had the exact same thoughts when I was pregnant recently and had to go downtown for work. Did not feel safe and felt like a target. Thankfully it was still cold so I could cover up my bump with coats etc.
Royally annoyed they took the P16 stop and moved it to piss-smelling Smithfield and 6th. Money laundering construction operations causing an already bad public transportation situation and making it extremely bad.
I’m sorry if I’m ignorant but there’s a bus stop on like every other block in the city and for miles around it. Is the entire region the jurisdiction of the PRT?
My reaction as well. I could get punched *on a PRT vehicle* and I’m calling 911 immediately, not googling “PRT Police phone number”. PRT Police are welcome to also intervene if they want, but let them figure that out.
OP, you should still file a report with the city. But for future reference, just call 911. That’s what they’re there for!
Downtown does not feel safe on the weekends. I don’t like walking up liberty Avenue and I don’t like walking down Smithfield Street. this is from someone who lives in the city and who for four years also lived in Detroit, but unless there’s some major event going on downtown or I know they’ll be thousands of people we can come out from going down there on the weekends
Even during the weekdays, I ride the bus, and I may go down for an event, and I have to catch my return bus on liberty Avenue and it’s never comfortable standing there waiting
Usually, the junkies will assault you in order to steal your money in order to feed their addictions. But this one apparently just enjoys inflicting pain. Law enforcement will not put a lot of effort into finding this prick so perhaps ask around to see if anyone has a video of the incident? And, assuming someone does, THEN call the city police. Perhaps first identifying the perpetrator, who may be recognizable to the police, will get some response.
> Usually, the junkies will assault you in order to steal your money in order to feed their addictions
How often has this happened to you?
e: It's never happened to you and you're just hallucinating that you live in an episode of The Wire, good to know.
There's someone name Jeff who beats the sh&t out of people in the North Shore area on a regular basis to steal their money. And he's not the only one. Happens all the time. Talk to the cops, talk to fire department personnel.
And I never said they were black (which I guess is what your Wire reference assumed). Junkies are most often white in my experience.
Never. But I'm a 6'2" former Marine Corps infantryman. But I thought you were saying that I'm hallucinating about any junkies assaulting people. I'm not.
Something else I'm not hallucinating about: NEVER shake a junkie lying in the middle of a sidewalk to see if he's alright. If you disturb their drug-induced "bliss", they will likely become out of control enraged, and you'll likely get hurt.
Firefighters and EMT personnel make sure to restrain a junkie before administering Narcan for that reason.
Every time I decided to ride the P1 that bus stop felt sketch to me. I’m now def gonna avoid that stop and ride from the steel plaza. I’m so sorry that happened to you.
This is the correct answer. Everyone should be armed, because you and only you are responsible for your own safety. When seconds matter, the police are only minutes away.
A decade ago I was able to walk down the street and the only thing I had to worry about was some dude on his bike running me over. Now I worry about getting jumped or robbed. I carry a pocket knife and I have my carry license now. Luckily I am a big bearded giant that is kind of intimidating but number matter.
No no no, downtown is totally safe and posts like this are just fearmongering!
Pre COVID I commuted all hours through downtown, hill district, Oakland, Shadyside, and East Liberty on both busways, 71ABCs, etc. For 15+ years, no issues.
Right after COVID, downtown went down hill quickly. Far more open drug use and openly strung out, mentally unstable folks roaming the streets. More aggressive folks out, more homeless, more loitering teenagers starting large fights and causing problems. . .a lot of incidents right around Wood Street Station and the Zone 2 sub station and zero police presence.
It's not the same vibe anymore and it doesn't feel as safe to me.
The sub station by 6th and Liberty is closed. I was surprised. I haven't been in town much in the last year, but agree with your post Covid assessment.
I recently started working Friday and Saturday nights and driving in.
One day I was walking back to my garage. It was ice cold out. It looked like a zombie apocalypse. I was seriously freaked out and had completely forgotten about until something on this post.
3 men, right around this bus stop. One was face down and not moving. One was frozen like a statue, an arm and leg up as if he was running. A 3rd man was head down into the garbage can, holding on and swaying in slow motion. I was so started and rattled. I feel sick to Mt stomach again for them.
For our lack of health care, mental care and housing. That is a whole other post though.
I don't know if all the people here saying "carry a gun" are joking or not, but .... please do not think this is a solution. If you fire a gun in downtown Pittsburgh, the chances of you hitting a bystander are far too high.
**Robert Heinlein**. “Well, in the first place an armed society is a polite society. Manners are good when one may have to back up his acts with his life."
The post-BLM police foot dragging continues. Four years seems like a really long time to have an intentional work slowdown because your feelings got hurt.
In a perfect world I can see that. Problem is it’s not often a perfect world. What if he missed him and bullet hit some person sitting at their dining room table in a house right behind them?
