Century of Neglect
Railroad Tracks, Poor White Immigrants, Political Corruption Known as McKeesport’s Claim to Fame

Editor’s Note:

Less a news story than an editorial, this lengthy piece is reprinted as evidence that not everything in McKeesport in the “good old days” was good, especially for people of color. I have corrected some minor errors — the spelling of the mayor’s name, for instance — but I have not edited anything else in this stinging indictment of racism, overt and covert, in McKeesport.

Parents are cautioned that some of the language expressed in the piece, especially in the flyer reproduced in the middle, is not appropriate for young children. Obviously the views expressed are not those of the webmaster.

(Reprinted from the Pittsburgh Courier, June 5, 1971, page 12.)

By Diane Ferry

The third class City of McKeesport, hub of the Mon-Yough Region, is nationally famous for railroad tracks, poor white immigrants, and political corruption — not necessarily listed in order of importance.

The Mon-Yough Region consists of 31 politically autonomous communities in the South-Eastern section of Allegheny County.

These communities border upon the City of Pittsburgh directly and extend to the East and the South of the City.

They comprise a contiguous geographic bloc and are characterized as much by diversity as they are by uniformities with respect to their economic and demographic features.

Today, McKeesport — situated on the Monongahela at its junction with the Youghiogheny, fourteen miles southwest of Pittsburgh — is characterized by polarization between black and white residents; polarization between black citizens and white city government; and polarization between middle class blacks and poor black masses.

First School in 1841

McKeesport was at one time inhabited by the American Indians, reigned over by Aliquippa, an Iroquois queen.

David McKee, the first white settler, was granted land between the Youghiogheny and Monongahela Rivers April 3rd, 1769.

The first newspaper was published in 1854.

The first school was built in 1841.

A charter as a Third Class City was obtained in 1890.

Today McKeesport has one hospital, one library, one theater, and one motion picture house.

Resting on 5.15 square miles, sunny McKeesport has 37,977 inhabitants, 8,000, or 21 per cent of whom, are black.

In the 1971 Census Tract Case County made by the Allegheny County Board of Public Assistance figures revealed that one out of every 14 residents in Allegheny County were dependent on welfare.

The third class cities of McKeesport, Duquesne and Clairton, taken as a group, have a better than 1 to 7 ratio on welfare.


MON-YOUGH REGION

The Mon-Yough Region, taken as a whole, has a larger share of foreign stock, and foreign born persons in its population than does the whole of Allegheny County, which is comprised of 129 separate municipalities.

In the 1960 to 1970 Census, figures show that 41.3 per cent of the population in McKeesport was of East European foreign stock.

Today, a McKeesport area resident lives in one of 13,992 dwellings, 14.22 per cent of which are deteriorating, 5.71 per cent of which are downright dilapidated.

Thirty-seven per cent of McKeesport residents earn less than $5,000 annually, 49 percent earn from $5,000 to $9,000, 11 per cent earn from $10,000 to $14,999, and three percent earn $15,000 or more. The median gross family income is $6,300.

Forty-eight per cent of McKeesport residents have some high school education. Twenty four per cent graduated from high school, 13 per cent attended some college or technical school, and five percent are college grads. The median level of school years for the head of the average McKeesport household is 11.1.

Median market value of housing in McKeesport is $11,467.

A Melting Pot

Statistics will bear consequently, that the City of McKeesport should, for all intents and purposes, be ideallistically reflective of the great American melting-pot theory — and it is.

The theory isn't working, and as far as blacks and whites are concerned, neither is McKeesport.

Nowhere in Allegheny County could it be more apparent that we have lived in two separate societies, and regardless of much bally-hoo concerning civil rights and all that jazz today, blacks and whites in McKeesport are moving further and further apart.

Why then isn't the pot melting in McKeesport?

There is much evidence in the City to support the claim of many black residents that existing polarization between the races has not only been encouraged and supported by white city government, but on occasion, deliberately created by design.

HOUSING

Copies of this flyer flooded the City of McKeesport two months ago, after the City government capitulated to a Pennsylvania Human Relations Commission order to integrate two public housing authorities built, maintained, and operated on a segregated basis in the third class city:

The order came from the Commission Jan. 30th 1971.

It was not consented to by the McKeesport City Fathers until April this year.

