# Tax Day was last week. Members of the war tax resisters group tell us why they didn't pay
# We talk to voices for animals of western pennsylvania
# and activists staged an all-day picket at the Sky Bank headquarters in Downtown Pittsburgh, stepping up their campaign against what they're calling a union-busting company. But first, these local and global headlines.
Welcome to this week's edition of Rustbelt Radio, the Pittsburgh Independent Media Center's weekly review of the news from the grassroots, news overlooked by the corporate media. The show airs every Monday from 6-7pm on WRCT 88.3FM in Pittsburgh, PA and every Saturday from 5-6pm on WVJW Benwood, 94.1 FM in the Wheeling, West Virginia area. And we're also available on the internet, both on W-R-C-T's live webstream at W-R-C-T dot ORG and archived at radio dot I-N-D-Y-P-G-H dot org.
On today's show...
Tax Day was last week. Members of the war tax resisters group tell us why they didn't pay
We talk to voices for animals of western pennsylvania
and activists staged an all-day picket at the Sky Bank headquarters in Downtown Pittsburgh, stepping up their campaign against what they're calling a union-busting company. But first, these local and global headlines.
Headlines
Local News
[0:30] Sales Tax on Food in Pennsylvania?
The Pennsylvania legislature is moving closer and closer toward a plan that would swap out school property taxes with a 5% tax on food, clothing and most all other items presently exempt from the state sales tax. Proponents say that this will give needed relief to property owners while others call such a tax regressive and unfairly swapping the tax burden from the rich to the poor.
The passage of the bill, scheduled to be introduced to the floor of the House and Senate in June, is by no means certain. Similar proposals have been floated in the past without success, and the governor would be likely to veto any bill if it did pass.
Sixteen states have a state-wide sales tax on food. Four of those sixteen tax food at a lower rate than other goods, and 5 provide a special tax credit for low-income families to offset the sales tax. Three more allow local sales tax on food.
[0:30] One Million People in Pennsylvania on Food Stamps
Anti-Hunger advocates across the state conducting outreach for the Food Stamp Program have recently seen an increase to over 1 million Pennsylvanians on Food Stamps. In December 2004 the total number of people receiving food stamps in the state rose above 1 million. And in January the number increased another 14,000 to the highest number in more than seven years. This marks the first time since the welfare reform measures of 1997 that more than one million Pennsylvanians were on food stamps. In fact, the number of Pennsylvanians participating in the program increased more than 20% over the last four years, reversing the drastic decline in participation in the program which had resulted from misunderstood welfare reform rules.
A study by Mark R. Rank and Thomas A. Hirschl shows that 51% of Americans between age 20 and 65 years old— 4 out of ten Americans -- will participate in the Food Stamp Program at some point in their life. The study shows that the need for food stamps is not something that happens to “someone else.” In fact, two thirds of Americans will experience at least one year of poverty and at least half of the American population will need to use food stamps to get by. The study's results appeared in the December 2004 issue of the Journal of Nutrition Education and Behavior.
(Information obtained from Just Harvest.org, an anti-hunger and poverty organization in Pgh)
[2:00] Shuman Guards Fired after Roughing Up 13 yr old boy
On Sunday March 27th, a Penn Hills man, Anthony Donald, took his
13-year-old son, Anthony Donald Jr. to Shuman Juvenile Detention Center
with the intention to have him "scared straight", despite the fact that
the 8th-grader has never been charged with a crime. That Easter morning
Anthony Jr. was left in the hands of Shuman guards, some of whom are
friends with the father. Anthony Jr contends he was brutalized by these
men. He says the guards ordered him to strip in a public place and put on
a uniform. When he refused, he said, four guards forced him to the ground,
beat him and stripped off his pants. Anthony Jr says the guards also
cursed and spat at him, and solicited detainees to taunt him. The
youngster was left with bruises on his chest, a swollen neck and spasms in
his back.
Shuman Center is prohibited from detaining children who are not charged
with crimes. In addition, only youngsters charged with felonies and
delinquents who violate probation are admitted. Allegheny County Chief
Executive Dan Onorato and County Manager Jim Flynn said a 2002 memo
forbids "scared straight" sessions at the juvenile lockup.