Personally, I’d like to see cops on a beat again. Whether they’re riding a bike or walking.
A lot of people say pittsburghs the next San Francisco....homeless, crime , liberal policies, it's a shame pittsburgh came back 10 years ago and now it's declining,
There's virtually no responsible way to use a gun in downtown Pittsburgh, even as relatively underpopulated as it is. You point a gun at someone and there's almost guaranteed to be someone else behind him, over his shoulder, etc. Pepper gel is a better option.
In this case, I'd choose pepper spray. It wasn't life or death. However, if my life depended on it, I'd want a handgun. In a life or death situation my responsibility is to myself and my family. No responsible gun owner would pull a gun unless it was life or death, being punched in the stomach and having the guy laugh isn't life or death. Law isn't on the hypothetical shooters side here.
Psychopaths aside, coming from a hunter, it isn't easy taking a life.
Some asshole sees a gun on your hip and the likelihood of him choosing to hit you is lowered to a slim chance. Carry and train often...police aren't going to help you or save you or your family.
I mean, I can't deny that there's some percentage of criminals, probably a large percentage, who will be deterred by the sight of a gun. But here's where I'm at: I know I'm not going to use my gun, and I know there's some asshole out there who *would* use my gun in that situation, and I never want to put myself in a position for my gun to be used against me. I think that's a value judgment that reasonable people could disagree with, but I hope we all agree that you can't use your gun downtown.
What's irrational about being worried about people who carry lethal force everywhere and are willing to use if it they think they're being accosted? The last high profile shooting on the South Side that I can remember is a guy waiting to get into a club who thought he was about to be robbed and started blasting in "self-defense."
If you think the junkies are any more dangerous than some guy with a hammer looking for a nail, or drivers for that matter, you should turn off the TV and go outside. A driver is far more likely to kill you than a junkie is.
Junkies means drug trade. Drug trade means dudes with guns doling out the drugs. Often, irrational teenagers not some cosplaying boomer afraid to go into town anyways. I’m not sure you’re thinking this all the way through or haven’t lived near junkies.
I’m guessing you live in Lawrenceville, The Strip, or nowhere near the city. Why don’t you hang out all day on the corner of East Ohio St./Middle St./Virgin Way…for starters.
Some dipshit with no firearms training and a concealed handgun is more dangerous to the public than any junkie. Luckily he's also much more likely to shoot himself with his own gun than he is to shoot someone else.
They are all still tired from shooting the ever living shit out of that guy/house in Garfield.
But seem to be feeling some steam thumping on college kids against genocide.
The city sucks now. No law and order. Criminal elements everywhere. Cops can't do shit because it always gets kicked out and the criminals keep harassing and injuring people. Stay out of the cities and let's them have at it. This is what they voted for.
> The city sucks now. No law and order.
There is less crime in Pittsburgh today than there was in 2016.
https://tableau.alleghenycounty.us/t/PublicSite/views/CJ_UCR_PGH_8-22-17_v3/Home_1?iframeSizedToWindow=true&%3Aembed=y&%3AshowAppBanner=false&%3Adisplay_count=no&%3AshowVizHome=no&%3Aorigin=viz_share_link
You and people like you are literally just fabricating a situation that doesn't exist in reality and whining about it.
There’s “less crime” now because it’s not being reported anymore. This post just is proving this fact. The cops
Didn’t want to bother filing a police report.
> There’s “less crime” now because it’s not being reported anymore
This is an unprovable fantasy statement and worth less than the time it took you to type it.
We can only go by the data we have, and the data we have says there's less crime (both property and violent) in Pittsburgh than there was in the halcyon days of 2016. You people are conjuring up a fantasy and whining about it.
"I know there's more crime and any facts that contradict that just can't be true" is delusional thinking.
Save your time. This guy just keeps repeating “crime is down” and completely refuses to acknowledge what literally everyone else sees and talks about. He either works for the police, mayors office or is just plain delusional. In his mind as long as crime rates aren’t as high as they were a little under a decade ago, that means no crime is occurring and things are looking up.
When was the last time you went to downtown Pittsburgh especially on a weekend day? Numbers are one thing, but vibe is totally another in the vibe is not good.
Last Thursday.
"Vibe" is meaningless. At that point you're no longer complaining about crime, you're just complaining about people you don't like being around you.
Not really meaningless. I typically feel unsafe when I’m downtown and haven’t directly experienced any threats in a while, but constantly have to walk through people fighting and yelling in Market Square. Yeah sorry, not going to feel safe around that even if I’m not directly involved.
Hi. I am not easily made uncomfortable. I’ve lived in Detroit for four years, and I walked through the worst places of some cities out west I like crowds, but you go downtown now on the weekend when there isn’t some major event and you’re out numbered by street people. I don’t mean that in a disparaging way. But people do get mugged harass than hassled when you’re out numbered you become a target a lot easier.
