PGHIMC - Pittsburgh Independent Media Center

Two Pittsburgh residents were arrested last Monday during a protest against a visit by President George W. Bush. The president visited a local family support center and spoke briefly at the Community College of Allegheny County's North Side branch. He was in town in part to present an award for volunteerism to Jennie Roth, a junior at La Roche college.

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On March 1, 2005 the Port Authority was able to cancel the increased fares and the service cuts that were to be implemented during the first week of March. They were able to do this because of a stop gap funding measure that Governor Ed Rendell had finally proposed on the last day of February. This stop gap provides funding for public transit in the commonwealth through the year 2006 by "flexing" money originally marked for highway construction.

The joy that came with the announcement from the Port Authority that fares would not go up and that service would not be cut as planned was short lived. Within hours of Rendell's announced stop gap, SPC (Southwest PA Planning Commission) members began to go public with announcements of their own. SPC members, from counties like Indiana. Lawrence and Beaver have said that they won't support the flexing of highway funds for public transit.

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Update 3/11/2005: The Southwest Pennsylvania Commission voted to flex $25.3 million in federal high way dollars over to the Port Authority.  This will allow the Port Authority to operate at present fares and schedules until July 1, 2005, which is the beginning of the new fiscal year.

Valentine's Day was a day for lovers and activists in Pittsburgh this year.Code Pink Pittsburgh held a "make love not war" event at Diva's in the Southside over Valentines Day weekend. They decorated the store pink, held signs and handed out flyers about the war in Iraq.
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As part of their on-going campaign against Foie Gras, Voices for Animals staged a Valentine's Day Protest outside Isabela's Restaurant on Mount Washinton. The event marked the 1-year anniversary of the group's Pittsburgh campaign, which has so far convinced 12 restaurants to stop selling the delicacy. Foie Gras is the diseased liver of a force-fed goose. Several countries and the state of California have banned it, calling its production cruel to animals.
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On Thursday, February 18th, black seperatist Malik Zulu Shabazz of the "New Black Panther Party" spoke at CMU.

Members of the original black panther party denounce the New Black Panther Party[2]. According to the Huey Newton Foundation, there is no New Black Panther Party. According to a statement released by the foundation, the New Black Panther Party stands in opposition to everything that the original party stood for.

Shabazz drew a large crowd of attendees and was also met by a large protest.  Some protested Shabazz's anti-Israel stance, others wanted to affirm "unity and diversity" at CMU.

Rustbelt Radio covered the various events that day. 

[ rustbelt coverage | full audio (ogg vorbis) | transcript ]

Update: The following week, Ashanti Alston, black anarchist and a member of the original Black Panther Party spoke in Pittsburgh.  His lecture talked about liberation and anarchism, unlike the nationalist and religious rhetoric of Shabazz.

[  Ashanti Alston lecture | Q&A with Ashanti Alston ]

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The six Greenpeace activists who scaled the smokestack at a power plant in Greene County last year were each sentenced to 5 days in jail following a court appearance last week. With the exception of one protestor, who was assigned to an additional 25 days, all of the protestors are now out of jail. All six protestors had decided not to contest the misdemeanor charges filed against them, after negotiating an agreement with the power company to drop all felony charges.

In June of last year, the six protestors climbed up the 700 foot smokestack at the Hatsfield Ferry Power Station in Masontown, Pennsylvania, about 50 miles south of Pittsburgh. They then unfurled a 2,500 square foot banner that read "THE BUSH ENERGY PLAN KILLS -- CLEAN ENERGY NOW!"  They were later arrested and originally charged with up to 25 years in prison and a $100,000 fine.

   * Update : Interview with John Watterburg, one of the Smokestack Six

[  Arrest Info and photos | More details | court appearance info ]

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