After an investigation by county police, Onorato fired all five Shuman
Juvenile Detention Center guards this past week.
He added that the county's investigation into the Shuman incident is not
over. "We are looking at the management of this place, too," he said.
County Manager Flynn added, "We have to look at whether this is part of
the culture and environment out there."
Four of the guards, called "child care workers," are charged with unlawful
restraint and false imprisonment, which are felonies.
A fifth guard, Donald's friend, is charged with misdemeanor counts of
official repression and conspiracy.
Three of the guards also face misdemeanor charges of simple assault,
recklessly endangering another person, terroristic threats and child
endangerment.
The father was charged with misdemeanor counts of conspiracy and child
endangerment.
[0:45] Going green can mean more green
On April 7th the Green Building Alliance sponsored the second annual Building Solutions Summit at the David Lawrence convention center. The Building Solutions Summit targeted building owners, developers, facility managers, brokers and financiers who have a desire to construct green buildings that minimize their harmful effects on the environment. Summit Speakers talked about the perceived barriers to Green Construction and emphasized that there are many financial and business incentives to go green. Rebecca Flora, the Green Building Aliance's executive director, noted that the the cost of green building construction is only 0 to 3 percent more than conventional buiildings.
Pittsburgh is at the forefront of the Green Building movement with over 36 certified green buildings and with the recent construction of the David Lawrence convention center, the world's first certified green convention center. For more information you can contact the Green Building Alliance by going to their website at www.gbapgh.org or by calling 412-431-0709
[6:00] Centre City Towers all-day protest
On Friday, April 15th, supporters and members of the Thomas Merton Center's healthcare campaign intensified their campaign against Sky Bank for its role in the firing of nine janitors at Centre City Towers a year and a half ago.
Rustbelt Radio spoke with Deanna, one of the organizers of the campaign and discussed their upcoming visit to the Sky Bank stockholder's meeting.
In addition to the centre city towers picket, the International Union of Operating Engineers was picketing downtown on Friday. IUOE Local 95 says that Frick Lender Associates and 110 Gulf Associates pay wages and benefits that are substantially less than the area standards, undermining the livelihood of approximately 400 workers and their families. The companies manage the Gulf Tower on Grant Street, downtown Pittsburgh.
Wrapup
For more on all of our local news stories, visit pittsburgh dot I-N-D-Y-M-E-D-I-A dot O-R-G.
[ optional music break ]
Global News
Intro
You are listening to Rust Belt Radio, the Pittsburgh Independent Media Center's weekly review of the news overlooked by the corporate media. We turn now to headlines from Independent Media Centers around the world.
[1:30] DC Nationals opener
The District of Columbia's streets were jammed last week as thousands of baseball fans, many from suburbs in Virginia and Maryland, tried to get to Robert F. Kennedy stadium to see Washington's new team. George W. Bush threw the first pitch for the opening game of the Washington Nationals but not all who came to RFK welcomed the new baseball season, including many of the residents who live in the poor neighborhood around the stadium, Anacostia.
Selina Musuta of the DC radio co-op has this report from RFK stadium.
[ 121030_lh20050415rfkprotest_selina.mp3: DC co-op - 1:02 report ]
[2:00] World Bank and IMF protests
Last weekend, several hundred protesters converged on Washington DC to protest the annual meeting s of the World Bank and International Monetary Fund, or IMF. These agencies manage loans and grants to developing nations, but in turn require the states to agree to certain limitations on their ability to intervene in economic matters. Social justice activists have long criticized these policies, charging that they prevent countries in the Global South from working to reduce poverty. They alledge that these policies do not represent the interests of the people, but rather the interests of wealthy multinational corporations.
Friday evening saw a critical mass bike ride in which over 30 riders asserted their presence as traffic in the city of Washington. The ride was ended when an SUV hit one of the bikers. The biker was unhurt, but the bike was destroyed. Several hours afterwards, at 3 am on Saturday morning, dozens of people participated in a "wake up the delegates" action, where they converged near the hotels known to be favorites for the delegates and proceeded to make as much noise as possible. The activists were able to escape without arrest.