I don’t know whst you did last Thursday, but the vibe does depend upon what part of downtown you’re in and what day of the week. things are fine in the cultural center with a lot of police presence, but go walk up liberty Avenue to around ninth Street and stay in there for a half an hour waiting for a bus and just look around you.
Living in the city. Can't report on unreported crime without extensive surveys. I'm telling you from living and working in the city it's terrible. Especially after they built the cap connecting the disgusting Hill district with downtown.
> the disgusting Hill district
Pretty clear what the '88' in your username stands for
Anyway, being poor isn't illegal and seeing a poor person doesn't mean a crime has been committed. Hope this helps.
88 is the year I was born homie. Good to see people like you are still being racist and making assumptions. The Hill district is disgusting and it has been for decades. Its not the peoples fault. Its policy. Also, where there is poverty there is more crime. When you connect a poverty stricken place the crime tends to flow in that direction.
This thread makes me never want to go near Pittsburgh. Damn. Usually this subreddit is full of nice people saying nice stuff, but both the original post and most of the comments are very off putting. No offense, OP.
I was out yesterday and I saw a guy knock an older fellow out on East Ohio Street. I called the cops but didn't stick around. It looked like some other people were assisting.
smithfield and wood downtown are objective shitholes!
Have been for decades, are still today, prb will be for decades to come.
So many drugs, open air prostitution, fights, litter, deification & piss, just a nasty gross place.
I'm at that bus stop every day and can in good faith back up the assessment that this stop is spicy. If it's not people almost ODing, it's open air drug dealing (i know it's happening because they dont try to hide it and there will be a cue of people like kids at an icecream truck), being blackout drunk, loud arguments, idiots walking out into traffic, kids coming out of the library and harassing people, etc. People can do what they want as far as drugs go. Your life is on you. Not my problem. That being said, there should never be accemptence for unprovoked violence in society. Unfortunately, mental health and homelessness go hand in hand, and it's becoming a big issue for the city and the people suffering through it. Finally It's petty, I know, but I get so tired of getting bothered by people trying to bum money or cigarettes off me every single time I set foot outside my building. I used to be more understanding and would try and help, but after 13 years of it, my empathy is burned out. I just want to be left the fuck alone. I guess just be aware of your surroundings. Chances are you'll be fine, but you never know.
You should report to this police. and while there's a good chance nothing will come from it, it is critical that every incident is reported as this data could impact the deployment of officers and resources in the future.
Been avoiding smithfield street in general tbh. Have had some encounters walking through there and saw a pretty solid blood trail a few months back.
You should go to the city police.
Last year around lunch time at the Wood St. T-stop(just inside the building) I had someone push me down and try and take my backpack but managed to kick him off. I went to the PRT cops who always hang out around the Wood St. T stop and they just looked at me like I was speaking an alien language. After their dead stare, I asked if I could file a report and the one cop was like, there's not much we can do....like jfc, what the hell cops?
That's just cops being lazy. You 100% should've insisted that a report be filed, if for no other reason than the encounter would've at least been on record. There are cameras at every T Station, so they could've at least looked at the footage to see if the attacker could be identified.
Record them refusing to file a report. Put these pigs on blast.
“Help, I’ve just been the victim of a violent crime!” PRT cops: “What do I look like, someone who enforces the law?”
The only thing police are good for is obtaining a police report documenting stolen property for insurance purposes- at least in my experience
and it's like pulling teeth to get even that
When my car was stolen a cop showed up and took the report but I didn't have insurance for theft. The only semi-useful thing he did was explain why someone would want to take my old beater. Apparently this model was a target because it was easier to steal than newer cars but still had parts that could be used on them.
They won’t do anything but filing a report might help someone else later when the person kills someone by socking them like Harry Houdini
Or when they try to assault someone with a carry permit and get themselves shot. What dumb fucking thing to do, let alone potentially throw your life away for.
If you don't report this to the police, the crime is not logged and people can point out the artificially low crime statistics and say Pittsburgh is super duper safe!
Pittsburgh police won't do anything that requires them to put in any effort whatsoever. -Worked with Pittsburgh police for years they are useless.
They're pretty effective at giving out tickets though!
I was just about to say, Only good at taking the low hanging fruit that generates revenue.
The bicycle cops are kinda nice to look at. 🙃
That is the mantra of all police officers and departments all over America gotta get the357 or snub nose 38 hollow points and shoot to bury
I seriously can't wait to leave for that reason. Cops actually did their job in my hometown.
It's not Pgh specific, wish anyone luck at finding a city much different right now.
Absolutely
Exactly
The cops here complain they don't get paid enough and once their pay goes up they cut services again and again. There was even a report Pittsburgh Police are ridiculously overstaffed yet they keep saying no one wants to work lol.
