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Pittsburgh Police bully breakaway marchers
by Vireo Garden
Sunday, Jan. 26, 2003 at 9:17 PM
woodswanderer@hotmail.com
A non-violent contingent shows solidarity in a breakaway march after Saturday's Parade for Peace. Despite minor bullying, the contingent remained strong and stuck to the streets as mounted officers used the bodies of their horses in an attempt to push them aside.
Pittsburgh Police bully breakaway marchers
A young woman shouted anti-war beat lyrics through a megaphone as a group of protesters reassembled along Carson Street in Pittsburgh to show that their march was not yet over. “We love Pittsburgh! We hate war!” was one of the many rally cries during a “breakaway march” after the Parade for Peace in Pittsburgh this weekend.
After several thousand people marched nearly twenty-five city blocks, the small group gathered around a core of drumming, dancing, and fluid chants as other marchers decided to escape Saturday’s cold weather. A group of guerrilla-clad drummers tapped an edgy cadence and formed a line as marchers reformed their ranks.
Roughly assembled, the group headed back down Carson Street towards Union Square where the parade originally began a few hours earlier. Two police officers on motorcycles swerved ahead of the group stopping city traffic and maintaining the marcher’s right-of-way and freedom of assembly.
Supporters honked their horns as the group passed them in the streets. Several cars had their windows down and critics of the protester shot insulting words that were easily drown out by drumbeats and chants.
No conflicts arose, but soon enough, police officers behind the crowd decided to move the renegade marchers off the street and onto the sidewalk as they headed into the increasing Saturday traffic in Pittsburgh.
Some marchers readily stepped aside avoiding any conflict, but a stalwart contingent remained in the street to lead their cause. Among the front line was a group of strong young women shouting their pulsing battle cry, “Off the sidewalks! Into Streets!
Officers in patrol cars swerved behind the crowd, flashed their lights, and sounded their sirens in an attempt to move the marchers onto the sidewalk. A megaphone bleaked from the car, “For your own safety, please get onto the sidewalk”. Many abided, but still followed along the sidewalk in support of the few ranks of dedicated marchers willing to face police scrutiny in the street. A forceful young man carrying an anarchist flag walked among the front and shouted token chants with his comrades, “No war for oil!”.
Mounted officers, who remained candid earlier after hearing protesters shouting, “Get those animals off their horse!”, also approached the stalwarts in an attempt to oust them from their course. Officers used the body of their horses to successfully bully a few “unlocked” marchers onto the sidewalk. Luckily, however, mounted officers soon enough backed off and did not show an excessive amount of force against the non-violent contingent.
People on the sidewalks and in the streets screamed and cheered as the officers dropped back and the marchers continued towards Station Square..
Earlier in the day, an employee of the Allegheny County Police Department, referring to the marchers, was quoted, “I’ll run them all over if it was up to me. I was in Vietnam”. Although, nothing like this did happen, it is apparent that not everyone in Pittsburgh agreed with the protesters antics. The marchers stood strong in both their support and opposition and celebrated their solidarity upon arriving once again at Station Square
Drums and chants faded and the crowd dissipated out of the cold. Hugs were exchanged and a few tearful faces left the crowd.
It is being said that this weekend’s marches are the largest in Pittsburgh since the 1960’s. However, perhaps something bigger is being said as people of all races and religions are gathering together to show disapproval of a rapid movement towards war by the United States government.. These young and old people alike that “broke away” from the mainstream and faced even the minor bullying from police and onlookers represent the strength and unity that can potentially collapse here in the United States as our government remains contrary to its inner voice. The problem exists that our government is dividing its own people in an escalation of violence and aggression that is alarming the entire world.
Peace.
A FEW GOOD MEN
by SASHA KOLEDIN
Monday, Jan. 27, 2003 at 2:26 PM
SASHAKOLEDIN@ATTBI.COM 412-749-3464 336 THORN ST.
HATS OFF TO A FEW GOOD MEN N' WOMEN, KIDS, DOGS, N' PIGEONS WHO, WHO BRAVED DA BLIZZARD, N' DA POLICE ON MOUNTED MULES.
UNCLE SASH IS PROUD OF Y'ALL.
Y,ALL COME BACK SOON, YA HEAR.
PROUD TO BE PART OF DA PITTSBURGH INDEPENDENT MEDIA ORG.
KEEP PUMPIN' DA OIL.
I WANT TO THANK EMMA FER LETTIN' ME CRASH OUT ON DA SOFA, JEST LIKE DA OLD DAYS.
ALSO PATRICK FROM CLEVELAND.
THANKS TO ALL.
