BGC Issues Statement on Hate Symbolism in Garfield

On December 29, 2020, it was brought to the attention of the Bloomfield-Garfield Corporation (BGC) that a vehicle – belonging to the employee of a subcontractor who was working on our office building – displayed insignia that we consider offensive, inappropriate, and in total opposition to the values of our organization.

The BGC’s executive director immediately got in touch with the general contractor, informing him that this display of hate symbolism is absolutely unacceptable. The architect in charge of the project was also contacted and made aware that, if the vehicle’s owner did not leave the work site, the project would cease. The subcontractor left and has not since returned to the work site.

We apologize for any harm that seeing this truck and the insignia might have caused our community members. The BGC recognizes and values the diversity of the neighborhoods that we serve, and while we support the idea of free speech, we will not tolerate hate speech or any related symbolism when it comes to the work that we do inside and outside of our community.

Over the summer, the BGC released a statement outlining our support for Black Lives Matter and our commitment to combating racial injustice. The BGC has served Garfield and surrounding neighborhoods since 1975 and we remain committed to fighting for racial justice – in our local community, and in Pittsburgh as a whole. Our community is actively working towards the changes that are needed, and we are proud of what our neighbors have been able to accomplish thus far. The BGC’s statement can be found on our homepage.

We’ve been in communication with both our architect and general contractor to ensure that this subcontractor will not appear on our premises in the future. All have been made aware that anyone depicting offensive slogans or insignia will be asked to leave our site immediately, or the project’s work will cease to continue.