(no subject)
this happpened right down the street from my house.
Today in Pittsburgh, 100 people showed up in response to a call to shut
down military recruitment in Pittsburgh. For the second time in a month,
Pittsburgh Organizing Group (POG) was able to successfully shut down the
main recruitment station in Pittsburgh. This marked the sixth time in
recent months that recruitment in Pittsburgh was disrupted by anti-war
activists. Prior to the start of the march, word was received that the
station wouldn’t be opening for the day due to the protests.
At 10:45am people began to march towards the Oakland Recruiting Station in
order to celebrate this victory, ensure there was no chance of the station
reopening that day, and to focus attention on the continuing demand for
its closure. The march took over Forbes Avenue opposing traffic and met
only limited police interference. Upon arrival, the march moved completely
onto the sidewalk and blocked the doors to the center. Speakers from POG
talked about the need to confront recruitment and the ongoing war in Iraq.
More information on the overall campaign can be found at
www.organizepittsburgh.org
As the speech finished, someone taped a cardboard sign to the stations
door reading “No Lies Told Today, Recruitment Center Has Been Shut Down.”
At this point, a cameraman from Fox News shoved his camera into the face
of a protester who was standing by the sign. When that individual asked
that it be pointed somewhere else (instead of his face) the cameraman
became aggressive. An altercation ensued at which point he started
screaming to the cops to arrest people for assaulting his camera. Police
from the City Of Pittsburgh and the University of Pittsburgh promptly
began to attack the crowd on the sidewalk. The first person arrested (and
according to the police, the person Fox is pressing charges against) was
hit and pepper sprayed, during which time a cop held a taser two inches
from his face. After that, a women in the crowd was grabbed, hit, pepper
sprayed in the face while on the ground, and then tasered, all while three
large cops stood around her. She is currently in the hospital and we are
unsure of her condition. A male protester was also arrested,
pepper-sprayed and tasered. An overwhelming police presence started
ordering people to disperse from the sidewalk, and a police dog began
pursuing people. Cops hit and shoved people, while the dog lunged forward
and bit a 68-year-old grandmother who was walking away with her back to
the dog. The police also let the dog bite a videographer, who narrowly
avoided injury as the dog only got his pants. Further outrages occurred as
the police grabbed a 17 year-old girl off the sidewalk and slammed her to
the ground. Her crime? She questioned the legality of their earlier
actions. Pepper spray also hit a group of children and the police knocked
over a man in a wheelchair.
While a total of six people were arrested, many other people were
successfully un-arrested by activists who pulled them away. All of those
arrested are facing multiple charges; exact charges and bails are unknown
as of this time. There is an urgent need for bail money and legal costs,
along with solidarity calls and emails.
Today in Pittsburgh, 100 people showed up in response to a call to shut
down military recruitment in Pittsburgh. For the second time in a month,
Pittsburgh Organizing Group (POG) was able to successfully shut down the
main recruitment station in Pittsburgh. This marked the sixth time in
recent months that recruitment in Pittsburgh was disrupted by anti-war
activists. Prior to the start of the march, word was received that the
station wouldn’t be opening for the day due to the protests.
At 10:45am people began to march towards the Oakland Recruiting Station in
order to celebrate this victory, ensure there was no chance of the station
reopening that day, and to focus attention on the continuing demand for
its closure. The march took over Forbes Avenue opposing traffic and met
only limited police interference. Upon arrival, the march moved completely
onto the sidewalk and blocked the doors to the center. Speakers from POG
talked about the need to confront recruitment and the ongoing war in Iraq.
More information on the overall campaign can be found at
www.organizepittsburgh.org
As the speech finished, someone taped a cardboard sign to the stations
door reading “No Lies Told Today, Recruitment Center Has Been Shut Down.”
At this point, a cameraman from Fox News shoved his camera into the face
of a protester who was standing by the sign. When that individual asked
that it be pointed somewhere else (instead of his face) the cameraman
became aggressive. An altercation ensued at which point he started
screaming to the cops to arrest people for assaulting his camera. Police
from the City Of Pittsburgh and the University of Pittsburgh promptly
began to attack the crowd on the sidewalk. The first person arrested (and
according to the police, the person Fox is pressing charges against) was
hit and pepper sprayed, during which time a cop held a taser two inches
from his face. After that, a women in the crowd was grabbed, hit, pepper
sprayed in the face while on the ground, and then tasered, all while three
large cops stood around her. She is currently in the hospital and we are
unsure of her condition. A male protester was also arrested,
pepper-sprayed and tasered. An overwhelming police presence started
ordering people to disperse from the sidewalk, and a police dog began
pursuing people. Cops hit and shoved people, while the dog lunged forward
and bit a 68-year-old grandmother who was walking away with her back to
the dog. The police also let the dog bite a videographer, who narrowly
avoided injury as the dog only got his pants. Further outrages occurred as
the police grabbed a 17 year-old girl off the sidewalk and slammed her to
the ground. Her crime? She questioned the legality of their earlier
actions. Pepper spray also hit a group of children and the police knocked
over a man in a wheelchair.
While a total of six people were arrested, many other people were
successfully un-arrested by activists who pulled them away. All of those
arrested are facing multiple charges; exact charges and bails are unknown
as of this time. There is an urgent need for bail money and legal costs,
along with solidarity calls and emails.