August 8, 2005: Rustbelt Radio

Intro

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...

• We will speak to Grady McFarlane, a former employee of the Lemington Center about the recent closure and the history of the Center
• We hear from members of the local group Food Not Bombs, who have been serving free vegetarian food to Pittsburgh's homeless for over 10 years
• they City of Pittsburgh is considering a new law to crack down on panhandling -- we'll hear from local homeless about their view of the law
• this past Saturday young and old gathered in Oakland to march and rally against military recruiters, shutting down the Forbes Ave. Army recruiting center for the day. And later in the afternoon a crowd assembled in front of the Software Engineering Institute to mark the 60th anniversary of the use of nuclear weapons on Japanese civilians.
• and over the weekend a jazz concert was held in East Liberty to raise money for a documentary to be released on the 10th Anniversary of the Johnny Gammage killing by Pittsburgh Police -- Rustbelt Radio spoke to people there about the case and about police violence today.

First, these local headlines from Pittsburgh Indymedia.

Headlines

Local News

[0:55] Environmental group seeks limits on mercury

The statewide environmental group Citizens for Pennsylvania's Future, also known as PennFuture is urging the state Department of Environmental Protection to move forward with stricter mercury regulations. PennFuture stresses the need for a state law regulating mercury emissions especially because four of the top eight mercury emitting power plants in the U.S. are in Pennsylvania. Some local legislators are resistant to tighter regulations because they feel that the federal guidelines are strong enough. Another concern raised by the regulations is the increase in electricity prices. In May the Pennsylvania DEP filed a federal lawsuit along with 10 other states, claiming that the federal rule is not strong enough and will not protect the public health. On August 16th, the DEP will go to the board and recommend that the agency move forward with creating new emission standards.

If you are interested in finding out your mercury level the Sierra Club is hosting a free hair testing on Wednesday August 10th at Safi's Salon on 2105 Murray Avenue, in Squirrel Hill.

[0:30] Study: Boards need more women

The Heinz School of Public Policy and Management at Carnegie Mellon University just released a study stating that Women are poorly represented on Pittsburgh's non-elected boards, authorities and commissions, but minority appointees have built a strong presence.

The study found that women make up 34 percent of the city's appointed board members, though 51 percent of the city's working-age population is female. Among Allegheny County boards, 29 percent of the members are women, while 52 percent of the working-age population countywide is female. Minorities make up about 26 percent of city board appointees and about 22 percent in the county. The working-age population of minorities in the city is 24 percent; in the county, it's 12 percent. About 73 percent of board members in the city and about 77 percent in the county are white. The study surveyed more than 300 city and county appointees. Three described themselves as something other than white or minority.

[1:20] DNA test frees man after nearly 18 years

Thomas A. Doswell spent 19 years behind bars for a crime he didn't commit. Last Monday he was released from prison after tests of DNA evidence proved his innocence.

In 1986 Doswell, was convicted of raping a 48-year-old woman at a hospital in Pittsburgh. At the time, Pittsburgh police identified mug shots of people charged with rape with the letter "R." Doswell insisted witnesses identified him as the rapist only because his was the only mug shot with the letter "R" under it. His photo was marked because an ex-girlfriend had accused him of rape, but he was acquitted of that charge. Police officials say they no longer mark photos of rape suspects with an "R." He was sentenced to 13 to 26 years in prison and maintained his innocence throughout ths sentence. After Doswell was repeatedly denied parole and his appeals were unsuccessful he contacted the Innocence Project. The Innocence Project is a a non-profit legal clinic at the New York Benjamin N. Cardozo School of Law that handles cases where postconviction DNA testing of evidence can yield conclusive proof of innocence.

In 1998, Doswell filed a request for testing but was denied because the motion was filed too late. In 2004, after confirming that the evidence from trial was located in the police department’s property room, the Innocence Project and local counsel James DePasquale filed a motion to gain access to the evidence and have it subjected to DNA testing. Testing was granted in March 2005.

The test results showed that the semen taken from the victim was not from Doswell. "These tests confirmed what Mr. Doswell has been saying from the moment he was charged, that he was innocent and that this was a misidentification brought about by police officers who may have engaged in misconduct," said Colin Starger of the Innocence Project. After the results were returned the prosecutors filed motions to vacate his sentence and release him. On August 1st he was able to return home to his friends and family.

