A few dozen protesters marched from Mount Washington’s Grandview Overlook to Market Square Saturday afternoon, to honor the life of Antwon Rose II.
Today marks the three-year anniversary of Rose’s death; it is also Juneteenth, a holiday that celebrates the emancipation of enslaved Black people in 1865.
Rose, a 17-year old unarmed Black teenager, was killed by East Pittsburgh police officer Michael Rosfeld in June 2018. Rose was riding in an unlicensed taxi that had been involved in a drive-by shooting; after Rosfeld pulled the car over, he shot Rose in the back, arm, and side of the face as the teenager ran away. Rosfeld was acquitted of homicide charges in March 2019.
While marching, the demonstrators chanted slogans like “Three shots to the back, how you justify that?” and “No justice, no peace, no racist police.”
As the protesters moved toward downtown, they stopped to tie purple balloons to the Smithfield Street Bridge in remembrance of Rose.
“We want to make sure his name is not in vain, and make sure his memory lives on,” one person said. “That’s what today is about.”
The march was organized by local group Pittsburgh I Can’t Breathe.
