PGHIMC - Pittsburgh Independent Media Center

The Future of Dissent in Pgh
by ... Wednesday, Jan. 29, 2003 at 1:27 PM

One person's vision of what is necessary in continuing the efforts of Pittsburgh Activists.

This weekend, over 8,000 people marched through Pittsburgh’s streets over three days speaking out against the escalation of war. Many considered foreign policy regarding Iraq, the Police State, Corporate Capitalism, and/or gender/patriarchy issues to be manifestations of war. The Bush administration, the military, and all of the oppressive institutions of the state in our society listened to what Pittsburgh and hundreds of communities across the nation said about war here and abroad. They heard, but their rhetoric did not soften. They took note, but their policies did not change. They listened, but hundreds of thousands of people are still in the crosshairs of our government.


The INS will continue to register, deport, and detain foreign nationals for their political beliefs. It is still a crime to be poverty stricken in this country. Racist and sexist laws are consistently passed on the state and national level. It is clear that ‘representatives’ in our government pay little heed to the people, preferring their own agendas and the goals of their corporate backers. They ravage our earth, imprison our friends, and murder thousands in the name of the American People.


The Demonstrations in Pittsburgh were important, but it is clear that they were not the final step in the peace movement. Work is undone. 5,000 people can march through Oakland to show dissent, but 50 can shut down a weapons manufacturer in our area for the day. 100 can march un-permitted and break a window (an effective tactic), but 10 can flyer and dialogue with every potential recruit walking through the doors of the marine recruitment center. It is clear that this war cannot be stopped with public opinion. It will be stopped with direct action taken by small groups working to save lives around the world. Every bullet that is late for shipment, every plane that sits on the assembly line awaiting parts, every day a recruiter fixes a window instead of doing their job, another innocent civilian in Iraq may be able to live another day.


Further, the peace movement in Pittsburgh can no longer concern itself with the media or ‘getting the message out.’ The message is out. The Pittsburgh media were more receptive to these events than almost any other corporate-backed media in the country; they can do little more to stop any war. The movement cannot sacrifice effectiveness for publicity.


Pittsburgh is not a bastion of direct action and protest culture, but clearly the support is for it is here. Our communities can no longer afford to invest limited time and resources into these mass spectacles and hope to stop the war. Groups like the Thomas Merton Center and the Pittsburgh Organizing Group must concentrate on sharing skills with activists and potential activists, empowering small affinity groups to take effective action in our area. They have shown willingness in the past to bring trainers from out of town or even provide trainings themselves. It is the responsibility of these groups to increase such efforts and the responsibility of people in the community find out about these trainings. It is time that we begin to build the world we wish to live in as we frustrate the efforts of the appointed warmongers running our country. This means taking action to improve our lives, work in solidarity with other members of our community and communities around the world; and stopping every violent manifestation of war through pro-active measures.


The momentum of the Peace Convergence must be directed into appropriate channels, or the energy created by the immense and spectacular efforts of the three organizing groups will be lost.

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