Story By: Hannah Fierle and Dylan Quigley

Name: Courtney Weaver

Age: 24

Neighborhood: South Side

Profession: Organizer for an environmental non-profit organization.

Q: We wanted to ask you if you have any thoughts or feelings about the whole [Antwon Rose] situation.

A: “I mean, it’s heartbreaking, it’s absolutely heartbreaking… I was at the protest on I believe Wednesday, the day after the shooting… over in Braddock… I mean, just, the emotions were running so high so, like, people are rightfully angry… I think they should be… well… while it’s heartbreaking, I’m also hopeful, because this is one of the first times we’ve actually seen the cop actually arrested and charged with straight-up murder, a lot of the times they’ll try to sugarcoat it, and… bring a lesser charge against them. This time, finally we’ve seen that, and hopefully he’ll be convicted… so, I mean, it’s been a rough couple of weeks because there’s just been a lot of, a lot of things to protest- not only the shooting of Antwon, but also the separation of the families at the border and everything, so… it’s heartbreaking, but I’m also hopeful, and I’m also… very like, fired up in a way because you just, the community coming together is just really awesome.

Q: Was there anything at the protest that really stood out for you, like the people or the experience?

A: “I mean….I took my friend and it was her first time she had ever been to any kind of like direct action, any kind of protest. So that was kinda amazing to see someone come into their own, and understand that they have power they can exert….there were a lot of just…a speed with which the community responded was amazing. Cause that wasn’t the only protest, there were people going to Woodland Hills….school board meeting….also it was just pouring down rain and hardly anybody left, we were all there for hours, and just nobody was giving in. Yeah….I’m actually like very close to Baltimore and it was kind of like that the parallels between Baltimore and Pittsburgh, but we all no this is not isolated to one area.”