Oakland students pause to reflect

For Pitt students, Thursday’s commemoration ceremony for the three fallen Pittsburgh police… For Pitt students, Thursday’s commemoration ceremony for the three fallen Pittsburgh police officers was impossible to miss.

The steps of the Petersen Events Center were navy blue with the uniforms of hundreds of police officers from across the country. Cop cars from as far away as Oregon and Toronto lined Forbes and Fifth avenues, and a somber silence permeated Pitt’s campus Thursday afternoon.

Students speckled the crowd of hundreds that lined the streets of upper campus showing their support for the fallen officers outside the Petersen Events Center.

While some students dressed for the occasion, wearing black and holding American flags, others, laden with book bags, pulled their headphones out, closed their cell phones and stopped to watch the event.

Freshman Vince Pronesti stopped on his way back to Sutherland Hall to watch the procession of officers on foot, motorcycle and horseback travel up DeSoto Street.

‘It’s a really sad thing. I heard on the news that a Pittsburgh police officer hasn’t been killed since 1995,’ said the Pittsburgh native.

Students from outside the Pittsburgh area were also moved by the tragedy and came out to the to show their support for the officers.’

‘This isn’t my city, but this is where I go to school and these are the guys who protect us,’ said freshman Gail Woodward from Reading, Pa. ‘It’s awesome that all these officers came here.’

For freshman Kimberly Goody, the memorial was particularly emotional.

‘My father is actually a police officer and he was shot in the line of duty,’ she said. ‘He didn’t die, but this brings back those memories, especially having been brought up in that tight community.’

Though relations between the student community in Oakland and law enforcement can get rocky at times, the students attending the memorial emphasized their respect and appreciation for the police officers.

‘As a college student, I don’t think a lot of students recognize what law enforcement does and how they put themselves at risk every day to keep us safe,’ said Pitt junior Doug Prah.

On campus, buses stopped running, Fifth Avenue was closed, and Forbes Avenue was restricted to one lane.

For many students, the memorial disrupted their usual Thursday afternoon schedules.

‘I was late to a couple classes because of the bus schedules,’ said freshman Svetlana Vodicka. ‘On some level I don’t know if they should shut down all the streets and stuff, but it’s a pity that this happened.’

But for most Pitt students, the importance of the memorial outweighed the inconvenience.

‘At first I thought it was just traffic,’ said freshman Aderayo Sanusi. ‘It’s a very striking way of making a point to the community.’

Goody agreed.

‘I think it’s great that this is being held on campus,’ said Goody. ‘It’s good for Pitt to be involved in the community like this.’

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