'March for Truth' brings 2,000 protesters downtown

Carrying signs that read "Pittsburgh stands with Paris, Trump stands with Russia" and "Nyet My President," about 2,000 people marched through downtown Pittsburgh on Saturday to protest President Trump's decision to pull the United States out of the Paris climate accord.

Mayor Bill Peduto lashed out at the decision, and at Trump — who referred to the city in announcing the move by saying he "was elected to represent the people of Pittsburgh, not Paris."

"I felt he was using it as a detriment, as a way to divide America," Peduto told the Tribune-Review after addressing the crowd on Market Square. "He was using a stereotype of what the city once was. This city was in a depression, this city was rusted out, the environment was going through some of the worst environmental degradation in the world. But that's not what Pittsburgh is.

"If anything, Pittsburgh can show the rest of Southwestern Pennsylvania and the rest of this country how a city can come back if it understands that its future is not necessarily wedded to its past. And that is at the heart of the Paris agreement."

The "March for Truth: Pittsburgh Says Yes to Paris" coincided with similar rallies across the country where protesters called for an independent investigation into alleged collusion between Russia and President Trump's 2016 campaign. In Washington, more than 1,000 people gathered near the Washington Monument. Thousands more protested in more than 100 cities.

The Pittsburgh rally was briefly delayed by a bomb scare. It was not clear what was in the package. Police did not respond to a request seeking information.

Once it reached Market Square, the crowd was as boisterous in its support of Peduto as it was in its rejection of Trump. Many chanted anti-Trump slogans and carried signs that directly addressed the president, including "Hey Trump, Pittsburgh despises you" and "Wake up and smell the covfefe," in reference to a typo in a Trump tweet last week.

But many took a more sympathetic view of people who voted for Trump, including Michelle McFall, a community organizer involved in Indivisible Pittsburgh and FIERCE Pittsburgh and Southwestern Pennsylvania.

"If you're one of those people," she said to the crowd, "and you're thinking of coming over to this side, we welcome you."

While 75 percent of Pittsburgh voters cast ballots for Hillary Clinton, Trump narrowly took Pennsylvania, 48 percent to 47 percent.

Trump took Westmoreland County with 64 percent, garnering more than 116,500 votes and his sixth-highest county total in Pennsylvania.

Tracy Baton, a community leader of Indivisible Pittsburgh and the Pittsburgh Women's March of Pittsburgh, said Trump's policies — on the environment and sanctuary cities — target the most vulnerable members of society.

"We will need every one of you," she said. "Stand up with your city. Stand up with your neighbors. Stand up with Pittsburgh. And stand up for the truth, because the truth matters every day."

The rally was organized to counter a pro-Trump "Pittsburgh Not Paris" rally in Washington D.C. to celebrate the Paris decision. Media reports said about 50 to 200 Trump supporters attended.

"We expected 100 to 200 people (in Pittsburgh), and we have well over 2,000," Peduto said. "And this was put together in less than 24 hours."

He said he was recently in Paris, where he watched world leaders work together to address climate change.

"I saw a world that recognized a problem and used science and data and truth to find a solution," he told the crowd. "That's what we need to get back to in Washington, the understanding that we have shared problems, but that if we work through the data and work with truthful and open government, we can solve those problems."

He added: "We are all are on this planet together, and the only way we will ever be able to do great things is by working together."

Councilman Dan Gilman of Squirrel Hill said Trump's Pittsburgh reference "shows a lack of understanding of the Pittsburgh economy and the future economy of America."

Last week, as it became clear that Trump intended to pull out of the international climate agreement, Peduto was one of 61 mayors to pledge that their cities would continue to follow the Paris agreement, regardless of Trump's decision.

That number now stands at 187 cities representing more than 50 million Americans, Peduto said.

"To all of our friends throughout this region who supported this president because they felt they had been left behind in this economy, who supported this president because they felt the changes that were happening did not help them or their families, look to Pittsburgh," Peduto said. "We're no longer producing big steel, but we're producing big ideas and big products to make the economy of all of Southwestern Pennsylvania stronger."

Chris Togneri is a Tribune-Review staff writer. Reach him at 412-380-5632 or ctogneri@tribweb.com. Follow him on Twitter @ChrisTogneri.