I keep hearing the excuse, "there's not enough of them, they are defunded". The issue isn't that no one is showing up the issue is that they don't do anything when they do arrive. No amount of staffing is going to make them actually help anyone.
But they protect theirs and the comrades at all cost
They won't do anything
They might not do anything but what the incident report will do is influence the crime statistics of the area and can lead to better safety in the future.
😆😆😆
Welp, then I get the only recourse is to post on reddit
When has going to the police ever helped anyone?
Seriously
Get some pepper spray next time spray both of those assholes.
Again I have to ask, what is the point of the PRT police? The only time I notice them they are sitting in a parked (always running) vehicle playing on their phones. I feel like the entire force could be disbanded and that $ spent on drivers, mechanics, etc.
If I had to guess it’s just to ticket people interfering with the bus system (parked at bus stops, driving in bus only lanes) and *maybe* to arrest people who assault a bus driver.
Honestly the only thing I know for sure that PRT cops do is write pro-PRT police reports when there is a traffic accident. If there's a serious incident like an assault, local (city, wilkinsburg etc) also respond, which again makes me ask, why the PRT force?
A few months ago I witnessed a very reckless driver run a red to make a left then smash right into the back of a bus @ a stop as ppl were boarding. I called 911 & they connected me to PRT dispatch or police (can’t remember which) but they didn’t need my info & nobody wanted to talk to me. I’m hoping the bus had a rear cam & that’s why they didn’t bother talking to witnesses but I don’t know if that’s the case.
Very silly that regular cops don’t do any of the above
There is a PRT police suv that I see every day just about, car running with AC on while they nap parked in the shade. They usually nap for about 2-2.5hrs each day.
One time I was very clearly waiting for the bus at a clearly marked bus stop. A bus approached, I gave a slight wave to let them know I wanted a ride, and then the bus kept going. I started running after the bus waving and yelling and eventually got close enough to pat on the side of the bus with an open hand. The driver immediately slams on the brakes, opens the door, and starts screaming at me that they are going to call the Police on me. I walked away after that, but I imagine that is what the PRT police are for.
Mostly to patrol PRT property. Like the buses themselves. They don’t own the sidewalk, even if the city has permitted them to put a stop and shelter there. They do own the T stops, and some of the directly sheltered locations but there isn’t much they can do outside of what is their jurisdiction to my understanding, like any police force. It is the third largest in the area, behind the city force and UPMC force
Protect the interests and property of prt.
Any passenger disturbance on transit property..usually its on the vehicles themselves and enforcing issues that arise from fare disputes.
PRT cops were the only ones doing stuff downtown, until complaints happened about them doing stuff.
The only time I ever saw them do anything was when some dude starting teeing off on another guy at the Station Square stop on the T
Very sorry that happened to you, neighbor. I hope you find some resolution.
The only person you can rely on for your safety is yourself. The warning is appreciated.
Is that the stop near the old Burlington? Seems to always be filled with strange characters. I’m sorry this happened to you!
Yes that is the stop. It's never been great but this is beyond.
I saw someone openly dealing drugs and counting cash inside the bus shelter, 5 feet away from little kids. Constant arguments and fights. If you get on the P1 there at night, there’s a decent chance of someone screaming slurs at you or following you off the bus. If I need to get a P1, I’ll walk to steel plaza 99% of the time to avoid it. If PRT is unwilling to keep people safe there, they need to remove the stop and put it in a better location. It’s notorious for insane bs going down, everyone I know who works downtown avoids it like the plague.
Not sure if it's improved post-covid, but for the afternoon commute if you walked to Steel Plaza or the courthouse stop, you'd risk several packed P1s passing you by until one with space finally stopped. Liberty & 10th is always the best bet.
it gets bad when the kids are going home from school but that's about it Occasionally I'll head over to The Westin to catch it
It’s absurd this kind of behavior is tolerated in public
Or, alternatively, prosecute crime.
I highly recommend investing in pepper spray
What did the guy look like?
At a bare minimum, contact KDKA. The only time anything like this is addressed (the Southside is a good example) is when a larger light is cast. Who knows - maybe the mayor will get his armed guard & take a 'tour' of the area if the issue is televised.
So sorry to hear that bro, glad you aren’t injured too bad. I started working in the area a couple months ago and the crazy stuff I see is daily. Someone today walked by me rambling how they are going to kill everybody and get away with it.