[5:00] Gammage Fundraiser in East Liberty

Nearly ten years ago, Johnny Gammage was killed by Police officers in Pittsburgh.

• "its okay to kill" 0:17

Beaten to death by 5 police officers in the Overbrook section of Pittsburgh, the case of Jonny Gammage divided Allegheny County and shocked people across the world. From the beginning race was a central issue. The five police officers implicated in Gammage's death were all white. Gammage was black. Although a racially-mixed coroner's jury unanimously voted to indict all five officers, the first time that a police officer was ever indicted in Allegheny County, the eventual criminal trials were by jurors imported from the whitest corners of the State. The outcome of the case -- two mistrials and one not-guilty verdict -- led to national outrage.

As the tenth anniversary of the killing of Johnny Gammage approaches this October, Nommo productions and the Thomas Merton Center are releasing a documentary called "Enough is ENOUGH: The Death of Johnny Gammage." Sunday afternoon the producers organized a jazz concert to raise funds to complete the documentary. The Gary Bartz Quartet performed "The Challenge" at the Kelly Strayhorn Theater in East Liberty .

Matt Toups of Rustbelt Radio was there and spoke to organizers and attendees. First, Tim Vining of the Thomas Merton Center told us about the event and the importance of the memory of the Gammage case.

• Tim Vining - 1:55

Next we spoke to two local women who appear in the documentary. They told us about their experiences demonstrating against police brutality in Pittsburgh ten years ago during the Gammage case and their view of the problem today.

• dorothy and yvonne - 2:10

That was Yvonne Brown speaking about the Johnny Gammage case and police brutality in Pittsburgh.

"Enough is ENOUGH: The Death of Jonny Gammage", a new documentary about the Gammage case will be released on October 12th, 2005 on the 10th anniversary of the killing.

[3:40] Counter-Recruitment and Anti-War event

On Saturday, there was a sizeable demonstration against military recruitment and the war in Iraq. Gwendolyn Schmidt has the story:

• [counter-recruitment.ogg 3:31]

[2:45] Hiroshima at SEI

Later that Saturday afternoon, about 75 people gathered at the Software Engineering Institute (or "SEI") on 5th Avenue in Pittsburgh to mark the 60th anniversary of the only wartime use of nuclear weapons in history. On August 6th and August 9th, 1945, the United States dropped atomic bombs on the Japanese cities of Hiroshima and Nagasaki. The rally featured testimonies, poetry readings and a performance by the Raging Grannies. Chalk shadows and photographs of the victims of bombings littered the sidewalk in front of SEI. At the end of the rally, Vince Eirene, a long-time peace activist, dumped several hundred pounds of ash on the steps of SEI in an act of creative civil disobedience. He was not arrested.

David Meieran was there for Rustbelt Radio and spoke to Vince, who had been holding a vigil and fast in front of SEI since last monday.

• hiroshima_edited_2m33s.wav - 2:33

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 news overlooked by the corporate media. We turn now to headlines from Independent Media Centers around the world.

[1:00] Indymedia Server Seizure Documents Unsealed

Last October Rustbelt Radio reported on the FBI seizure of server systems used by 20 Independent Media Center websites. The servers were located in London at a facility run by the company Rackspace. Rackspace took the servers offline without warning, shutting down Indymedia groups on three continents. The company claimed they were complying with a subpoena from the FBI, but that order was sealed.

Represented by the Electronic Frontier Foundation, or EFF, Indymeda successfully sued the US Government to have the FBI seizure documents unsealed. A judge ordered the documents unsealed on July 20th, and last week documents were turned over. However, parts of the documents were redacted and are still sealed. According to the FBI the letter they received from the Italian goverment which led to the seizure must remain sealed because (quote) "The communique details with specificity the Italian national interest in keeping this matter sealed." (end quote)

The documents contain correspondence between the FBI and Italian authorities, who used a treaty between the countries in an attempt to gain intelligence about a group that posted to the Italy Indymedia's open newswire on their website.

One new piece of information from the documents was revealed: the FBI did not ask Rackspace to turn over the Indymedia servers, but only asked for webserver logs.

Indymedia no longer has any services hosted at any Rackspace facilities.

All of the unsealed documents are available from the Electronic Frontier Foundation website at E-F-F (dot) ORG.

