View this email in your browser (https://mailchi.mp/74bc02f27a05/hpcc-october-newsletter?e=eb0bdabb3c) Logo ** Hello Neighbors ------------------------------------------------------------ On Tuesday morning, our typically quiet neighborhood woke to a chilling scene: an early morning walker discovered a young man shot to death in an alley (https://hpccpgh.us5.list-manage.com/track/click?u=ed770e831682d049448ee942c&id=ba3559b68a&e=eb0bdabb3c) . Late the prior evening, neighbors heard and reported gunshots; why he was not found sooner and who committed this terrible crime are still being investigated. There’s no indication that there is further threat to the neighborhood. However, it’s not the first time we’ve been rocked by gun violence. In the past year at least three other shooting deaths have occurred in or just outside the Highland Park neighborhood bounds. And this past week, Oct. 27, marked the fourth anniversary of the attack at the Tree of Life Synagogue that killed 11 people, injuring six - the deadliest attack on the Jewish community in the United States. Our community, our city, is still grieving that horrific event and trying to process the shock and horror of that day. Gun violence has infiltrated our culture in so many ways: more suicides, more violent crime, more domestic violence deaths, more accidental shootings. Our children practice active shooter drills at school, learning to hide under desks and be quiet and wondering if anything they do would really help save them. Does anyone notice when gun deaths are in the news anymore? Would anyone in Highland Park have paid attention to the death of 18-year-old Omar McCord, Jr. this past week if it hadn't been in our backyard? Sadly, like much of the country, many of us have become desensitized to gun-violence. We are a nation awash with guns — the only in the world with more guns than people. And while our own neighborhood only rarely experiences gun violence directly, unsecured guns are reported stolen in Highland Park on an almost monthly basis, usually from parked vehicles. These guns often end up resurfacing in connection with crimes, including violent crimes — in fact, a study (https://hpccpgh.us5.list-manage.com/track/click?u=ed770e831682d049448ee942c&id=a0b2d9b8db&e=eb0bdabb3c) done here in Pittsburgh found that stolen guns account for more than 30 percent of the guns recovered at crime scenes. This past week’s shooting unfortunately brings additional somber meaning to the “Memorial to the Lost (https://hpccpgh.us5.list-manage.com/track/click?u=ed770e831682d049448ee942c&id=bf1b770822&e=eb0bdabb3c) ” display coming to the lawn of St. Andrews on Hampton St. For two weeks, beginning on Nov. 10, t-shirts will fill the church lawn, labeled with the name, age and date of death of Allegheny County residents killed by illegal guns this year. It is a display meant to provide a unique, visible educational tool to honor victims of gun violence and their surviving families. It is a reminder of lives lost and a chance to reflect on what it would take to prevent gun deaths from continuing to be a tragic pervasive part of life in America, including here in Highland Park. If you have any information regarding this week’s past shooting, please call 911 to report. The police have already spoken to neighbors nearest the incident and there aren't any cameras directly in that area, but if you have a porch camera with footage from that evening, consider checking to see if you caught anything that might be worth sharing with investigators. Sincerely, Stephanie Walsh, HPCC President Read the Oct. HPCC Community Meeting minutes (https://hpccpgh.us5.list-manage.com/track/click?u=ed770e831682d049448ee942c&id=691903195f&e=eb0bdabb3c) , including PWSA update and presentation on the police firing range. ** Upcoming Events ------------------------------------------------------------ * Oct.: Halloween parade (https://hpccpgh.us5.list-manage.com/track/click?u=ed770e831682d049448ee942c&id=bb3b4294c8&e=eb0bdabb3c) + Oct. 29, 10:30 a.m. - noon at the fountain at the park entrance + There will be treats and crafts for your little monsters + Trick or treating: Highland Park follows the official City of Pittsburgh hours for Halloween trick or treating, which is Monday, Oct. 31, 5-7pm. * Nov.: Food Drive + The HPCC is collecting trimming baskets for 120 Vintage Center seniors. + We need cranberry sauce, stuffing mix, cornbread mix, turkey gravy and yams. Giant Eagle gift cards are also welcome. Any surplus donations will be given to Vintage. + Donations are due by Nov. 15 + Please drop off at 1315 N. Sheridan Ave. * Dec.: Light up Night + The 3rd Annual HPCC Highland Park Light-up Night returns Saturday, Dec. 3rd. + Will you decorate? Provide treats? Stroll the business district and neighborhood? + Details to come! Jan - Feb - March: A call for winter event ideas! We have a lull in the neighborhood calendar from January through March, just when everyone’s feeling homebound and antsy. Have an idea for an