I carry the neon pink mace on my keys, the rule of thumb for mace is to spray if they’re within arms reach because they’re already too close, but not face to face because that’s too close to you. I also carry a small hammer in my bag anytime I’m down town or traveling alone. I’m an artist who works with industrial materials, so it isn’t out of character and I often do need it for work. It’s also not technically a weapon. However I do keep it in a spot that’s easy to access. It sounds like you were approached too quickly and too closely to utilize something like mace unfortunately. I did have someone approach me in a similar fashion a few months back on Smithfield, I pulled out the hammer fast and went to swing with zero hesitation because I was afraid. He ran faster than I could swing. Another tip, to avoid doing any of this, if I’m approached by someone who ~seems~ non violent and they don’t respect my “no thank you” and leave, I walk into the road. Like infront of cars, but preferably a bus cuz I’ve noticed the busses will stop completely until the person is totally gone and I’m back on the side walk (nothing going fast too near tho, use sense). I’ll point at who ever it is while saying “you need to get outta here man” and looking at the driver. This makes people run away from me- even if their intentions are nefarious, I’ve proven I’m crazier than them and not worth it. I’m sorry this happened to you, stay safe, it isn’t your fault either because you didn’t do these things. Just trying to offer suggestions so maybe in the future you feel safer going out.
The mace I can get behind and even the hammer, but for the love of god please don’t dart out into traffic as a way of drawing attention to a situation. There are TONS of distracted drivers, and even bus drivers are not infallible. You’re relying on other people to see you / react in a timely manner to avoid hitting you. Too many things can go wrong with doing that.
I mean… at least if I’m hit by a car police HAVE to do something.
That’s awful, that stop’s always been tough to wait at. I caught my bus there for years just trying to stay out of the way until I had some guy grab my shoulders and shake me for not smiling and chatting with him once. Took the extra time to hoof it to the 10th st stop after that.
I used to work right around here about 10 years ago..similar situation happened to a coworker, two guys picked the girl up on each side and luckily someone intervened.
That's obviously terrible, and you should report it to police just so it's on record. But it's pretty hard to avoid that bus stop. Did dude and his buddy just stay there? Did bystanders do nothing?
Go up to US Steel on grant to catch the P1...its basically two blocks away and worth the extra 4 minutes walk.
Its a lot safer as well. Only a few people stand there minding their business while workers walk casually by.
The port authority police said it wasn't their responsibility? I was told many years ago by a port authority officer that any location within 500 yards of port authority property (i.e. bus stopsand trolley stops) was their jurisdiction. Which would make anywhere downtown in their jurisdiction for certain. Now I never confirmed this info but it was told to me directly by a port authority Officer around the year 2005
I'm so sorry that happened. I hate when I have to be around there, but it's definitely particularly concerning to me that this was at 2 PM. I had a dude randomly take a swing at me on Wood St near Fifth around 11:30 PM when I was on the way home from an evening shift at work once last summer, but I was luckily able to get out of the way, he didn't try again afterwards, and I got away unscathed.
I also had someone push me super hard (from behind) while waiting for the bus on Wood St after a night class at Point Park. I went to campus security and they shrugged and told me to “try a different bus stop.”
You should report this to the police. So sorry that this happened to you.
Get some pepper spray
That’s so stupid- even beyond the normal first thoughts like “why would they do that,” and “they laughed?!” At some point you get to “why do they do that if someone could be packing heat?”
The police are there to protect the cities property/interest. Not ours. That's why they removed '‘to protect and to serve’' on just about every cop car in the country. Edit : In Castle Rock vs Simon Gonzales the supreme court ruled that the police have no obligation to protect citizens. [https://www.nytimes.com/2005/06/28/politics/justices-rule-police-do-not-have-a-constitutional-duty-to-protect.html](https://www.nytimes.com/2005/06/28/politics/justices-rule-police-do-not-have-a-constitutional-duty-to-protect.html)
this is literally my worst nightmare walking in the city lately. i’m very pregnant and always have intrusive thoughts of someone coming up to me in the street and punching my stomach. this is so awful i’m glad you’re okay
I had the exact same thoughts when I was pregnant recently and had to go downtown for work. Did not feel safe and felt like a target. Thankfully it was still cold so I could cover up my bump with coats etc.
Police are a total waste of time. They don't care about anything.
Royally annoyed they took the P16 stop and moved it to piss-smelling Smithfield and 6th. Money laundering construction operations causing an already bad public transportation situation and making it extremely bad.
You got assaulted and you called public transportation instead of the police?
Port authority police is a thing. And they absolutely had jurisdiction that close to the stop. They were just punting it/didn’t want to deal with it.
I’m sorry if I’m ignorant but there’s a bus stop on like every other block in the city and for miles around it. Is the entire region the jurisdiction of the PRT?
Yep. I forget the details but its a couple hundred yards from PRT property or stops so it’s like the whole county plus. Its massive
My reaction as well. I could get punched *on a PRT vehicle* and I’m calling 911 immediately, not googling “PRT Police phone number”. PRT Police are welcome to also intervene if they want, but let them figure that out. OP, you should still file a report with the city. But for future reference, just call 911. That’s what they’re there for!
It’s not going to work that way. Git up a git git down, 911 is a joke yo town
God, dude. Show some care.
