OPENPUBLICA · PUBLIC MEETING RECORD
Record of Proceedings

City Council Regular Meeting - August 28, 2026

City Council — Friday, August 28, 2026
BodyPittsburgh, Pennsylvania
SessionCity Council
DateFriday, August 28, 2026
StatusNEW · FILED
Video Record
0:00 / 29:32

Transcript — Verbatim
2:12

Good morning and welcome to the regular meeting of City Council on Friday, August twenty eighth, two thousand twenty-six.

2:18

Would a clerk please take the role?

2:20

Mr.

2:20

Charland, Mr.

2:22

Coghill.

2:24

Ms.

2:24

Gross.

2:27

Mr.

2:27

Mosley.

2:28

Here.

2:29

Mrs.

2:29

Salonetra.

2:30

Here.

2:31

Mrs.

2:32

Strasberger.

2:33

Mrs.

2:34

Warwick.

2:35

Mr.

2:36

Wilson.

2:39

Mr.

2:39

Lavelle President.

2:40

Here.

2:41

Five members present.

2:42

Thank you.

2:43

For those who are able, please rise for the Pledge of Allegiance.

2:45

After which, please remain standing for a moment of silence in remembrance of Gloria Faroosin, who was a long time activist and community activist within our within the city of Pittsburgh that we all knew and loved dearly.

2:59

Thank you.

3:34

Second.

5:00

But that even he could see that his employees were being harassed and questioned when they stayed late on Fridays and Saturdays to close up shop, harangued while they were trying to get to their cars in nearby parking lots because of this supposed effort to reduce crime.

5:12

And I simply don't think that harassment and questioning of innocent people is something that's going to reduce crime in this instance.

5:22

There's an adage, you know, in the airline industry that you never talk about crash safety if you want to improve the reputation of the industry.

5:30

Because it gets people thinking about crashes.

5:32

And we hear over and over again that this is about improving the reputation of the South Side, about making it look good to the public.

5:39

Well, here is what the public sees now when they look up the South Side from CBS Pittsburgh, some calling for an end to Pittsburgh's new street festival just weeks after it launched, talking about crime only being pushed onto the side streets like Muriel and Bingham.

5:58

About 80 to 85% of businesses being harmed, as we've seen before, that business is simply dead on the South Side as a result, that they're not pouring into the South Side as much as the South Side making money pours back into them.

6:14

And from Pittsburgh's public source, they report that there is no evidence provided that this effort has reduced crime in the wider area.

6:23

Simply that it is pushed crime that was taking place in the bar district into the surrounding streets and areas where Pittsburgh's police are no longer monitoring it as severely.

6:59

Scrutiny that even organizations like the Pennsylvania chapter of the American Civil Liberties Union are now applying to this gross violation of the public civil liberties.

7:09

I urge you to do something about it.

7:14

Thank you.

7:15

Our next speaker is Kenneth Arble.

7:20

Is Kenneth Arble with us?

7:24

If not, our next register speaker is Ralph Williams.

7:34

Excuse me.

7:35

Oh man, sorry about that.

7:37

Uh thank you, uh, President Lavelle, members of council.

7:41

I don't have to talk about today, but I had to stop my track myself because Wednesday night uh my good friend in media, smoked and gym frazier passed away.

7:57

And uh Smoke and Jim and I give a sports program on AM 1250 the answer.

8:03

Not only did we do that sports radio show, but I've been coming down here for years now, asking you, pleading with you, and with the prior administration to do something about PC TV.

8:21

And in case you're not aware that you never watched any of the programs on PC TV, Channel 21.

8:28

Smoking chill frazier was on a lot of them.

8:31

Okay.

8:32

Smoke and chill was not only a friend of mine, but he also was my best friend, and he also was the face of PC TV.

8:42

That you let shut down, that you the power administration left shut down.

8:47

Many of us producers came down here and said something, and nothing was done as usual.

8:53

Okay.

8:54

I didn't want to get into this today because I had a bunch of other things I wanted to talk about.

8:59

But this is disturbing to me because my best friend has now passed away, smoking Jim Frazier.

9:06

And I some of you know who he is.

9:08

You see him on TV, he was on BCFC, you know, talking sports with Dee Thompson and several other people, okay, around the media circuits in Pittsburgh.

Discussion Breakdown — Share of Meeting
Public Engagement█████████████████████████████████████████████64%
Public Safety████████████17%
Parks and Recreation█████7%
Public Works█████7%
Procedural████5%
Summary of Proceedings

City Council Regular Meeting - August 28, 2026

The Pittsburgh City Council held its regular meeting on Friday, August 28, 2026, at 10:00 AM in Council Chambers. Seven members were present (Coghill, Gross, Lavelle, Mosley, Salinetro, Warwick, Wilson), with two absent (Charland, Strassburger). The meeting featured public comments on multiple community issues and a council member's tribute to a longtime activist. No consent calendar items, committee reports, or legislative actions were taken.

