PGHIMC - Pittsburgh Independent Media Center

POG Shuts Down Military Recruitment Center in Oakland
by Nina Van Zandt Saturday, May. 14, 2005 at 12:03 PM

On Saturday, May 14th, twenty members and supporters of Pittsburgh Organizing Group (POG) shut down the primary military recruitment center in Pittsburgh. Located in the heart of Oakland, the neighborhood where three of Pittsburgh’s universities are located, the center serves as the operation base for multiple army recruitment teams.

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At 11:30am, three people unfurled a banner reading “End Recruitment, End War” at the front door, effectively blocking access to the center. Recruiters tried, but were unable to gain access to the building for 30 minutes until Pittsburgh police arrived and protesters moved onto the sidewalk under threat of arrest. It’s unclear what the effectiveness of the direct action was (we heard one confirmed report that at least one previously scheduled appointment didn’t show up).

The protest continued for another hour until the center closed at 1pm. Protesters lined the sidewalk with signs, “You can’t be all that you can be if you’re dead,” “Let’s really make it an army of one,” “Shut Down Military Recruitment,” “Recruiters Lie, People Die,” etc. Protesters handed out a hundred flyers to pedestrians about the distortions, lies, and misrepresentation that recruiters engage in to meet their quotas.

Reaction from passersby was generally positive with dozens of supportive horn honks and thumbs up. Six different people stopped to talk, including one soldier who recently returned from Iraq. The less positive responses from passing cars consisted of profane gestures from a car with air force bumper stickers along with the usual shouts of “get a job” and “hippies” blah, blah, blah.

The recruiters engaged us in “dialogue” twice. The first time was when a recruiter exiting the station pushed through two people holding signs and said, “You think you’re tough.” The second was a rather bizarre incident when a large bulldog-looking recruiter went to the station’s window, repeatedly banged his hands against the glass, and appeared to howl. Local media covered the event so there will likely be print and radio stories out in the next week.

This was the second action in POG’s counter-recruitment campaign. The campaign aims to reach those who are being recruited with alternative information about the reality of enlistment and military life while confronting military recruiters and their bases of operation. POG aims to present the recruited, as well as their parents/loved ones, with accurate and thorough information about their rights, the reality and commitments of enlistment and the recruitment process, as well as how these fit into a critique of overall U.S. foreign policy.

The next action POG is hoping to do in conjunction with other local groups will be a publicly announced protest designed to be as inclusive as possible.

In solidarity,

POG
http://www.organizepittsburgh.org
pog@mutualaid.org

The Recruiting center is located at: 3712 Forbes avenue, 2nd floor Pittsburgh, PA 15213 Their phone number is: 412-683-1057

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counter recruiting
by Nina Van Zandt Saturday, May. 14, 2005 at 12:03 PM

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the cops, the banner
by Nina Van Zandt Saturday, May. 14, 2005 at 12:03 PM

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the cops, the signs
by Nina Van Zandt Saturday, May. 14, 2005 at 12:03 PM

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