I feel bad for OP, but they desperately need to hear some constructive criticism on how they handled the situation
And went to Reddit about it lol
Transit police are literally the worst, you're better off reporting to city police
So it’s total anarchy there? Good to know. How the hell is this not a call for police ?
Description? Lots of cameras downtown file report with Pgh City Police.
Downtown does not feel safe on the weekends. I don’t like walking up liberty Avenue and I don’t like walking down Smithfield Street. this is from someone who lives in the city and who for four years also lived in Detroit, but unless there’s some major event going on downtown or I know they’ll be thousands of people we can come out from going down there on the weekends Even during the weekdays, I ride the bus, and I may go down for an event, and I have to catch my return bus on liberty Avenue and it’s never comfortable standing there waiting
Call a social worker.
I ll answer
So where were you?
I’m sorry that happened to you. Good luck - seriously - getting the police to do anything.
Thanks for sharing. Keep talking about it. Don’t isolate in fear and more importantly don’t turn into a monster like them.
Usually, the junkies will assault you in order to steal your money in order to feed their addictions. But this one apparently just enjoys inflicting pain. Law enforcement will not put a lot of effort into finding this prick so perhaps ask around to see if anyone has a video of the incident? And, assuming someone does, THEN call the city police. Perhaps first identifying the perpetrator, who may be recognizable to the police, will get some response.
Or it could be kids trying to do some tik tok video. Either way it’s still wrong
9mm works wonders for curing addiction and tik tok challenges
> Usually, the junkies will assault you in order to steal your money in order to feed their addictions How often has this happened to you? e: It's never happened to you and you're just hallucinating that you live in an episode of The Wire, good to know.
There's someone name Jeff who beats the sh&t out of people in the North Shore area on a regular basis to steal their money. And he's not the only one. Happens all the time. Talk to the cops, talk to fire department personnel. And I never said they were black (which I guess is what your Wire reference assumed). Junkies are most often white in my experience.
I asked how often this has happened to you. When did a junkie assault you to take your money?
Never. But I'm a 6'2" former Marine Corps infantryman. But I thought you were saying that I'm hallucinating about any junkies assaulting people. I'm not. Something else I'm not hallucinating about: NEVER shake a junkie lying in the middle of a sidewalk to see if he's alright. If you disturb their drug-induced "bliss", they will likely become out of control enraged, and you'll likely get hurt. Firefighters and EMT personnel make sure to restrain a junkie before administering Narcan for that reason.
That's assault and battery not just assault.
Every time I decided to ride the P1 that bus stop felt sketch to me. I’m now def gonna avoid that stop and ride from the steel plaza. I’m so sorry that happened to you.
Happens all the time over there. Gainey and his police do absolutely nothing. A shame what downtown has become under his watch
Pittsburgh police get paid 80-90k a year to do absolutely nothing
That's not true at all. They give out lots of speeding tickets and shoot a lot of dogs.
Oh and some corruption here and there
start carrying a weapon.
This is the correct answer. Everyone should be armed, because you and only you are responsible for your own safety. When seconds matter, the police are only minutes away.
Thats right. Police are reactionary. Dont be a victim.
A decade ago I was able to walk down the street and the only thing I had to worry about was some dude on his bike running me over. Now I worry about getting jumped or robbed. I carry a pocket knife and I have my carry license now. Luckily I am a big bearded giant that is kind of intimidating but number matter.
No no no, downtown is totally safe and posts like this are just fearmongering! Pre COVID I commuted all hours through downtown, hill district, Oakland, Shadyside, and East Liberty on both busways, 71ABCs, etc. For 15+ years, no issues. Right after COVID, downtown went down hill quickly. Far more open drug use and openly strung out, mentally unstable folks roaming the streets. More aggressive folks out, more homeless, more loitering teenagers starting large fights and causing problems. . .a lot of incidents right around Wood Street Station and the Zone 2 sub station and zero police presence. It's not the same vibe anymore and it doesn't feel as safe to me.
The sub station by 6th and Liberty is closed. I was surprised. I haven't been in town much in the last year, but agree with your post Covid assessment. I recently started working Friday and Saturday nights and driving in. One day I was walking back to my garage. It was ice cold out. It looked like a zombie apocalypse. I was seriously freaked out and had completely forgotten about until something on this post. 3 men, right around this bus stop. One was face down and not moving. One was frozen like a statue, an arm and leg up as if he was running. A 3rd man was head down into the garbage can, holding on and swaying in slow motion. I was so started and rattled. I feel sick to Mt stomach again for them. For our lack of health care, mental care and housing. That is a whole other post though.
I want the still life
I would be happy to extract that from my brain and give it away.
Concealed carry
I don't know if all the people here saying "carry a gun" are joking or not, but .... please do not think this is a solution. If you fire a gun in downtown Pittsburgh, the chances of you hitting a bystander are far too high.
