Juneteenth event organizer sues Mayor Ed Gainey, Pittsburgh; the mayor responds

Longtime Juneteenth event organizer William “B” Marshall on Wednesday sued Pittsburgh Mayor Ed Gainey and the city, alleging the mayor withheld funding and services and delayed permits for Marshall’s events.

The lawsuit, filed in federal court, raises complaints with the city’s handling of Juneteenth events hosted by Marshall, as well as an annual Soul Food Festival.

Attorney Joel Sansone, who is representing Marshall, said the Gainey administration hindered Marshall’s festivals.

Marshall in 2013 hosted his first annual Juneteenth celebration through his organization, Stop the Violence Pittsburgh. The festival has since grown annually, bringing about $4.5 million in economic impact to the city last year, according to Marshall.

The lawsuit alleges a credible threat of violence was made against the event in 2019, prompting then-Mayor Bill Peduto to provide free security and a “heavy police presence at the event.” The city under the Peduto administration also provided free EMS and staging services, the suit said.

Under Gainey, the relationship between the city and event promoter deteriorated.

In the lawsuit, Marshall says Gainey’s then-Chief of Staff Jake Wheatley and Public Safety Director Lee Schmidt in 2022 told Marshall the city intended to “take over” his Juneteenth celebration, beginning the following year. The city officials told Marshall he could run the event for the city or else the city would find someone else to host it, the court filings said.

Marshall pushed back.

Ultimately, the city hired a different company — one that had never hosted a Juneteenth event in the city before — to put on a city-sponsored Juneteenth in 2024.

Amid backlash, officials agreed to provide funding for Marshall’s event, too.

The federal lawsuit alleges Gainey, while serving as mayor, has made false statements about the city’s support for his Juneteenth event, rescinded funding for Marshall’s celebration and “rigged” a competitive bid process that awarded money to a different Juneteenth event promoter.

The city, the lawsuit said, stopped providing free police services.

A statement released Wednesday evening from Mayor Ed Gainey’s office claims the city is committed to ensuring fairness, transparency and inclusivity during the event permitting process.

“The city firmly denies that Mr. Marshall’s civil rights have been violated. All event organizers are held to the same standards, which are established to promote public safety, accountability and smooth operations,” the statement said in regard to permits for Marshall’s Juneteenth and Soul Food Festival. “Mr. Marshall has encountered challenges with the execution of his events due to problems of his own making, not due to bias or unfair treatment. Despite this, the City has made efforts to support and accommodate his events wherever possible.”

The statement adds the city remains committed to working with all community partners who “engage in good faith and adhere to established guidelines that ensure equitable treatment for all.”

Even when City Council authorized money to support Marshall’s event, the lawsuit states, the city took months to release the funding. That delayed Marshall’s ability to pay his vendors, the suit alleges.

The lawsuit acknowledges Marshall has publicly criticized the mayor and endorsed Corey O’Connor, his rival in the May primary election. O’Connor defeated Gainey and is widely expected to be voted Pittsburgh’s next mayor in the upcoming general election.

Marshall earlier this year took the city to court over delays in permitting for his Juneteenth event. The issue was ultimately resolved, and Marshall held the festival as planned.

The lawsuit accuses Gainey and the city of retaliation, violations of the first and fourteenth amendments and violations of common law rights.

“We’ve been going through this for several years,” Marshall said during a brief news conference in his lawyer’s Downtown office Friday.

Sansone, the attorney, said Marshall’s events were “significantly damaged” as sponsors were hesitant to get involved amid the controversies.

When asked about delays in receiving necessary city permits for a soul food festival Marshall intends to hold this weekend, Sansone said, “We are in the middle of that fight now.”