Pitt law professor and returning primary opponent Jerry Dickinson referred to the veteran congressman as a “dead horse” and a “backbencher” in a 2020 debate. He went on to say that the question was not if Doyle “had done something, it’s whether he’s done enough.” I was inclined then to agree. Nearly a year after that debate — a year when the COVID-19 pandemic brought the inequity and suffering that defines the American experience for many into stark relief — I couldn’t possibly agree more.

Recently, Pittsburgh Mayor Bill Peduto, who is currently running for re-election, released a campaign video in which he acknowledged “two Pittsburghs,” one white, one Black, as a problem he intends to solve. But you can’t solve the problem of an “American apartheid city” by crowing for years about how livable the city is, and then frame the issue like it’s the Jets vs. the Sharks come election time. The “two Pittsburghs” rhetoric is toothless because the mayor has failed to hold anyone explicitly accountable for unchecked institutional racism and the historical and systematic decimation of Black communities here.

“I was thrown to the ground by a police officer — Pittsburgh police. Me on my back, arrested not for doing anything, but for being Black in Pittsburgh. I will never forget that moment,” Dickinson said. “Anytime I see a video now, that same incident we know this is happening to men and women, every single day. It’s happening to your neighbors, it’s happening to your family. We need change now.”

Fisher also acknowledged the presence of state Rep. Ed Gainey (D-Lincoln-Lemington), Jerry Dickinson, and Raymond Robinson at the action, all of whom are currently running for public office, and she noted the importance of supporting “the people who support the people” while encouraging people to vote and get involved in politics.

Jerry Dickinson, law professor at the University of Pittsburgh School of Law, a candidate for Pennsylvania’s 18th District and a former U.S. Congress candidate, shares his personal experiences with police violence.

Jerry Dickinson, who is currently running for Congress in Pennsylvania’s 18th district, took to the microphone and told the gathering about a time he was arrested.

On his campaign website’s priorities page, Dickinson advocates for a number of progressive policies including his support for the Green New Deal under his Climate Crisis plan, vision for Criminal Justice Reform, Gentrification and Affordable Housing, support for Medicare For All under his Health Care plan, LGBTQI+ Rights, Police Reform, Women’s Equality, Closing the Wage Gap, increasing federal funding for public schools and canceling student debt under his Education plan, Gun Reform, an immediate increase to a $15 an hour minimum wage under his Jobs, Wages, and the Economy plan, supporting “bold campaign finance reforms” in his Money in Politics plan, and restoring and strengthening the Voting Rights Act of 1965 under his Voting Rights and Election plan.

A Swissvale attorney who unsuccessfully challenged U.S. Rep. Mike Doyle in the 2020 Democratic primary will run for the seat again in 2022 when Doyle’s term expires. Jerry Dickinson, 34, announced his candidacy for the seat Doyle has held since 1995.

University of Pittsburgh law professor Jerry Dickinson, whose losing bid for Congress last year racked up a significant amount of money and forced incumbent Mike Doyle to defend his progressive bona fides, will try for the 18th District seat again next year.