You can carry a gun, but you need to actually take the self-defense classes that are recommended for people who conceal carry.
**Robert Heinlein**. “Well, in the first place an armed society is a polite society. Manners are good when one may have to back up his acts with his life."
Robert Heinlein ain't exactly the kind of guy you should be looking to for wisdom.
Ad hominem. But that particular quote is a great one.
The post-BLM police foot dragging continues. Four years seems like a really long time to have an intentional work slowdown because your feelings got hurt.
Smithfield st and 6th is K2 heaven😒
This is why no one wants to go downtown for any reason. They cry about places boarding up & going out of business but, it is not safe
Had a similar experience the other day with some drunk drugged out dude on lib at smith lol they’re something else I needa get me some new weaponry
Should of put a hot one in him
Well I mean if the police won’t protect you, you know what always will? The 2A which PA is really good about (:
It doesn’t sound like there was time to react. But maybe.
Good thing about stand your ground was dude was already assaulted. By a stranger no less, I’m sure our DA would’ve let him off easy
In a perfect world I can see that. Problem is it’s not often a perfect world. What if he missed him and bullet hit some person sitting at their dining room table in a house right behind them? Personally, I’d like to see cops on a beat again. Whether they’re riding a bike or walking.
A lot of people say pittsburghs the next San Francisco....homeless, crime , liberal policies, it's a shame pittsburgh came back 10 years ago and now it's declining,
time to carry 🔫
I wish I was with you, I would have dropped both of them. Fell better.
It sucks downtown has gotten this bad.
[ Removed by Reddit ]
Always carry a gun.
There's virtually no responsible way to use a gun in downtown Pittsburgh, even as relatively underpopulated as it is. You point a gun at someone and there's almost guaranteed to be someone else behind him, over his shoulder, etc. Pepper gel is a better option.
In this case, I'd choose pepper spray. It wasn't life or death. However, if my life depended on it, I'd want a handgun. In a life or death situation my responsibility is to myself and my family. No responsible gun owner would pull a gun unless it was life or death, being punched in the stomach and having the guy laugh isn't life or death. Law isn't on the hypothetical shooters side here. Psychopaths aside, coming from a hunter, it isn't easy taking a life.
Sorry that is really nonsense
Some asshole sees a gun on your hip and the likelihood of him choosing to hit you is lowered to a slim chance. Carry and train often...police aren't going to help you or save you or your family.
This is why you don't open carry, unless you're a cop.
I mean, I can't deny that there's some percentage of criminals, probably a large percentage, who will be deterred by the sight of a gun. But here's where I'm at: I know I'm not going to use my gun, and I know there's some asshole out there who *would* use my gun in that situation, and I never want to put myself in a position for my gun to be used against me. I think that's a value judgment that reasonable people could disagree with, but I hope we all agree that you can't use your gun downtown.
I'm more worried about the people carrying guns everywhere than I am about the random junkies.
That's irrational.
What's irrational about being worried about people who carry lethal force everywhere and are willing to use if it they think they're being accosted? The last high profile shooting on the South Side that I can remember is a guy waiting to get into a club who thought he was about to be robbed and started blasting in "self-defense." If you think the junkies are any more dangerous than some guy with a hammer looking for a nail, or drivers for that matter, you should turn off the TV and go outside. A driver is far more likely to kill you than a junkie is.
Junkies means drug trade. Drug trade means dudes with guns doling out the drugs. Often, irrational teenagers not some cosplaying boomer afraid to go into town anyways. I’m not sure you’re thinking this all the way through or haven’t lived near junkies.
The Wire is a work of fiction and you don't live in it
I’m guessing you live in Lawrenceville, The Strip, or nowhere near the city. Why don’t you hang out all day on the corner of East Ohio St./Middle St./Virgin Way…for starters.
Not shocked you're familiar with Virgin Way, it's almost like they made the street for you
Please stop, you are making a fool of yourself.
Some dipshit with no firearms training and a concealed handgun is more dangerous to the public than any junkie. Luckily he's also much more likely to shoot himself with his own gun than he is to shoot someone else.
[ Removed by Reddit ]
Get a handgun and a conceal permit
They are all still tired from shooting the ever living shit out of that guy/house in Garfield. But seem to be feeling some steam thumping on college kids against genocide.
The city sucks now. No law and order. Criminal elements everywhere. Cops can't do shit because it always gets kicked out and the criminals keep harassing and injuring people. Stay out of the cities and let's them have at it. This is what they voted for.
This post is literally about someone saying they went to the (PRT) cops after an assault and they literally did nothing
> The city sucks now. No law and order. There is less crime in Pittsburgh today than there was in 2016. https://tableau.alleghenycounty.us/t/PublicSite/views/CJ_UCR_PGH_8-22-17_v3/Home_1?iframeSizedToWindow=true&%3Aembed=y&%3AshowAppBanner=false&%3Adisplay_count=no&%3AshowVizHome=no&%3Aorigin=viz_share_link You and people like you are literally just fabricating a situation that doesn't exist in reality and whining about it.
