Editorial: Is Zappala holding Kennywood to a higher standard than other shooting scenes?
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Gun violence has become common to the point of being mundane.
In Allegheny County, the crime level has drawn concern from the community, businesses, law enforcement and politicians. Shootings bleed together, becoming hard to separate from one another.
There were 119 homicides in Allegheny County in 2022, most attributed to gunfire. The list of deaths in 2023 began Jan. 2 with Brackenridge police Chief Justin McIntire. As of March 26, there have been 33 homicides. All but two were gun crimes.
So it is understandable that Allegheny County District Attorney Stephen A. Zappala Jr. is taking a stand. There needs to be serious action taken to address gun violence. Too often, this issue becomes stuck in the unproductive mud of partisan rhetoric or swept along on a wave of set dressing safety measures.
The question is whether Zappala’s Kennywood Park demands fall in one of those camps.
The West Mifflin amusement park was the site of a shooting in September that wounded three people. No one was killed. No one is charged in the incident.
On Friday, Zappala held a news conference at which he announced he would go to court to stop the park from opening if it does not comply with safety demands from his office.
It goes without saying everyone wants Kennywood to be safe. It’s an iconic part of the Pittsburgh experience, beloved by old and young. The cheeky “Kennywood’s open” is part of the local language, a euphemistic shorthand for an unzipped zipper. The park is equal parts fun and family, tradition and thrills.
But is it being unfairly singled out?
Where was Zappala’s news conference about Pittsburgh Public Schools being shut down until it could make sure its students are safe? On Jan. 19, 2022, Marquis Campbell was shot in a school van outside Oliver Citywide Academy in Marshall-Shadeland. On Feb. 14, four students were shot outside Westinghouse Academy in Homewood.
That’s double the shootings, double the victims and a fatality. Where is the list of demands for the schools?
Does the DA have the authority to shut down a private business over security concerns? Will he be implementing similar demands at malls, where there also have been shootings?
Gun violence is a serious issue. It’s something that must be addressed with a mixture of intelligence, empathy, discipline and creativity.
But it also has to be with consistency.