Pittsburgh shouldn’t be spending millions on a militarized public safety complex when so many of our neighbors are struggling to find safe, stable housing.

City Council is considering spending $1.8 million just on a planning phase for a massive new police, fire, and EMS training facility at the old VA hospital in Lincoln-Lemington. The total cost could balloon to over $80 million, in a city already facing budget shortfalls and a housing crisis.

Residents who showed up at the last Council meeting made it clear: this project echoes the deeply controversial “Cop City” in Atlanta. That facility has become a symbol of excessive force and police militarization, not public safety. Pittsburgh’s version may not include a mock city—yet—but the community's concerns are real and urgent.

Why are we prioritizing firing ranges and surveillance when people are living in “deplorable” public housing conditions, and some don’t have a roof over their heads at all?

Public safety doesn’t start with police—it starts with safe housing, accessible mental health services, violence prevention programs, and good-paying jobs. Redirecting these funds could make a tangible, positive difference in people’s lives.

This facility is not what Pittsburgh needs. And it should never be approved without meaningful community input.

We, the undersigned, call on Pittsburgh City Council and Mayor Ed Gainey to stop all funding for this public safety master plan and instead invest in affordable housing and real community-based safety solutions.

Sign now if you believe our city should protect people, not over-police them.

Photo: Sebastian Foltz/Post-Gazette