Saturday saw larger protests, with roughly one thousand people turning out for a march and rally organized by the Mobilization for Global Justice. The march, which featured a colorful array of large puppets and banners went from the World Bank and IMF buildings downtown to Dupont Circle, where speakers from a variety of groups shared the stage with musical performers. Afterwards, a smaller group took to the streets in an unpermitted march back to the World Bank, where they confronted delegates and chanted "Open the meetings, drop the debt, end structural adjustment" while police prevented them from getting any closer. The chant refers to the fact that the IMF and World Bank meetings happen in secrecy, the overwhelming debt that countries in the Global South, especially African nations, have to the World Bank and IMF, and the policies of "structural adjustment" - a eupheimism for preventing states from helping to correct market failures in their countries.
Several other protests, rallies, and events were held throughout the weekend, organized both by the Mobilization for Global Justice and the A-sixteen-D-C coalition.
[1:00] Immigration and the Minutemen
The Senate this week will debate whether to add immigration provisions to the $80 billion Iraq war supplemental. The House already approved the war supplemental with immigration provisions that include national standards for driver's licenses, tougher asylum requirements, and authority to waive environmental laws to build a border fence near San Diego, California.
[ 121236_minutemenreport041805.mp3: DC IMC minutement report - 0:49 ]
[3:00] San Diego Living Wage / Wash U. St. Louis Living Wage Sit-in
After nearly four years of hard work by the San Diego Living Wage Coalition, last week the San Diego city council voted 5 to 4 to adopt a Living Wage Ordinance for the city. The orginance, which applies to employees of private companies under contract with the city, will bring two thousand workers and their families outt of poverty say organizers.
DJ Lotus of San Diego Indymedia spoke to Paul Carr of the Center for Policy Initiatives about the campaign.
[ sd-living-wage-clip.ogg: San Diego Living Wage - 1:10 ]
And at Washington Universtity, in St. Louis Missouri, 14 students sat in an admissions building and initiated a hunger strike to demand a living wage for the food, janitorial, and service workers of their university. 65 other students and professors have joined in solidarity fasts and Missouri state Representative Maria Chappelle-Nadal has joined sit-in.
San Diego Indymedia also spoke to Danielle at Wash. U. in St. Louis about the sit-in.
[ st-louis-living-wage-clip.oggst. louis clip - 1:12 ]
Thanks to Lotus and Radio Active Radio San Diego for those interview excerpts.
[5:00] Strike at Univ. of California
On April 14, workers and students at the University of California held a statewide 1-day strike. The strike affected campuses throughout the UC system, including campuses in San Francisco, Santa Cruz, Davis, and Berkeley. The UC workers went on strike to demand better pay, advancement opportunities, and an end to hiring discrimination.
Freak Radio Santa Cruz has this report.
[ rtb_uc_strike.mp3: FRSC report - 4:35 ]
[3:00] RNC arrests update
This past week has been filled with news in several court cases concerning the arrests at last year's Republican National Convention in New York.
The New York Times reported last week that the New York Police Department tampered with video evidence in at least one case related to the RNC protests. The police had presented a video of the arrest of a man named Alexander Dunlop to support charges that he was acting violently and resisting his arrest, an arrest which Dunlop had said was baseless. Dunlops claims were supported when a group called I-Witness video produced a full-length version of the video that the city used in court. The full-length video refuted the charges against Dunlop and the District Attorney's office was forced to drop the charges. The District Attorney's office said in a statement that a technician had cut the exculpating scenes (quote) "by mistake." According to the Times, over 400 people have had their charges dropped due to video evidence that showed police had exaggerated, distorted, or misrepresented claims against protesters during the Republican National Convention.
One noteworthy case involved Josh Banno, who was arrested for allegedly setting fire to a large green dragon float in front of Madison Square Garden during the 1/2 million person march on August 29th. Banno was initially held on a $200,000 dollar bail and charged with seven felonies. When a Daily News photographer provided photos showing that Banno was some distance away from the incident, and thus he could not have been involved with the fire at all, the New York District Attorney announced that he would drop the charges against Banno.
And on Friday, April 15th, the New York City National Lawyers Guild announced that the City of New York settled a case relating to its illegal detention of 560 protestors. The City had been ordered by a judge to release the protestors, who had been held in cramped conditions for more than 24 hours, but the City failed to comply. Several other lawsuits are pending in federal court seeking damages from the City for violations of constitutional rights arising from unlawful arrests, unreasonably long detentions, and unsafe conditions at the now infamous Pier 57 detention facility.