event - perhaps one you can lead or help to organize? We’d love to hear it! Email the HPCC at HPCCPgh@gmail.com. ** Announcements ------------------------------------------------------------ Celebrating our Roots: Tree Planting, Watershed Walk & Picnic * Join Tree Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh Parks Conservancy, Negley Run Watershed Task Force, and Larimer Consensus Group in a day or celebration and connection, Nov. 12. Open to all. Those who want to plant some trees can meet at 9 am at Liberty Green, and those who want to tour River Roots and join with others for a picnic lunch can meet at Liberty Green at noon. More info here (https://hpccpgh.us5.list-manage.com/track/click?u=ed770e831682d049448ee942c&id=36062c7153&e=eb0bdabb3c) . Stuffed with Love: Free Thanksgiving Day Meals * Anyone, regardless of socioeconomic status, is welcome to request a meal. The deadline to request a meal is November 18th! Rotary Clubs of Bethel-St Clair and Northern Allegheny, and Holy Assumption of St. Mary Orthodox Church are partnering again this year to cook, assemble, and Pittsburgh Police officers will deliver food. For Zone 5, it's Officer Jeffrey Crawford who can be contacted at 412-655-3770 or jeffrey.crawford@pittsburghpa.gov. PWSA work continues in the neighborhood * Please see the October HPCC Community Meeting minutes (https://hpccpgh.us5.list-manage.com/track/click?u=ed770e831682d049448ee942c&id=b65a4cb3b9&e=eb0bdabb3c) for more details, including projected timing of street closures. ** Meet Your Neighbor: Asa Lee ------------------------------------------------------------ The Reverend Dr. Asa Lee became the president of the Pittsburgh Theological Seminary about a year ago. He and his family live in Highland Park. Read More (https://hpccpgh.us5.list-manage.com/track/click?u=ed770e831682d049448ee942c&id=9f89145a0b&e=eb0bdabb3c) Enjoying this newsletter? Become an HPCC member (https://hpccpgh.us5.list-manage.com/track/click?u=ed770e831682d049448ee942c&id=c1da389054&e=eb0bdabb3c) to support more Highland Park community content like this. Membership starts at $10/year. Join or renew today! ** Check out the Highland Park ‘Art in the Park’ Zine ------------------------------------------------------------ The storytellers hired by City Parks as part of its Art in the Parks initiative have finished their work! Writer and cultural historian Alyssa Velazquez created a stunning “zine” (https://hpccpgh.us5.list-manage.com/track/click?u=ed770e831682d049448ee942c&id=569efad2d1&e=eb0bdabb3c) that illustrates some of Highland Park’s dynamic history and enjoyment people have received from the park over the decades. You can check out all five installations on the Art in the Parks Storytellers site (https://hpccpgh.us5.list-manage.com/track/click?u=ed770e831682d049448ee942c&id=9f9f5af8da&e=eb0bdabb3c) . ** News From St. Andrews ------------------------------------------------------------ Sunday Oct. 30 is the annual Blessing of the Costumes. All children can wear their Halloween costume to church and have it blessed by the rector. Return to St. Andrew’s on Halloween between 5:30 and 8:30 p.m. for trick or treating inside the church and a Spooktacular organ concert at 7 p.m. The St. Andrew’s Outreach Ministries is contributing all of the $1,700 raised at the Highland Park Yard Sale to Amen to Action. Along with another $1,300 from the rector’s discretionary fund, it will fund 10,000 meals to be distributed by the Greater Pittsburgh Food Bank. The St. Andrew’s Outreach Ministry also recently restocked the supply closet at the Neighborhood Academy to help families with items not covered by SNAP benefits. The Memorial to the Lost will be on the lawn at St. Andrew’s starting Nov. 10 for two weeks. The Memorial to the Lost includes a t-shirt with the name, age and date of death of Allegheny county residents killed by illegal guns this year. The Highland Park Community Council is an all volunteer-run organization. We are responsible for many of the great events that make this neighborhood so special like the Hullabaloo, the Yard Sale, Light-up Night, the Bryant Street Parklet Pumpkin Patch and so much more. Please consider donating to continue to make this the best neighborhood in the city. If you are interested in volunteering, send an email to volunteers@hpccpgh.org (mailto:volunteers@hpccpgh.org) . If you would like to become a supporting member, join here (https://hpccpgh.us5.list-manage.com/track/click?u=ed770e831682d049448ee942c&id=00c2c44264&e=eb0bdabb3c) . Memberships start at $10/year. Check out the October meeting minutes here (https://hpccpgh.us5.list-manage.com/track/click?u=ed770e831682d049448ee942c&id=ad960390b4&e=eb0bdabb3c) https://hpccpgh.us5.list-manage.com/track/click?u=ed770e831682d049448ee942c&id=919d8bbe32&e=eb0bdabb3c https://hpccpgh.us5.list-manage.com/track/click?u=ed770e831682d049448ee942c&id=b65f5b9ff7&e=eb0bdabb3c Logo Copyright (C) 2022 HPCC. All rights reserved. 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