By Rob Taylor Jr. – Courier Staff Writer
Maybe it’s the athletic opportunities and mentorship that have been bestowed upon the hundreds of youths over the years.
Maybe it was the Easter Egg Hunt that, by all accounts, was a resounding success on Saturday, April 3, putting smiles on the kids who partook in the event at Quarry Field on the South Side, just off S. 18th Street.
Maybe it’s the fact that the vast majority of the kids whom the South Side Bears youth football and cheerleading organization serve are African American, from the South Side Flats all the way to Brentwood.
No one knows the precise reason why an individual or individuals vandalized Quarry Field, spray-painting racist graffiti all over the Bears’ painted logo and the concession stand, breaking lights, spray-painting security cameras, and cutting the power lines to the scoreboard. Officials believe the vandals struck either late Easter Sunday, April 4, or in the early-morning hours of Monday, April 5.
But a unified message was clear by Tuesday, April 6, at noon at the field— hate will not be tolerated, and the South Side Bears will not be intimidated, and will continue to call Quarry Field their home.
“Yesterday (April 5), we were met with disrespect and hatred, for what was done to this building,” said Richard Carrington Sr., founder of the organization Voices Against Violence, speaking at a press conference to address the vandalism. “But nothing was done to the essence of our soul and spirit.”
“We’re not going to stand for any type of hate, we’re not going to stop coming here, we’re going to protect the children of the South Side, and this is still going to be a safe haven for them to come play and grow,” added Kevin Alton, president of the South Side Bears.
Alton told the New Pittsburgh Courier that there have been minor spray-paint incidents at Quarry Field in the past, but “nothing of this magnitude.”
The South Side Bears have been in existence for 12 years. Alton said the organization began playing its home football games at Quarry Field six years ago. He said it’s the only youth football organization in the vicinity, which makes it attractive to area parents who want to place their kids in a positive environment. The organization is most active from May until November.
Alton said he received a phone call on Monday morning, April 5, about the vandalism at the field, and when he got to the field, “it was just mayhem,” he told the Courier exclusively. “I was mad, because I’m like, ‘who would do this?’”
Pittsburgh Mayor Bill Peduto said at the press conference that the city would pay for the costs associated with replacing the lights, power lines, etc., removing the graffiti, as well as paying the artist to repaint the Bears mural that was defaced. Mayor Peduto wanted all funds raised by the Bears to go to its programming.
“There is an entire city behind you,” the mayor said, directed to the Bears leadership. “What was done here on Easter Sunday…think about that…somebody was not at home with their family. Somebody felt an emptiness inside, and decided to take it out through words that would be so intimidating and spray-paint it onto something that was so good.”
Pittsburgh Police, as of late Tuesday afternoon, April 6, are still investigating the incident.
State Rep. Ed Gainey then spoke to the crowd, saying that “hate has no place in Pittsburgh…do you know how our children feel when they see this level of hate in our community? Do you think they don’t understand? But when you have powerful coaches that stand in the middle, as interceptors, and talk to them about what we do as a community to eliminate hate, then we teach them to stand up for justice.”
Pittsburgh Police officers, elected officials and community leaders alike rallied around Alton, giving him words of encouragement at the unified press conference. Von Madden, vice president of the South Side Bears, said that Alton continuously preaches to the youth to “do the right thing at every cost.”
Madden added about Alton: “He has fought, day in and day out, to make sure that our youth, our parents and the broader community of the South Side has a place to send their kids, not just for football, but he also runs a summer camp, as well. …he’s 100 percent about kids, 100 percent about the community.”
