The organizer of a large annual Juneteenth celebration in Pittsburgh is taking the city to court over a delay in permits for the event, which is scheduled in less than three weeks.

William “B” Marshall on Thursday filed paperwork in the Allegheny County Common Pleas Court to compel the city to act on a permit application he said he submitted months ago.

For more than a decade, Marshall has hosted a Juneteenth event in Pittsburgh to commemorate the day the last slaves in the United States were emancipated. Marshall typically holds the celebration at Point State Park, but he’s planning to move the festivities to Pittsburgh’s Mellon Park from June 19-22 as Point State Park undergoes renovations.

According to court filings, Marshall submitted an application for the necessary city permits on Feb. 5.

He has yet to receive them.

“We don’t understand why the city would stall the process,” Marshall told TribLive.

Olga George, a spokesperson for Mayor Ed Gainey, said Marshall’s permit application “remains under review.”

The city’s final determination is pending conversations with the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation about whether it will approve Marshall’s request to close a portion of Penn Avenue for the event.

“This information is essential for the city to complete its review, as it will determine whether the inclusion of a detour route is necessary as part of the permit application,” George said in a statement.

Steve Cowan, a PennDOT spokesperson, confirmed the department in February received the application to close a stretch of Penn Avenue.

“We have been in communication with the applicant and are awaiting a revised permit submission,” Cowan said in a written statement. “The initial permit required significant revisions to reflect permissible closure times and inclusion of a viable detour that accommodates the 15,000 cars and trucks that use Penn Avenue daily.”

Marshall estimated his Juneteenth celebration last year drew more than 65,000 people and generated over $5 million in economic impact for the city.

“We are extremely puzzled why such a benefit to the city that celebrates such an important issue in our country has not been honored by this administration,” Marshall’s lawyer, Phil DiLucente, said.

City code requires officials to respond to such permit applications within two business days for events that represent First Amendment activity and within seven days for other special events.

Court filings indicate the city requested additional information and corrections to the original application. Marshall submitted an amended application more than three months ago. He also has since met with the city’s special events committee and contacted the city as recently as May 12, the lawsuit said.

“The City of Pittsburgh has sat on its hands” with the application, the court filing continued.

Marshall said sponsors and attendees are concerned about whether the event will move ahead since permits have been delayed.

DiLucente said the city needs to issue the permits “immediately.”

Marshall has raised concerns over the city’s handling of his annual Juneteenth events before. Last year, he and his supporters pushed back against Mayor Ed Gainey’s decision to fund a different Juneteenth celebration, though the city ultimately provided money for both his event and a separate city-sponsored one.

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