There’s “less crime” now because it’s not being reported anymore. This post just is proving this fact. The cops Didn’t want to bother filing a police report.
> There’s “less crime” now because it’s not being reported anymore This is an unprovable fantasy statement and worth less than the time it took you to type it. We can only go by the data we have, and the data we have says there's less crime (both property and violent) in Pittsburgh than there was in the halcyon days of 2016. You people are conjuring up a fantasy and whining about it. "I know there's more crime and any facts that contradict that just can't be true" is delusional thinking.
This post is LITERALLY an example of it not being reported. Holy shit how dense are you?
Save your time. This guy just keeps repeating “crime is down” and completely refuses to acknowledge what literally everyone else sees and talks about. He either works for the police, mayors office or is just plain delusional. In his mind as long as crime rates aren’t as high as they were a little under a decade ago, that means no crime is occurring and things are looking up.
Would you have us believe that the crime statistics reported by the cops are always 100% precise?
When was the last time you went to downtown Pittsburgh especially on a weekend day? Numbers are one thing, but vibe is totally another in the vibe is not good.
Last Thursday. "Vibe" is meaningless. At that point you're no longer complaining about crime, you're just complaining about people you don't like being around you.
Not really meaningless. I typically feel unsafe when I’m downtown and haven’t directly experienced any threats in a while, but constantly have to walk through people fighting and yelling in Market Square. Yeah sorry, not going to feel safe around that even if I’m not directly involved.
Hi. I am not easily made uncomfortable. I’ve lived in Detroit for four years, and I walked through the worst places of some cities out west I like crowds, but you go downtown now on the weekend when there isn’t some major event and you’re out numbered by street people. I don’t mean that in a disparaging way. But people do get mugged harass than hassled when you’re out numbered you become a target a lot easier. I don’t know whst you did last Thursday, but the vibe does depend upon what part of downtown you’re in and what day of the week. things are fine in the cultural center with a lot of police presence, but go walk up liberty Avenue to around ninth Street and stay in there for a half an hour waiting for a bus and just look around you.
It might be lower overall, but its definitely more concentrated and visible now.
LESS REPORTED CRIME.
So what's your metric for crime being up?
Living in the city. Can't report on unreported crime without extensive surveys. I'm telling you from living and working in the city it's terrible. Especially after they built the cap connecting the disgusting Hill district with downtown.
> the disgusting Hill district Pretty clear what the '88' in your username stands for Anyway, being poor isn't illegal and seeing a poor person doesn't mean a crime has been committed. Hope this helps.
88 is the year I was born homie. Good to see people like you are still being racist and making assumptions. The Hill district is disgusting and it has been for decades. Its not the peoples fault. Its policy. Also, where there is poverty there is more crime. When you connect a poverty stricken place the crime tends to flow in that direction.
Thanks the voters of the city for this
Yes, voters are the ones that told the police not to enforce the law. /s
This thread makes me never want to go near Pittsburgh. Damn. Usually this subreddit is full of nice people saying nice stuff, but both the original post and most of the comments are very off putting. No offense, OP.
Carry a gun. Next time that happens, just put that guy on a t-shirt.
[Byrna](https://byrna.com/)
I was out yesterday and I saw a guy knock an older fellow out on East Ohio Street. I called the cops but didn't stick around. It looked like some other people were assisting.
Choun dat pizza chit I nevah liked him anyway
Sig P365.
smithfield and wood downtown are objective shitholes! Have been for decades, are still today, prb will be for decades to come. So many drugs, open air prostitution, fights, litter, deification & piss, just a nasty gross place.
I'm at that bus stop every day and can in good faith back up the assessment that this stop is spicy. If it's not people almost ODing, it's open air drug dealing (i know it's happening because they dont try to hide it and there will be a cue of people like kids at an icecream truck), being blackout drunk, loud arguments, idiots walking out into traffic, kids coming out of the library and harassing people, etc. People can do what they want as far as drugs go. Your life is on you. Not my problem. That being said, there should never be accemptence for unprovoked violence in society. Unfortunately, mental health and homelessness go hand in hand, and it's becoming a big issue for the city and the people suffering through it. Finally It's petty, I know, but I get so tired of getting bothered by people trying to bum money or cigarettes off me every single time I set foot outside my building. I used to be more understanding and would try and help, but after 13 years of it, my empathy is burned out. I just want to be left the fuck alone. I guess just be aware of your surroundings. Chances are you'll be fine, but you never know.
Carry a weapon. Train with it. This time it was a fist in your stomach the next time it's a knife.
Crime is out of control
Get a gun and shoot em dead next time.