It was handed down because in 1941, the McKeesport Housing Authority and the City of McKeesport built the Crawford Projects. Fifty-two one-bedroom apartments, 34 two-bedroom apartments, and 72 four-bedroom apartments.

Although there was then, and is now, a housing shortage in McKeesport, although most of the dwellings standing in the predominantly black communities of McKeesport are over 50 years old, and dilapidated, they preceded to rent every apartment in the Crawford Street projects to poor whites.

The first black was not permitted to rent in Crawford until 1966, twenty-five years later.

New Project Built

Meanwhile, down in the third ward (black land) City fathers decided to build another project, and called it Harrison Village.

This was for the blacks.

It remained for the blacks for years.

Maintaining segregated public housing projects in McKeesport almost destroyed an accepted myth amongst black folks that brothers can be found down around the railroad tracks of any given town.

For years if an out-of-towner visited McKeesport, and wanted to inquire where the brothers lived, he would invariably ask, "Where's Harrison Village?"

The black segregated project became a McKeesport landmark.

Over the years Crawford was well kept and maintained by the McKeesport Housing Authority. Harrison was grossly neglected.

Today Crawford Village contains a complex recreational facility fully staffed and maintained by a community social service worker from the Allegheny County Office of Economic Opportunity.

Harrison project kids play in a filthy run down converted garage with no supervision at all, except what parents can provide.

The two projects accomodate housing for 17,000 McKeesport residents.

Openly practiced discrimination forbids blacks in McKeesport to seek and obtain suitable housing.

Negroes live primarily in the second, third, seventh, and eleventh wards (Christy Park).

The most affluent blacks in McKeesport live in the 12th Ward.

McKeesport local realtors are known to keep separate black-white lists.

Any blacks applying for housing in the City are automatically shown homes in one of the black wards.

Housing for blacks could be greatly improved under the new redevelopment program which began there in 1950.

But redevelopment has been a long time in getting to the black wards.

When redevelopment began in 1960, the downtown areas were given priority over the people areas. The entire downtown first ward area was razed causing some 1,000 to fan out into other sections of the city.

Blacks Displaced

The majority of those displaced were black. No relocation services were offered. They crowded themselves into the third, seventh, and 11th wards.

The first ward was redeveloped, expanding downtown. Then the fifth ward was developed, making things a bit nicer for the majority of whites of who live there.

Now it's time for the third and tenth wards to be re-developed.

The third ward is predominantly black. The tenth ward is predominantly white.

The Federal Government has let the City of McKeesport know in no uncertain terms they will be getting enough money to develop only one more ward.

Negroes in McKeesport are taking bets as to which one that will be.

No Homes, No Future

Consequently, a grandiose redevelopment plan began way back in 1950 in the City of McKeesport has benefitted Negroes in no way, provided them not one home, and promises them little or nothing in the future.

Negroes in McKeesport are not even happy about the removal of the 23 railroad crossings that ran literally cutting the town in half.

After the tracks were removed, all the streets that had previously contained them were paved, right up to the black community.

The pavement stops where the blacks begin.

So much for redevelopment.

EMPLOYMENT

Chief industry of the City of McKeesport is manufacturing. Principal products are steel, steel by-products (steel pipe and tubing, fine tone steel, and steel castings as in rods).

In the 1960-70 decade 15,538 people worked in McKeesport. Some 4,681 were female. Although females in McKeesport constituted 23.0 per cent of the entire sales and clerical force in the city, less than two per cent of that female work force is black.

If you are a black male, you work one of two places, in the U.S. Steel mill, or in the construction industry.

Many young men prefer to join Local 373 Laborers Construction Union.

The work is good, pays substantial, and black laborers in the construction industry are the only ones guaranteed work.

But work for Negroes is hard to come by in the City, no matter what they say.

There was an estimated 1,283 unemployed black males in McKeesport last year 14 years and over.

The population of McKeesport declined in the past ten years from a whopping 45,489 to the present 37,977.

Black McKeesport residents claim over half of that decline was young black males in the 15 to 24 age bracket.

EDUCATION

The McKeesport Area School District was cited by the Pennsylvania Human Relations Commission for racial imbalance in 1967.

Black students who attend area schools are currently conducting a drive to improve educational opportunities for black students in the system.

The complaints are similar to those being voiced all over Allegheny County.