[:20] Judge calls Bush logging plan ‘illegal’

The Bush administration removed a key requirement from the 1994 Northwest Forest Plan last year, clearing the way for heavy logging by eliminating the need to survey forests for rare wildlife and plants associated with old growth habitat. Now a federal judge is challenging this move, saying the government (quote) “violated the law by not fully analyzing the environmental effects of eliminating the surveys” for endangered species. Judge Pechman’s ruling could force reinstatement of this key element of the old growth protection plan.

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.

Bad Cop No Donut

In this week's bad cop no donut:

• 5 men in Athens accuse police officers of misconduct
• An Erie, PA officer has been arrested for assaulting his wife and her friend
• The president of the police union in Easton, PA is suspended for calling the chief a derogatory name
• and this week's taser news.

Features

Intro

Welcome back to Rust Belt Radio, the Pittsburgh Independent Media Center's weekly review of news from the grassroots.

[5:45] City proposes restrictions on panhandling

Mayor Tom Murphy’s administration introduced a new ordinance to City Council last Tuesday that could severely restrict panhandling in the city of Pittsburgh. While the new proposal might please Downtown business and cultural institutions, it may also raise civil liberties issues.

The ordinance would ban panhandling near sidewalk cafes, street food vendors, bus stops, ATMs, and lines of people waiting for admission or tickets to events. It would allow people to ask passers-by for money only during daylight hours, defined as 6 a.m. to 8 p.m. during daylight-saving time, and from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. during standard time. The ordinance would allow panhandling in public areas like alleys, bridges, driveways, parking lots and entrances to buildings and dwellings.

Panhandlers would be barred from a variety of "aggressive" actions, most of which already are illegal. Violations would be punishable by a $25 fine for first and second offenses, and a $50 fine for subsequent offenses in the same year.

The legislation is a priority of Downtown businesses, said Michael Edwards, executive director of the Pittsburgh Downtown Partnership. Edwards commented, "We wanted to get some kind of ordinance that gives us enforceable and effective legislation that can keep Downtown fun and help us attract business investment. We're trying to balance the rights of everyone Downtown, including panhandlers.”

This ordinance proposal comes shortly after the “Beggars Need Change not Coins” ad campaign was initiated downtown. The ad campaign encourages people to give their money to organizations that provide services such as food and shelter to the homeless, instead of money to the homeless themselves. The ads appear in Oakland, Downtown, in playbills, and bus and T placards.

The sponsoring groups of the ad campaign include the Pittsburgh Cultural Trust, the City of Pittsburgh Bureau of Police, the Downtown Ministerium Walk-in Ministry, and the Pittsburgh Downtown Partnership, who now also favors the pan-handling ordinance. Mike Edwards, of the Downtown Partnership, said the impetus for the campaign came last year. (quote) "We had some surveying done, and many of our stakeholders, many Downtown property owners, had noted an increase in panhandling activities, and were sharing their concerns about how it's negatively affecting businesses."

While the idea suggested by the ads has its merits, the true motivation for the campaign is made apparent by people such as Edwards who simply wish to see the homeless disappear in order to make downtown more (quote) “fun” for tourists, arts patrons, and investors.

Michael Stoops, executive director of the National Coalition for the Homeless in Washington, D.C., said anti-panhandling programs are often ineffective. He is familiar with similar programs in other cities, and has found that the campaigns rarely have the desired effect. Dayton and Cincinnati have required panhandlers to get permits, as have other cities. In Orlando they have tried prohibiting panhandling and registering panhandlers, neither of which worked very well.

"Rather than trying to keep people from giving, maybe we should ask why there are so many people begging on our street corners. Homelessness is increasing, and we think it's going to increase more because of cuts proposed by the president." Stoops commented.

Anti-panhandling advocates have been pushing city council to pass the ordinance. However, city council has asked that civil liberty issues be further addressed. Their decision on the proposal is also pending a public hearing which may occur next month.

Rustbelt Reporter Carlin Christy spoke with a homeless person, Bill Andrews, about his thoughts on the panhandling proposal:

• 3:12 Bill Andrews Final

[10:00] Lemington Center

On July 3rd, the Historic Lemington Center closed its doors after 122 years. The Lemington Center which was the country's oldest African American Nursing home encountered financial difficulties and thus closed down. Grady McFarlane a former employee of the center spoke with Rustbelt Radio about the recent closure. His wife Evalina McFarlarne also spoke with rustbelt about the History of the Lemington Center.