WE IS JEST GETTIN' STARTED, SEE YA SOON, DA DADEEO OF DA VIDEOO, RECORDER OF R N' R HISTRY - YOUR UNCLE SASH IS PRAYIN' FER US ALL. GOD BLESS
Stay Focused
by Donna Ruff
Wednesday, Jan. 29, 2003 at 7:25 AM
I was proud to be a part of the anti-war march in Pittsburgh on Sunday but feel a need to say that we need to stay focused. This protest isn't about calling police officers names and unjustly accusing them of 'bullying' people around. We had a license to protest and we did it. The streets were blocked and I thought there was good cooperation between police and protestors. The breakaway march was not part of the protest for peace. What is the purpose of trying to identify the police as the 'bad guys'? I don't believe that anyone really thinks that we don't need them and don't appreciate their response when called in times of trouble. We need to stay focused on what we are really protesting here, and that is war, not police officers.
strong young women
by Cole Lea
Wednesday, Jan. 29, 2003 at 8:47 AM
colelea_grrl@hotmail.com
Being one of the 'strong young women' shouting OFF THE SIDEWALKS INTO THE STREET, I wanted to clarify that the police weren't as cooperative Saturday as some people were remarking. They were much much much more cooperative on Sunday and I think that may have something to do with the fact that we were a very small group at times, but we definatley demonstrated solidarity. There was a point when there were about 10 of us in the street running from the horses. WE linked arms so that the police could not force the horses in between us. The police were screaming insults and threats at us and several people were kicked by horses, I was stepped on. THEY WERE DEFINATLEY using their horses inhumanely in my opinion. Eventually more people joined in and it was alot harder for them to bully us, they could only force a small portion of us onto the sidewalk at a time. Some clever man started saying 'The horses are with us" and I think they knew we would definatley make it to station square by that point and we told them thats all we wanted to do... they were really slowing us down, we could have been there way way way before hand had they not interfered.
Another Opinion
by Junkyard
Wednesday, Jan. 29, 2003 at 8:55 AM
Yes, we were there to protest the war. But the war machine does not exist in vacuum, and many of us that were present in Pittsburgh (especially those taking part in the breakaway march) realize that. We are against war, not just this war, but all wars. And we are against the cause of all wars, which is capitalism. The police wage war against poor people and people of color everyday, not to mention the violence they usually use against our comrades at demonstrations. And the police are just the protectors of the rich, the foot soliders of the bourgeouise - THEY ARE ON THE FRONT LINES PROTECTING CAPITALISM! It is because of this that many of us present in Pittsburgh, while being specifically anti-war, are also against the police in their present incarnation in our society.
That said, however, I will agree with the last commentor - the police this weekend were VERY well behaved, and let people express their opinions. This was true even for the breakaway march. We probably would not have been able to keep the streets for as long as we did in any other city, and would have had to fight just to have them at all.
"NO WAR BETWEEN NATIONS, NO PEACE BETWEEN CLASSES!"
"CLASS WAR NOW!"
The police.
by someone from pog
Wednesday, Jan. 29, 2003 at 9:14 AM
"The breakaway march was not part of the protest for peace."
According to who? This convergence was modeled on a respect for a diversity of non-violence tactics. The people in the breakaway march choose to take action in a non-violence manner that respected the safety and space of others. As far as I am concerned there action was as much a part of the weekend convergence as the parade for peace my group organized. Please stay in solidarity with one another.
The police: They weren't nice or good. They didn't do us any favors. They were constrained by the situation WE CREATED. They acted in a mostly just and reasonable manner because they didn't have any other feasible options. The situation we created was one in which any police violence would have hurt the police- money and public relations wise. No matter what they would have done we had the advantage. Do not expect this situation to exist in the future. We have experienced police violence at protests before and we will again. The police are a violent tool of the powerful. They don't get any credit in my book for acting HOW THEY SHOULD when an intense spotlight is shined upon them.
someone from POG.
i don't need the police
by furious george
Thursday, Feb. 13, 2003 at 11:48 AM
" I don't believe that anyone really thinks that we don't need them and don't appreciate their response when called in times of trouble."
Actually I really think that we don't need them, here's why:
My experiences with the cops fall into two categories: solicited and unsolicited.
On the few occassions when I did "need" the cops and made the mistake of calling them, they did nothing to protect or help me, and on one occassion actually made the situation more dangerous for me.
WHen police intervention has been unsolicited it has consisted of them searching me, the car I was in, or detaining me and asking me questions about my political beliefs.
Personal experience has made it quite clear to me how "necessary" the cops are.
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