Pittsburgh councilman mulls checkpoints, private security to quash East Carson Street chaos

A Pittsburgh councilman is exploring the use of checkpoints along a stretch of the South Side’s East Carson Street to counter the pandemonium that has rocked the entertainment district in recent weeks.

The idea would be to regulate pedestrians and possibly vehicles on weekend nights and require anyone entering the area to go through security checkpoints, according to Councilman Bob Charland, whose district includes East Carson Street.

Private security would use a metal detector to wand people and check identification, allowing only those who are at least 21 into that area.

“Everything is still on the table,” Charland told TribLive Thursday, adding that the checkpoint proposal is not “set in stone.”

In recent weeks, people have fired guns and thrown fireworks at police officers and vehicles. After what seemed to be successful efforts to tamp down disorderly crowds with a targeted police patrol, chaos on East Carson has returned.

Charland described the checkpoint proposal as “super logistically challenging.”

Closing East Carson Street to vehicle traffic would require approval from the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation, because it is a state road. It would also require Pittsburgh Regional Transit to detour some routes.

Blocking side streets

Charland said checkpoints would be set up on either side of the impacted area, which would likely stretch from roughly 10th to 18th streets.

The checkpoints would probably be in effect from around 10 p.m. until at least 3 a.m. on weekends.

Officials would likely need to block off side streets along that stretch so people couldn’t bypass the checkpoints, Charland said.

They’d also need more police in the areas outside of the closed-off portion to ensure problems don’t arise beyond the blocks they’re trying to secure.

Charland said he does not yet have an estimate of how much it might cost to hire private security to conduct the checks.

Olga George, a spokesperson for Mayor Ed Gainey, said officials in the mayor’s office “currently have nothing to share regarding East Carson Street.”

Cara Cruz, a public safety spokesperson, said officials are “considering a number of different potential plans” to handle disruptive crowds and juveniles flocking to the South Side on weekends, but she provided no details.

Charland said he’s heard some people pitch the idea of a curfew for minors but said it wouldn’t be feasible.

“Logistically, it is is impossible to implement a curfew,” he said, explaining the notion of checking identification in just a relatively small stretch would be difficult but more doable.

The councilman also has pitched earlier bar times or a stronger presence from the police mounted unit as ways to curb raucous crowds.

Charland said recent safety concerns during late-night hours draw attention away from positive things happening in the neighborhood, like community events and new businesses.

“So we’ve been looking at basically any strategy that we can” to ensure the area is safe in the evenings and teenagers too young to enter the bars don’t throng to East Carson Street.

“South Side is still open for business, even if we are wanding people during that time,” Charland said, adding he thinks the enhanced security could bolster businesses if more people feel safe to visit the bustling nightlife district.

Seeking input

Charland’s office on Thursday helped launch a survey to gather feedback on top concerns from property owners and businesses and gauge interest in forming a management association.

The goal, Charland said, is to figure out what businesses want to see in the neighborhood and figure out the best ways to convince new businesses to come to the area and existing ones to stay.

All property owners on East Carson Street will receive a postcard in the mail this week with a link to the survey. Business owners will receive the link to the survey, too.

Charland’s office said six new businesses have signed leases in the area in recent months. Beautification efforts, like hanging baskets, planters and art installations in vacant storefronts, are underway.

If the survey generates enough interest, a new association could be created to implement more of those projects and other programs local business and property owners want to prioritize.