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No Sweatshops Bucco! activist arrested for free speech at Regatta
by Solie D'Arrity
Friday, Jul. 02, 2004 at 11:19 PM
No Sweatshops Bucco! activist Ken Miller was arrested at the Three Rivers Regatta while distributing baseball cards about sweatshops that make sports gear. Ken was arrested for disorderly conduct and is being processed, a solidarity camp is being setup outside the city courthouse at 660 1st ave.
At the Three Rivers Regatta in Pittsburgh on July 2nd, 2004, No Sweatshops Bucco! activist Ken Miller was arrested and charged with disorderly conduct for exercising his free speech rights. Ken was distributing anti-sweatshop baseball cards and talking with Pittsburghers about how the Pirates and Major League Baseball use sweatshops to make baseball clothes, figurines, and equipment.
A voter registration group was ejected earlier from the Regatta for trying to register African Americans to vote. Ken then decided to struggle for free speech at the Regatta. He was arrested at the Regatta and is being processed at night court right now.
Ken and three other No Sweatshops Bucco! activists were arrested in March 2 of 2002 inside the Pirates Gear Shop while they were doing research on what manufacturers' gear was being sold. They had been fliering at PNC Park earlier to educate and agitate against sweatshop working conditions that the workers who make Pirates gear are resisting and organizing around. The charges against the Pirate Four were dropped and a consent decree was won by the free speech fighters which affirmed free speech rights at parts of PNC Park.
No Sweatshops Bucco has been distributing anti-sweatshop baseball cards and discussing sweatshops with Pittsburghers at concerts, baseball games, and other mass events over the summer. There are a total of 6 cards in the series currently, more cards are being designed and printed for an expansion pack. Literally hundreds of letters to the Pirates have been collected and delivered, showing the Pirates that the people of Pittsburgh are clearly against the exploitation of the workers who make our Pittsburgh Pirates clothes, baseballs, free figurines, and other gear.
Ken is being processed at night court, there is a solidarity camp being setup outside the courthouse at 660 1st ave. If you have questions about the camp (like you can't find it or want to know if it's still on) call 412 654 6047.
Ken is a member of the IWW (Industrial Workers of the World, iww.org), which fought Free Speech Fights on the West Coast in the earlier part of the last century which forced the bosses to recognize free speech rights that helped open a way for organizing labor unions for lumberjacks. He was one of the Pirate Four that struggled for free speech at PNC Park. Let's hope that our free speech rights are also extended by struggle to the many mass events of the summer so that there can be more political work where the people are at.
update - Ken's file is at the bottom of the pile, there are 2 charges
by Salida Riti
Saturday, Jul. 03, 2004 at 3:44 AM
412 654-6047
Hi - some updates, from the solidarity campists:
- the judge told us Ken's file is at the bottom of the pile, he *probably* won't get arraigned until at least 7 am if not 10 am (based on the experience of a Pirate Four). If Ken is not arraigned by noon he will be moved out of his holding cell into a regular cell at the jail, we want to prevent this. The next judge will start arraignments at 8:30 am.
- there are two charges: disorderly conduct and defiant trespassing.
for updates on when the arraignment is going to happen, please call City Court Arraignments at 412 255-8901 In fact, even if you don't want to know about the arraignment time, call them to keep asking about Ken's status. Let's put the pressure on them to get Ken arraigned soon, before noon when he would get transferred out of his holding cell and into a more permenant cell. Remember that his folder is currently at the bottom of the pile. The local branch leaders of two nationally well-known mass organizations have already talked with the court about their concern, the court knows we're watching and acting. Ken can't make any phone calls or even formally enter into "the system" until he's been arraigned, so let's show them our strength as a group by calling 412 255-8901.
some more stories from the solidarity camp:
We stayed near where the people who were coming through the court were at. As a result we were able to talk with a family of someone who was passing through Pittsburgh and sent to jail for an unpaid parking ticket. They were surprised to hear of Ken's case and a No Sweatshops Bucco! activist passed them some baseball cards like the ones Ken was distributing. They also appreciate and used our experience with the jails to figure out how to get through their ordeal quicker.
The judge came outside to take a cigarette break and came into contact with our solidarity camp. We told him Ken was arrested for disorderly conduct, and when we told him we were here to cheer him up the judge said Ken must have been cheerful already to get arrested in the first place. When we told him Ken was arrested for handing out anti-sweatshop baseball cards the judge was incredulous and chided us about how no one gets arrested just for handing out something - that's when Michelle Gaffey, one of the Pirate Four, introduced herself and said she did indeed get arrested for fliering. We then told the judge they won the case in 2002 and as a result fliering is now recognized as legal at PNC Park. The judge's incredulous expression changed.
Later on, in the courtroom, the judge went to look at where Ken's folder was. When he came back he said there were two charges - he read the disorderly conduct one with less offence than when we had talked with him outside, and then he read the defiant trespass one and latched on to that as the mark of a troublesome person, rather than the disorderly conduct one like he did before he knew about Michelle and the other Pirate Four. He said this meant that they told Ken to leave but he didn't. Little did he know that Michelle was charged with defiant trespass as well, but won her case - the police had never even actually asked her to leave.
Ken's arrest was on the 6 O'clock news - by coincidence it was covered by a live TV feed at the regatta, where the news crew happened to be looking in the general area Ken was in.
Because in all likelihood Ken will not be arraigned till at least 6 or 7 we at the solidarity camp decided to disband, we will try against in the morning although with a different approach since all of us have to work at our jobs this Saturday.
Call 412 255-8901 and ask them when Ken's arraignment is, tell them about the case and how we have to have free speech at the Regatta. If they won't let us speak into the park, they'll have to let us speak into the phone till we get our free speech rights.
Ken is released
by Soledad ready
Saturday, Jul. 03, 2004 at 10:37 AM
more updates:
- Ken was released at 6, it was 8 by the time he got his stuff back. His cellmates gave him the name "Captain America" (...)
- Ken's court date is set for July 7th, more details will be posted later
- there are signs that the city government is working something out so that canvassers can go to the Regatta to register African Americans to vote. The group that was trying to register people yesterday will go to the Regatta again today.
preliminary hearing is in the AM on Wednesday July 7
by Saw Lit. A'ready
Tuesday, Jul. 06, 2004 at 11:20 AM
the preliminary hearing is at 8:30 am (i.e. am hearing) at the city courthouse at 600 First Ave (downtown). Let's be there to show support, there may be a press conference afterwards with people from many organizations that have been trying to get free speech at the Regatta.
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