Protest arises during transgender event at Pitt, police report 'incendiary device' outside building

Protests raged into Tuesday night on the University of Pittsburgh campus during a debate with Daily Wire host Michael Knowles about transgender rights inside the O’Hara Student Center.

The university closed buildings and reported a “public safety emergency” as a protest crowd grew and an “incendiary device” went off. Police later described the device as a smoke bomb and firework. There were no reported injuries. Medics were called to the area as a precaution.

A body dummy with a picture of Knowles’ face was also set on fire on the street.

More than 250 people protested outside the O’Hara Student Center as Knowles debated with libertarian journalist Brad Polumbo. The event called “Should transgenderism be regulated by law?” started around 7:30 p.m. The Intercollegiate Studies Institute sponsored the event, which was hosted by Pitt College Republicans.

Pittsburgh police trying to disperse crowd at Pitt protest. Protest going since 3.06 pm, police said over bullhorn pic.twitter.com/NMcDYjqJQG

— Justin Vellucci (@JVTheTrib) April 19, 2023

For more than two hours, the university sent out tweets saying that some Pitt buildings were closing early, the university was restricting access to others, including certain residence halls, and other buildings were temporarily locked down.

Knowles appeared to leave the event in an SUV around 9 p.m. Around that time, the crowd had dwindled down to 50. Police officers from Pittsburgh, Pitt and Carnegie Mellon University were on the scene.

About 10 minutes later, Pittsburgh police ordered people to leave the area and go home. The majority of the crowd dispersed.

At 10:23 p.m., the university tweeted that “all buildings are returning to normal operations.”

When the situation was over, the university summarized it in this way in a tweet:

“On the evening of April 18, 2023, an Emergency Notification Service message was sent alerting the campus community to an incident happening outside of O’Hara Student Center.

There were several groups gathering, including guests arriving for a speaker event and counter demonstrators in the vicinity.

In addition to several devices which produced significant smoke, an incendiary device was thrown in the direction of officers, triggering the message.

As the situation evolved, several buildings were temporarily closed and visitors to residence halls restricted as a safety precaution.

Throughout the evening, the university posted updates online.

Knowles, in a speech to a recent gathering of the Conservative Political Action Committee, drew backlash from some for saying that “transgenderism must be eradicated from public life entirely.”

Many of the protesters chanted and carried signs that read “No hate in Appalachia,” “Trans Rights are Human Rights” and “Trans Power.”

The event was posted on YouTube. Protesters could be heard yelling “Trans rights are human rights” when Knowles took the podium.

“There they are,” Knowles said of the protesters. “That sounds like they’ve gotten into harmony. It’s not even melody anymore. I guess there was an opening act.”

Police escorted the protesters out and the audience applauded.

Protesters are blocking the entrance to O’Hara Student Center where Michael Knowles is rumored to be speaking. Current scene in Oakland @TribLIVE pic.twitter.com/txpl7pCwfo

— Shane Dunlap (@shanedunlap) April 19, 2023

A petition had previously circulated on Pitt’s main campus in Oakland calling for the Knowles event to be canceled.

Please continue to stay clear of the area. For updates go to https://t.co/H4Uq3mQAlq

— Pitt Police (@PittPolice) April 19, 2023