• gradylemington1.ogg: 6 minutes or so

Evalina spoke about the closing of the center as a terrible tragedy and the important connections formed between employees and the senior citizens who lived at the home. * evalinalemington2.ogg: 2 minutes or so

[17:00] FOOD NOT BOMBS

Food Not Bombs is a worldwide organization that began in Boston, Massachusetts in 1980. In protest to the construction of a nuclear power plant, and the proliferation of nuclear war, local activists worked to create awareness of the issue. The slogan ‘GIVE FOOD NOT BOMBS’ emerged on street stencils placed around the city.

In order to speak out against the amount of money spent on war, and the amount of food that goes to waste each day in the US, a small group of activists then began collecting donated food and redistributing it to people in need.

25 years since the creation of Food Not Bombs, over hundreds of chapters have developed across the Americas, Africa, Asia, New Zealand, Australia, and Europe. Cities and towns with a local Food Not Bombs group serve free homecooked, vegetarian and vegan meals to homeless and hungry people, anywhere from one to 7 days a week. They make it a point to serve outdoors, in public, and without permission from any city or governmental authority. The chapters of the group are decentralized and autonomous, and Pittsburgh has its own group which has been serving food since 1994.

Josh Leonard began helping with Food Not Bombs three years ago on Sundays. He also helped to start the Wednesday serving with friends two years ago. Josh discusses how the Pittsburgh chapter operates:

• Josh FNB 4:37

We also spoke to Breen Casey, who has been active with Food Not Bombs for many years.

• FNB Breen 6:12

Volunteers such as Josh and Breen spend hours each week preparing the meals. After two or more hours have gone into chopping, baking, and cooking, the food is ready to be served.

• menu for today 0:14

The group arrives at the serving location, hangs up their banner, and instantly several people began to gather around the food, saying hello and asking what is on the menu for the day. The crowd is a mix of newcomers, and regulars. Some of the people have been coming to the servings for years. For others it is their first time sharing a meal from the group. Keith Schmidt is one such person. He and his wife Missy, found themselves out on the streets a few months ago. Keith describes his experience with Food Not Bombs in Market Square.

• KEITH SCHMIDT AT SERVING 1:20 SEC

Bill Andrews, a homeless man who has come to eat the Sunday meal, says that this day of the week is the hardest to find food downtown. Food Not Bombs fills in a crucial gap in the week to provide free meals to hungry people.

• BILL AT SERVING 1:11

With crackdowns on panhandling, and increasing poverty in the city of Pittsburgh, more people will rely on the necessary service provided by Food Not Bombs. The combinations of warfare, militarization, and capitalism create a world where Food Not Bombs is necessary. While many members of the organization work to fight against hunger, homelessness, and social isolation, the movement continues to grow here in Pittsburgh and across the globe.

To get involved with Food Not Bombs you can call 412 352 9387 or 412 621- 2371

Ending

Calendar of events

And now we present the Indymedia calendar of events:

• The Silver Eye Gallery at 1015 East Carson Street is featuring photographs of communities uprooted by war in Guatemala by Jonathan Moller from Our Culture is Our Resistance Repression, Refuge and Healing in Guatemala and photographs by Gloria Baker Feinstein of concentration camps in central Europe titled Among the Ashes. The exhibit will be up until August 20th
• Amnesty International and Pennsylvanians United Against the Death Penalty are holding a vigil against the death penalty tomorrow downtown. At noon on Tuesday the 9th they will gather at the County Courthouse at 436 Grant Street, for more information call 412-241-8154.
• Also Tuesday the Women's International League for Peace and Freedom is showing a film about Fallujah at Tazza d'Oro on N. Highland at Brian St. That starts at 7pm tomorrow.

Outro

Thanks for tuning in to Rust Belt Radio here on WRCT Pittsburgh and WVJW Benwood.

Our hosts this week are Carlin Gwen and Andalusia with additional contributions from Matt Toups and David Meieran. This week's show was produced by Matt Toups. Special thanks to all of our hosts, producers, and contributors.

Your story submissions are welcome! To get involved with Rust Belt Radio, 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.