Some calling for an end to Pittsburgh's new street festival just weeks after it launched

The South Side Street Festival was launched in Pittsburgh's South Side neighborhood last month to offer a fun, safe environment, curb bad behavior and turn around its negative reputation.

While things were positive with a little bit of opposition at the beginning, a petition is now circulating to put an end to it.

The festival blocks off East Carson Street from 12th to 18th Street on Friday and Saturday nights from 10 p.m. to 2 a.m. and provides live music, vendors, outdoor cocktails and beer tents.

"The festival gives people something to do instead of getting into trouble and getting into shenanigans and doing this and that. [It] brings people together," one man told KDKA-TV.

That's what supporters of the festival say, but after a few weeks, others say the crowd has died down, and it's now actually hurting businesses.

"There's a petition down there from all the people down there that want this to end because it's suffocating business down there. No customers could get in or out," business owner Rich Cupka said.

That petition created on Jotform says there's a lack of vendors and it's become a detriment to some businesses.

"I'd say 80 to 85% are suffering because they aren't part of the whole scheme of things," Cupka said.

The petition also says the festival has pushed parking and loitering issues onto the side streets and hasn't benefited small businesses at all.

"I don't think they're pouring into South Side as much as South Side making money pours back into it," a business owner identified as Apollo said. "I have a tattoo shop and the business is everything."

The South Side has developed a reputation for chaotic weekends. Pittsburgh Public Safety has kept track of patrol numbers.

On July 10 and 11, both being festival nights, police made three traffic stops, one traffic citation, 10 parking citations, six tows, eight non-traffic citations and four arrests.

For the weekend of June 26 and 27, patrols showed four traffic stops, 15 parking citations, four tows, 19 non-traffic citations, five arrests and one seized firearm.

"The violence just goes on the back streets. It's not on Carson now; it goes on Muriel, Bingham, places like that," Cupka said.

While plans for the festival are to keep it running every weekend through September, some people are now hoping for a change.

"I hope they stop it and the mayor lets police do their jobs and the South Side goes back to normal," Cupka added.

Pittsburgh public safety officials have also provided a statement to KDKA-TV on the festival and its role in deterring crime, saying in part:

Since its implementation, we have received a significant amount of positive feedback from residents, business owners, employees, and patrons who appreciate the enhanced atmosphere and the opportunity to safely enjoy the South Side on weekend evenings.

From a public safety perspective, we have also seen encouraging results. During the festival hours, crime in the South Side bar district has decreased compared to weekends prior to the start of this initiative. While we recognize that not everyone will agree on every aspect of the initiative, we believe the positive response from the community, combined with the measurable improvements in public safety, demonstrates that this has been a successful partnership.