When unemployed Black men in Pittsburgh demanded integration of the overwhelmingly white construction trades, where jobs were passed down through families, they got training programs.
When the training programs never led to jobs, Black workers and their supporters protested.
In response, police arrested more than 180 of the demonstrators— while white workers on job sites targeted protesters with “discarded lunch, fruit, and then stones, bricks and bottles” and “bags of liquid” dropped from 60 stories up.
When white union workers counter protested, a news broadcast documented a counterprotester shouting “white power,” another holding a sign reading “[George] Wallace for president. He will fix the blacks,” and four white counter protesters climbing the facade of the municipal building and shouting through bullhorns to supporters below. They charged the mayor’s office—and got a respectful meeting with officials.
- August 27, 1969 clippings from the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, including the articles:
- “180 Job Protesters are Arrested”
- “MBA, Unions Talk with Black Coalition”
- “Demonstrators Had Riot-Protection Gear”
- “Fawcett Jails 12 in Stadium Picketing”
- August 27, 1969 clippings from The Pittsburgh Press, including the articles
- “45 Seized in Grant St. Sit-In”
- “Cool Cortese Takes Protest in Strike”
- August 27, 1969 clippings from The Pittsburgh Press, including the articles
- “Marchers’ Dogs Legal, Cortese Says”
- “Wilkins Protests Police Brutality”
- August 28, 1969 clippings from The Pittsburgh Press, including the article
- “FOP Chief Says Police in Middle”
- August 28, 1969 clippings from The Pittsburgh Press, including the articles
- “Idled Men Stage Own March to Protest Job Shutdown”
- “Blacks Agree to Holiday for Parleys”
- “Police Lament ‘Middle’ Role”
- “U. S. ‘Building Rift’ Move Urged”
- August 28, 1969 clippings from the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, including the articles
- “Jobs Protest Dropped for Talks”
- “Protestors Fail to Halt U.S. Steel Building”
- “Protester Kerr Freed on Bond”
- August 29, 1969 clippings from The Pittsburgh Press, including the articles
- “Workers Given Pay Promise”
- “Mayor’s Office Scene o Brawl”
- August 30, 1969 clippings from the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, including the articles
- “City’s Protestors Taking a Break Over Labor Day”
- “50 Workers Storm Barr’s Outer Office”