Public Comments & Testimony

  • Dylan Basescu (first speaker, name from minutes) criticized the city's South Side street festival and police enforcement, asserting that crime has only been displaced to side streets and that 80–85% of businesses have been harmed. He stated there is no evidence the effort reduced crime and called it a violation of civil liberties, urging council action.
  • Ralph Williams spoke about the death of his friend and co-host, Smoke (Jim Frazier), and urged the city to restore PCTV (Channel 21), which he said had been shut down and neglected. He expressed grief and frustration that the station was not revived before his friend's passing.
  • Carlino Giampolo (Panther Hollow) provided an update on the illegal Oakland DIY skate park at Panther Hollow. He described meditating in the park and conversing with a skateboarder who later agreed not to return. Giampolo criticized council members Barbara Warwick and Bob Charland for defending the skate park and warned of further action if it is not shut down.
  • Yvonne F. Brown (715 Mercer Street) expressed frustration with council members, alleging they are not listening to citizens, receive excessive pay for limited work, and fail to respond to questions. She referenced a prior incident where she felt interrupted.
  • Unique Brown (first name not given; speaker who began with "Good morning, children") complained about unsafe sidewalk conditions—construction projects left unfinished for weeks, forcing pedestrians into streets—especially near schools before winter. She asked why sidewalks were not completed and warned of potential injuries and lawsuits.
  • Special Agent Sunshine delivered a spiritual message, citing biblical verses and advocating for personal transformation and abstinence. No specific policy issue was addressed.
  • Dr. Ronald Lynn Miller (South Hill North) criticized the council for not issuing a proclamation for the 81st anniversary of the Hiroshima and Nagasaki bombings, referencing a similar 2016 resolution sponsored by Council President Lavelle. He alleged corruption and questioned the council's consistency.

Discussion Items

  • Councilmember Khari Mosley paid tribute to Gloria Faroozin, a late community activist, thanking her family and friends present. He shared memories of working with her on campaigns and initiatives, and announced that a formal proclamation and ceremony would be held in the future.
  • Councilmember (likely Kim Salinetro) thanked Mosley for sharing a photo of Faroozin.
  • Meeting announcements were read for upcoming meetings: August 31 (utility coordination post-agenda), September 1 (regular meeting and public hearing on liquor license transfer), September 2 (committee meeting and public hearing on East Carson Neighborhood Improvement District). Speaker registration deadlines were noted.

Key Outcomes

  • No votes or legislative actions were taken on agenda items.
  • Council approved a motion to excuse absent members (Charland, Strassburger), approve the minutes of the prior meeting, and adjourn the meeting. The motion passed unanimously by voice vote.
  • The meeting adjourned after announcements.

Meeting Transcript

Good morning and welcome to the regular meeting of City Council on Friday, August twenty eighth, two thousand twenty-six. Would a clerk please take the role? Mr. Charland, Mr. Coghill. Ms. Gross. Mr. Mosley. Here. Mrs. Salonetra. Here. Mrs. Strasberger. Mrs. Warwick. Mr. Wilson. Mr. Lavelle President. Here. Five members present. Thank you. For those who are able, please rise for the Pledge of Allegiance. After which, please remain standing for a moment of silence in remembrance of Gloria Faroosin, who was a long time activist and community activist within our within the city of Pittsburgh that we all knew and loved dearly. Thank you. Second. But that even he could see that his employees were being harassed and questioned when they stayed late on Fridays and Saturdays to close up shop, harangued while they were trying to get to their cars in nearby parking lots because of this supposed effort to reduce crime. And I simply don't think that harassment and questioning of innocent people is something that's going to reduce crime in this instance. There's an adage, you know, in the airline industry that you never talk about crash safety if you want to improve the reputation of the industry. Because it gets people thinking about crashes. And we hear over and over again that this is about improving the reputation of the South Side, about making it look good to the public. Well, here is what the public sees now when they look up the South Side from CBS Pittsburgh, some calling for an end to Pittsburgh's new street festival just weeks after it launched, talking about crime only being pushed onto the side streets like Muriel and Bingham. About 80 to 85% of businesses being harmed, as we've seen before, that business is simply dead on the South Side as a result, that they're not pouring into the South Side as much as the South Side making money pours back into them. And from Pittsburgh's public source, they report that there is no evidence provided that this effort has reduced crime in the wider area. Simply that it is pushed crime that was taking place in the bar district into the surrounding streets and areas where Pittsburgh's police are no longer monitoring it as severely. Scrutiny that even organizations like the Pennsylvania chapter of the American Civil Liberties Union are now applying to this gross violation of the public civil liberties. I urge you to do something about it. Thank you. Our next speaker is Kenneth Arble. Is Kenneth Arble with us? If not, our next register speaker is Ralph Williams. Excuse me. Oh man, sorry about that. Uh thank you, uh, President Lavelle, members of council. I don't have to talk about today, but I had to stop my track myself because Wednesday night uh my good friend in media, smoked and gym frazier passed away. And uh Smoke and Jim and I give a sports program on AM 1250 the answer. Not only did we do that sports radio show, but I've been coming down here for years now, asking you, pleading with you, and with the prior administration to do something about PC TV. And in case you're not aware that you never watched any of the programs on PC TV, Channel 21.

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