Pittsburgh leaders address "teen takeovers," finding spaces for young people and solutions

Speaking to reporters at a Wednesday town hall about so-called "teen takeovers," Pittsburgh Public Safety Director Sheldon Williams shared what he learned during the session and addressed the Market Square chaperone policy that recently became the focus of a lawsuit.

The nearly two-hour town hall, organized by the Community Empowerment Association in Homewood, on Wednesday served as a good listening session, Williams said. They heard from young people and neighbors in the community, and Williams said he heard similar themes.

"It was good for me to hear," Williams said. "But I also was learning some things that I would say some people have been misinformed on — as they talk about our approach to certain things — and that's why I try to clarify."

There's never an approach by public safety to criminalize young people, Williams said. It's a term that he said came up in policies that were being instituted. 

"It's always about response to behavior, and I want to be clear when I say that it's never about the people in the space; it's about the behavior in the space that we are told," Williams said. 

He said they heard that the young people want a place to gather, more creativity and their own space.

"They kind of want some levels of autonomy, but not a lot of rules," Williams said. "But I don't know how much we can go with that."

The young people at the event, which barred TV cameras, also said they wanted to be heard and valued, Williams said. 

Pittsburgh Bureau of Police Chief Jason Lando told a group during a breakout session that the teen takeovers are part of a national trend. He said he's spoken with young people who've said kids find the takeovers on social media and they are looking to be influencers. 

When asked why they don't do more productive things, like help out in their community and post that, he said he's gathered that doesn't do as well. 

Williams said there needs to be better networking to help everyone unite, identify issues and problem solve. One of the teenagers who attended, but was not a panelist, said he was at the event with his mentor.

"I can't even go outside because all the violence," Omarion said. "I'm scared to go outside because I know if I go outside, I get in a lot of fights. I keep getting bullied. I don't want to keep getting bullied," he said. 

Renee Wilson, the woman who recently filed the lawsuit against the chaperone policy, attended Wednesday's town hall. 

"The lawsuit is that I believe that the policy should not have been that you cannot give a private nonprofit rules over making policy for a public square. I don't think that that's legal," Wilson said. 

She described an interaction where she saw police tell a young boy to leave a bench in Market Square.

"And he cannot sit there in 2026 in broad daylight, just have a seat," Wilson said. "He didn't commit a crime. He just sat down. But because there is a policy, whatever it is, curfew, he cannot sit there."

The city of Pittsburgh declined to comment on the lawsuit. Williams said after the town hall that introducing chaperone policies is up to individual city permit holders that run events. In other words, it's not the city's rule. It's the permit holder's/event's rule.

In Market Square's case, that would be the Pittsburgh Downtown Partnership. The chaperone rule is part of the permit the city approved. 

"What I'll say about Market Square is that they are following the same procedures and guidelines," Williams said. "They own a permit. They can set up safety parameters, and we would support that like I would any other event holder who would hold any other space outside of Market Square. We do that commonly for other events that occur around the city, helping to guide them and to make the right decisions for safety." 

There was one thing he wanted to correct. 

"The city has not taken a position whatsoever or instituted anything related to curfew," Williams said. "That is a mischaracterization of terms, and I want to be clear that we have not moved in an administration to institute any curfews."

Williams said they are looking at ways kids can gather in spaces where they won't be burdened by law enforcement, as long as the activity does not reach a certain level.

When we asked Wilson why the lawsuit includes the city instead of just the Downtown Pittsburgh Partnership, she said you can't do anything without the city and that police are enforcing it.