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Pittsburgh Courier NEW
www.newpittsburghcourier.com Vol. 114 No. 50 Two Sections
DECEMBER 13-19, 2023
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B. Marshall hires attorneys, threatens lawsuit against owners of PPG Plaza Owners don't want Soul Food Festival on its grounds; B. Marshall calls it blatant 'racism' by Rob Taylor Jr. Courier Staff Writer
When Jessica Canovali, senior property manager for JLL, said in an email dated Sept. 8, 2023, that the property owners of PPG Plaza in Downtown Pittsburgh, Highwoods Properties Inc., would no longer allow the Pittsburgh Soul Food Festival to be held on its grounds, JLL and Highwoods thought that was the end of it. Little did they know, it was only the beginning. Canovali's email was sent to B. Marshall, the determined leader of the Soul Food Festival, which has been in operation for the past five years on Labor Day weekend. Canovali said in the email, obtained by the New Pittsburgh Courier, that "there were some serious issues with the Soul Food Festival this year," which she said included "an altercation between customers that led to multiple arrests, and a man with a concealed weapon threatening people. This is in addition to the increasing noise complaints of our tenants, and our usual logistical concerns." Immediately, B. Mar-
shall threw a "flag on the play," and referred to Highwoods' decision in words that are too hot for newspaper print. The real issue, B. Marshall said in an exclusive interview with the Courier on Dec. 12? "They looked down (from their offices at PPG Place) and they saw all those Black people late at night and went 'ham.'" B. Marshall has since hired two attorneys, Turahn Jenkins and Alexa Gervasi, and B. Marshall is threatening to file a civil lawsuit against Highwoods if the company doesn't respond to his lawyers by Friday, Dec. 15, 2023, in writing confirming that B. Marshall's event would continue to be held at PPG Plaza. "Should you decline to provide such confirmation, my office will proceed with filing a lawsuit for injunctive and compensatory relief to ensure that Mr. Marshall, and Pittsburgh’s Black community, are treated with the equal respect accorded by the laws of the United States and fundamental principles of human rights," an official correspondence SEE B. MARSHALL A8
MORE THAN 20,000 PEOPLE ENJOYED THE 2023 PITTSBURGH SOUL FOOD FESTIVAL, HELD ON LABOR DAY WEEKEND IN DOWNTOWN. BUT THE OWNERS OF PPG PLAZA DON’T WANT THE FESTIVAL ON ITS GROUNDS ANYMORE.
The support for veterans continues Eric and Christina Flewellen-Howze’s No Hero Left Behind plays critical role in community by Rob Taylor Jr. Courier Staff Writer
The Pa. Department of Military and Veterans Affairs estimates that 11 percent of homeless adults in the U.S. are U.S. military veterans. Pittsburgher Eric Howze knows that life all too well. For 10 years, he was a member of the U.S. Army, and was deployed to Iraq in 2004. Howze was honorably discharged in 2011, but upon his return to Pittsburgh, he found himself in another battle. He experienced periods of homelessness, telling the New Pittsburgh Courier back in 2018 how he had to sleep outside in front of buildings. “No vehicle, no job, no one to really take me by the hand and help me and show me that there was a better life than being homeless,” Howze once said on KDKA Radio. Howze and his wife, Christina Flewellen-Howze, are now the leaders of No Hero Left Behind, an
organization that aims to assist veterans in Pittsburgh, pretty much by any means necessary. Some veterans are experiencing homelessness, which includes those who are sleeping from "couch to couch." Others are in need of being connected to resources like employment, mental health therapists or tangible items like clothing and toiletries. No Hero Left Behind held a Veterans Appreciation Luncheon on Nov. 18 at Bethesda Presbyterian Church, in Homewood. There were about 50 veterans in attendance, and they, in layman terms, were celebrated. "It takes a level of commitment to serve in the military," Eric Howze said. Among the speakers were state Rep. LaTasha Mayes, and representatives from the Pittsburgh VA Healthcare System, Homewood CCAC and Veterans Leadership Program. SEE VETERANS A3
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ERIC HOWZE, CENTER, AND CHRISTINA FLEWELLEN-HOWZE, SECOND FROM RIGHT, LEAD NO HERO LEFT BEHIND. ALSO PICTURED ARE LOIS SHIRLEY, SALOAM BEY, CYNTHIA DAVIS, AND AT FAR RIGHT, REV. DR. JERMAINE MCKINLEY.