[4:30] Academic Repression
Throughout this season Rustbelt Radio has covered academic repression at universities around the contry. In February we heard a speech from Professor and activist Ward Churchill. He had just stepped down as head of the University of Colorado Ethnic Studies Department after a controversy erupted over an essay he wrote about September 11th. Shortly after the media frenzy surrounding Churchill, University of Colorado President Betsy Hoffman tendered her resignation. Hoffman also had been the focus of news coverage since she had defended Ward Churchill and called the campaign against him “New McCarthyism” Today WBAI brings us a report about Academic Repression at Columbia University in New York City.
[ 4:10 Academic Repression segment from WBAI ]
Thanks to WBAI-FM, our pacifica afilliate in New York City for that report
[2:00] State of Emergency in Ecuador
The South American nation of Ecuador has been under some of the most dramatic political tension in its history.
The presidency of General Gutierrez has been riddled with internal controversy since he was elected in 2002. Two years before, Gen. Gutierrez had befriended the indigenous movement and provided military support in a coup against President Jamil Mahuad, ousted in 2000 after an economic fallout that forced banks to close down and left many without savings.
After elected president, Gen. Gutierrez's friendship with the indigenous movement lasted only about six months, when he broke from the indigenous movement and began shutting down their offices and initiating violence against dissenters.
In the Amazon, indigenous groups have been battling their own war against oil companies, such as Texaco and Arco, for polluting the environment and ancestral lands. On November 4, 2003, the president of the Amazon Defense Front and environmental activist, Angel Shingre, was shot dead in the city of Coca, Orellana province. A similar assassination attempt against Leonidas Iza, president of Ecuador’s largest indigenous organization, was thwarted by his family on February 1, 2004.
These and other human rights violations prompted a visit from an international delegation of lawyers and human rights defenders to investigate allegations of threats and personal attacks against journalists, union workers, political leaders, and members of the opposition. The International Mission for the Defense of Human Rights arrived in Quito, Ecuador, on Monday, April 4.
Opposition to Gutiérrez, a former army colonel has grown steadily since December, when the president and his congressional allies purged the Supreme Court of justices who had supported a failed attempt to have him impeached on corruption charges. After the purge, the president stacked the court with his allies.
On this past Friday, 15,000 residents of Quito Ecuador took to the streets with a traditional noisy pots-and-pans protest against Gutierrez. The General responded by declaring a state of emergency, suspending civil liberties (quote) ``because of the state of internal commotion'' caused by the street demonstrations. He also dismissed the entire Supreme Court, a move which was ratified by the Congress today.
About noon Saturday, roughly 10,000 protesters gathered in northern Quito to defy the state of emergency, encouraged by the Mayor of Quito. Guiterrez was forced to rescind the state of emergency this weekend after facing mass defiance in the streets. Street protests continue to demand the ouster of President Guiterrez this week.
[1:00] Radical Radio under attack in Mexico City
Tuesday, April 12, Radio Zapote, a free radio transmitting from the National School of Anthropology and History (ENAH) in Mexico City, received word from a school official that they were to be evicted in two weeks. The news came as a surprise to members of the radio's collective, who, in constant dialog with the school, were only incidentally informed of the intention of eviction.
Radio Zapote began transmitting in 2001, when the caravan of the Zapatista Army of National Liberation (EZLN) made its home in the ENAH while in Mexico City. It continues in its communitarian goals, providing the resource of radio to professors, students and workers in the school, and whoever else decides to participate, transmitting music, news, and cultural information on 94.1 FM and on the Internet.
Zapote is the only anthropology based radio station transmitting on the internet from Latin America. For years it has transmitted forums, discussions and events from the school. The radio is an integral part of the life of the university and the independent media movement in Mexico City.
Wrapup
You can read more about our global news stories by visting I-N-D-Y-M-E-D-I-A dot O-R-G. We'll be back after a brief break.
[4:00 or 10:00] Bad Cop No Donut
Every week Rustbelt Radio features news of police misconduct from around the region, brought to us by the weekly program Bad Cop No Donut.
