No matter what neighborhood we live in, we all want the same thing: a safe, secure place to call home. Yet here in our "most livable city," a lack of affordable housing is reaching crisis levels,  pushing low-income families - particularly Black families - from their communities, farther from access to food, transit, health care, neighborhood and family support systems, and good jobs. Pittsburgh lost 10,660 Black residents between 2010 and 2020, a 13.4% decline. Corporate developers have rigged the rules to jack up prices, build only for the wealthiest few, and hoard even more profits for themselves.

Thankfully, we have tools at our disposal to help alleviate the affordable housing crisis. Inclusionary Zoning is one of those tools, creating new affordable housing at a time when many communities desperately need it. Now, the Building Association of Metropolitan Pittsburgh - a special interest group made up of corporate developers – has sued the city over inclusionary zoning, a modest, common sense solution that helps ensure every Pittsburgher has a safe, secure home to raise our kids, pursue our dreams, and make our memories.

As Pittsburghers concerned about the health and equity of our communities and determined to end the mass displacement of our neighbors, we, the undersigned, demand that:

• The Building Association of Metropolitan Pittsburgh (BAMP) stop their attacks against working class families and good, lawful housing policy and withdraw their legal challenge to inclusionary zoning immediately.
   
• All community-minded builders and developers who do business in Pittsburgh speak out against attacks on common sense, community-driven housing policies that seek to address Pittsburgh's housing crisis.
   
• Instead of suing the city, BAMP work with housing advocates and neighborhood organizations to promote inclusive, mixed-income communities with opportunities for everyone.
   
• Mayor Gainey and City Council stand by their mandate to build a “Pittsburgh for all” by vigorously defending baseless legal challenges and aggressively pursuing other policies to address the affordable housing crisis in Pittsburgh.