Not enough black teachers, counselors, administrators, coaches, cheer leaders, and in McKeesport, there are only three black janitors.

Only 21 Black Teachers

There are 735 white teachers in the system, 21 black; 45 non-professional clerical workers, three black; 74 white custodial workers, three black; 83 white food service workers, four black.

Students definitely feel that there is a need for teacher training concerning minority students.

Perhaps the attitude of the average white teacher is best exemplified in a note recently sent home to a black parent concerning her daughter.

Wrote the teacher:

"I know she has problems, but I don't intend to kiss her black ass to get along with her."

Only one Negro has ever served on the school board in the history of the city.

Mrs. Virginia Gittens, was unexpectedly appointed after the unexpected demise of a member in 1962.

Negroes are hopeful this year due to the election of Mrs. Bernice Vaughn in the May primary.

But she still has to run in the general election come November.

Lily-white White Oak Borough is expected to vote her defeat.

CRIME

Virtually nothing can be said about McKeesport without mentioning Brick Alley, the red light district of the world.

Open prostitution flourished in Brick Alley in the early '50s like flowers flourish in the spring. Brick Alley was famous all over the United States and in some parts of Europe.

Servicemen stationed on the West Coast were embarrassed to tell their buddies they were from McKeesport for fear of the inevitable remark, "You mean Brick Alley McKeesport?"

Although black women prostituted in Brick Alley, black men were not permitted to enter the area. Black queens were permitted to work there for the gratification of white males.

All that's changed.

Brick Alley was formally shut down six years ago.

Now McKeesport has an impending drug problem threatening to make the open operation of Brick Alley look like foolish child's play.

In the 11th and 12th blocks of Walnut Street in the third ward of McKeesport, one can sit in a car any given hour of the day and watch drug sales being negotiated in broad daylight.

Charles D. Mikell, president of the McKeesport-Duquesne Cretus National Association for the Advancement of Colored People recently wrote Mayor Zoran Popovich:

"The NAACP expresses a deep concern over the widespread use of narcotics in the black community of McKeesport. We have had three youths killed by the merchants of heroin in the past two months. We have the widespread, blatant sale of heroin on our street corners between Eleventh and Twelfth Streets. The merchants of heroin are permitted to peddle their poison without the slightest intervention from any law enforcement agency. How many more of our youngsters must die before the merchants of heroin are at least intimidated? There has not been a single drug raid, and we have had two deaths in the same boarding house. We have seen police officers sit in their cars while the merchants of heroin carry on Business as Usual, and we wonder if this same attitude would have prevailed if the three young victims had been white.

"Police protection," concluded Mikell, "is conspicuous by its absence in the black community."

Until last year Mayor Popovich denied McKeesport even had a drug problem.

All efforts to get an annual crime report for the City of McKeesport failed, but in a private interview Mayor Popovich finally admitted that the drug scene in his city had "mushroomed."

He also admitted he was applying for a portion of Safe Streets money under the Omnibus Crime Bill to attempt to instill an educational drug program in the McKeesport school system. Blacks are praying the drug education won't be dispensed in the same manner as traditional education.

GOVERNMENT

There has never been a black councilman in the history of McKeesport.

There are virtually no Negroes in decision-making positions in the McKeesport City government.

There is one black on the Housing Authority, one Negro on the Municipal Authority, one on the Zoning Hearing Board, and one on the Redevelopment Authority.

None of them have the veto power of a vote.

In the last primary election 30 candidates ran for three councilmanic positions. Not one of them promised blacks a thing.

Mayor Popovich admits his town is polarized. Admits it has seemingly insoluable problems, admits there have been "terrible prejudices here."

"But heck," he says with a Cary Grant-like rakish grin, "people here are down to Earth, shot and beer people."

"Why my family has been the object of a great deal of prejudices," he continued.

"I was raised under the smoke of the blast furnace. I'm a hunky you know," he continued relentlessly.

He added, "My father came up by his bootstrap. But I believe to be a good Mayor you must like people, and be sensitive to their needs."

Black McKeesport residents tend to agree.

They patiently wait.

They await decent housing, equal quality education, equal employment opportunities, and some nod of recognition from McKeesport City Government that would indicate they at least know they are there.

McKeesport, Pa.

Nice place to visit if you're black, but I sure as hell wouldn't want to live there.