[ bcnd_edit.ogg: BCND clips - 3:30 ]
[ bcnd_taser.ogg: optional BCND taser segment - 6:11 ]
That was our weekly police misconduct update from CKLN Toronto. The full 30 minutes of the weekly program Bad Cop No Donut is available online from radio (dot) indymedia (dot) org.
[5:00] Media Minutes
This week we will also be featuring news focusing on recent developments in the Federal Communications Commission, restrictions of lower-power radio and internet media restrictions.
Thanks to for that report
...
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Features
Intro
That was .... Welcome back to Rust Belt Radio, the Pittsburgh Independent Media Center's weekly review of news from the grassroots.
[10:00] voices for animals
This week, our featured local activist group is voices for animals of western pennsylvania. Rustbelt caught up with some members of VFA last Friday in front of Pittsburgh's mellon arena, where the group gathered with signs and leaflets to protest the opening night of the shrine circus.
vfa.ogg
That was ... on WRCT Pittsburgh. You're listening to Rust Belt Radio. Next week will feature the Pittsburgh Fight for Lifers association, a local group of Prison activists.
[8:00] War-Tax Resisters
Every April 15th, 200 million Americans rush to finish their taxes on time. Last week, post offices stayed open until midnight and lines formed around the corner for people who waited until the last minute. The smart ones avoid the rush and did their taxes months in advance, even online, but there's a growing group of people who have decided not to pay federal income taxes at all.
People choose not to pay their taxes for many reasons, but for members of a group called "war tax resisters," refusing to pay taxes is a moral issue. They use the slogan "If you work for peace, stop paying for war" and argue that every dollar that Americans pay in taxes increases the US government's ability to bomb Iraqi villages or to covertly aid repressive governments around the world.
Free Radio Santa Cruz brings us this interview with a member of the National War Tax Resistance Coordinating Council to talk about the war tax resistance movement.
Tonight, immediately after this program ends, several people from the group Conscience will speak on counter-recruitment and related issues at the Pittsburgh Public School Board Meeting at 7pm. The school board meeting is held at 341 South Bellefield Ave. in Oakland, Conference Room A.
This week the Thomas Merton Center video collective will be showing 3 short movies about OCAP: The Ontario Coalition Against Poverty. The video showing will be at the Thomas Merton Center (5125 Penn Ave. in Garfield), Tuesday at 6pm.
*Wednesday, 20 April 2005 is the National Day of Silence a day of remembrance, and those who participate are silent to represent those who have been silenced by hatred. For more information you can contact allies@andrew.cmuSTOPSPAM.edu or 412-335-0976
*Also on Wednesday april 20th the Thomas Merton Center's Healthcare Campaign will be protesting Sky Bank at their shareholders meeting in Cleveland Ohio.
*The Community Design Center of Pittsburgh (CDCP) and the Pittsburgh Civic Design Coalition will host a Mayoral Candidates Forum focused on Design, Community and Quality of Life. This will take place at David L. Lawrence Convention Center, Lecture Hall at 6PM on Wednesday April 20th
Outro
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Thanks for tuning in to Rust Belt Radio here on WRCT Pittsburgh and WVJW Benwood.
Our hosts this week are [ ______ ] and [ ______ ] with additional contributions from [ Carlin, Abie Flaxman, Andalusia Knoll, David Meieran, Daniel Papasian, Quinten Steenhuis and Matt Toups ]. This week's show was produced by [ ______ ]. Special thanks to all of our hosts, producers, and contributors.
Rustbelt Radio would like to give a special thanks to our generous financial supporters who recently enabled us to purchase crucial audio recording equipment. We greatly appreciate the contributions of Robert Soloff and Chad Dougherty. We still need funds to cover the costs of recent equipment purchases for this program, so if you can contribute please contact us; Monday evenings at: 412-621-9728 , or anytime by email: radio (at) indypgh.org
Also, your story submissions are welcome at Rustbelt Radio! To get involved or to send us your comments, email RADIO at I-N-D-Y-P-G-H dot ORG. All of our shows are available for download on our website at RADIO dot INDY-P-G-H dot ORG
Tune in next week at this time for another edition of Rust Belt Radio, the Pittsburgh Independent Media Center's weekly review of the news from the grassroots, news overlooked by the corporate media.
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