Dr. Demond Bledsoe talks about prejudice and discrimination growing up as a Black man in a predominantly white Pittsburgh suburb. He was a guest speaker for the newly formed civic organization Level Up North, which met Sunday in Seven Fields.

This is an excerpt from a larger article that appears in Friday's Butler Eagle. Subscribe online or in print to read the full article.SEVEN FIELDS — He was 21, Dr. Demond Bledsoe recently told an audience in Seven Fields Community Park, when he was taken from an Oakland restaurant by police and brought to a Pittsburgh police station for questioning in connection with a shooting.As a young Black man raised in a predominantly white Pittsburgh suburb, Bledsoe said he was caught off guard by the interaction at the time, but was no stranger to prejudice and discrimination. It was lunchtime at Primanti Brothers when officers came up to him and told him abruptly, “We need to talk to you.”According to Bledsoe, now 47, during the interaction an officer behind him drew a gun.“All I thought is, I'm going to die,” he said.Bledsoe was a guest speaker Sunday for the newly formed civic organization Level Up North. He spoke to 60 adults and 20 children about his experiences growing up Black in Western Pennsylvania.Formed three weeks ago in the aftermath of George Floyd's death in police custody in Minneapolis, the group hosts a weekly discussion series to address cultural and racial issues in the region.“We're in a majority white community,” said co-founder Brianna Minnock of the inspiration for the group. “We want to be better listeners.”She said the goal of the group is to continue discussion and bring about awareness to Black Lives Matter and other cultural diversity issues.“We're talking about really hard things as a community,” she said.Co-founder Crystal Brown added, “It's really helping us make our community more united.”

This is an excerpt from a larger article that appears in Friday's Butler Eagle. Subscribe online or in print to read the full article.