PGHIMC - Pittsburgh Independent Media Center

bum kicked out of st. paul's cathedral
by vincent / blast furnace radio Thursday, Mar. 03, 2005 at 3:16 PM
eirene@tlerama.com

bum kicked out of st. paul's cathedral

March 3, 2005


To: Father Donald Breier

My name is Vincent Scotti Eirene and I am a member of the Pittsburgh Catholic
Worker / Duncan and Porter House. I have been a member since its founding in
1977. I am married to Rebecca and we have 2 lovely daughters, Caitlin and
Chenoa.

On Monday, March 1, after 6:45 mass at your parish, St. Paul's Cathedral, I
was approached by a man as I was quietly praying with my eyes closed. He told
me to leave the cathedral, that St. Paul's was not a warm place for bums to
sleep. He then identified himself as a Pittsburgh police officer, saying he
would call a squad car if I didn't leave the church. I explained to him that I
often go to mass here, light candles, and then vigil for peace across the
street at the DOD facility, the Software Engineering Institute. The officer
then instructed me to go sleep on the steps of SEI. I asked him for his badge
number and name, but he refused. He then left the church.

After another 5 or 10 minutes of prayer, I walked to the rectory to talk to a
priest about what had happened. After the receptionist answered the door, the
unidentified officer blocked me from talking to her and told me to leave the
property. He said if I was to return to mass the next morning, that I would
face arrest. On my way to the car, the officer yelled at me so others could
hear. He called me a bum and said I should get a haircut and shave my beard.
He told me to go home if I had one. I then got into our family station wagon
and drove to my home in Manchester to see my daughter off to school.

I later found out that the unidentified officer was Kevin Rinkoff. I'd like to
ask that officer Rinkoff be removed from security duty at St. Paul’s
Cathedral.

Vincent Scotti Eirene
412-231-2766

notowar.com

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