PGHIMC - Pittsburgh Independent Media Center

In a recent talk at Carnegie Mellon University, Staughton Lynd, Mumia Abu Jamal, and Johanna Fernandez addressed the legacy of John Brown and its relevance to the struggle for justice and racial equality today.  Rustbelt Radio recorded each of the speakers as well as veteran activist Vincent Harding, which are available for download.

[ Lecture recordings by Jessica McPherson for Rustbelt Radio ]

After the event, Michelle Burton Brown wrote about today's movements and lessons from the Civil Rights movement.

[ Building a Movement of Cross Cultural Interaction by Michelle Burton Brown ]

(updated) On Friday, October 27th in Oaxaca City, Mexico, New York City Indymedia journalist Brad Will was shot and killed by government paramilitaries. At least three others were killed in the attacks, and another 30 were injured. A photographer from the newspaper Milenio Diario, who was at Will's side, was shot in the foot. Today, Saturday, there are reports that the  Mexican Federal Police are amassing outside Oaxaca in preparation for an assault on the barricated streets and occupied buildings.

For more than six months teachers in Oaxaca, Mexico, have been on strike. Initially called as a protest for better wages and working conditions their fight has broadened into an all out struggle against a repressive and corrupt government. Two members of Pittsburgh Organizing Group (POG) are currently in Oaxaca, Mexico to document the struggle and to show international support. They were eyewitnesses to the attack  on the barricade where Brad Will was shot.

[  Brad Will's final video | NYC Indymedia report on Brad Will ]

[  POG members report from Oaxaca |  updates from Centros Des Medios Libres ]

new: [ Rustbelt Radio overview on Oaxaca | Second Reportback from POG members in Oaxaca ]

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On Friday, October 27th, about 20 supporters of the Student/ Farmworker Alliance turned out to protest at McDonalds near the University of Pittsburgh in Oakland. The protest was part of the Days of Action involving the Coalition of Immokalee Workers and the Alliance for Fair Food.

Protesters are asking McDonalds to pay for a penny more per pound of tomatoes and an enforceable code of conduct. They say they are trying to show people in Pittsburgh that sweatshops exist in the United States and that they play a role in the system as consumers.

[ video | photo | previous feature ]

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Every year on October 22, citizens around the country gather in a National Day of Protest to Stop Police Brutality, Repression and the Criminalization of a Generation. This year the local chapter of the October 22nd Coalition gathered at Freedom Corner in the Hill District, the traditional civil rights meeting point in Pittsburgh. Residents came out to remember Stoney Bey, Jerry Jackson, Jonny Gammage, Craig Guest, Maurice Hall, Lawrence Powell, Raynard Bloxson, Deron Grimmitt, Charles E. Lloyd Michael Platt, Thomasina Brown, James B. Lewis, Michael Hunter, Bernard Rodgers, Charles Dixon, Dion Hall, Andrea Umphrey, Michael Ellerbe and so many more victims of police brutality.

Earlier that day, Pittsburgh Organizing Group (POG) and other area youth rallied and marched through Bloomfield, Friendship, Garfield and East Liberty to raise these important issues in their local neighborhoods. Organizers said these areas have not received as much exposure to police brutality events as downtown, the Hill District and areas outside the city but suffer from it nonetheless.

[ read more | indymedia.us feature | rustbelt radio coverage ]

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On her 2006 "Breaking the Sound Barrier" speaking tour, Amy Goodman spoke to a standing room only crowd in Pittsburgh on Saturday October 14th.  Her tour celebrates the 10-year anniversary of the daily radio program Democracy Now! and the release of her second book written with her brother David, titled Static: Government Liars, Media Cheerleaders, and the People Who Fight Back.

In her speech Goodman recounted actions taken by family members of people killed in Iraq, and spoke of the increasingly frightening political climate for large populations of people in the United States.

[ Lecture recording: recorded by Rustbelt Radio | recorded by Vincent Eirene | Rustbelt Radio excerpt (15 minutes) ]

Democracy Now! can been heard daily in Pittsburgh on WRCT 88.3FM or seen on PCTV channel 21.

[ Democracy Now | Breaking the Sound Barrier tour ]