September 12, 2005: Rustbelt Radio

Intro

Welcome to the fall season of Rustbelt Radio, the Pittsburgh Independent Media Center's weekly review of 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...

• Pittsburgh residents concerned with low income peoples' access to healh care gathered at the Allegheny Unitarian Universalist Church on the North Side, we'll have a report
• We will speak with Sabira Bushra of The Partnership for Minority HIV/AIDS Prevention about the film AIDS Warriors
• The Bring the Troops Home Now tour, including Cindy Sheehan, was in Pittsburgh over the weekend, and Rustbelt Radio was there
• and we're have more independent reports from the tragedy on the Gulf Coast, as activists deliver aid, GLBT refugees face discrimination, and New Orleanians displaced in Houston hold a second line.

but first, these headlines from Pittsburgh Indymedia.

Headlines

Local News

[0:30] Caterpillar increases support for Carnegie Mellon Red Team

On August 25th, Caterpillar incorporated announced increased support for Carnegie Mellon's Red Team autonomous vehicle project. Red Team is a project that is working on building a driverless hummer that is capable of navigating barren desert terrain without any human interaction.

The project is an entry into a contest ran by DARPA: the Department of Defense's research agency. Supporters point to the peaceful applications of autonomous vehicles, whereas critics have pointed out that the parameters for the contest are more similar to Iraq and Afghanistan than any other terrain. They cite this project as another example of Carnegie Mellon's ties to the military-industrial-academic complex.

[5:00] PA bill would disenfranchise ex-felons

Last Tuesday the Black Political Empowerment Project, or B-PEP, held a press conference to denounce House Bill 1318 at the Hill House in Pittsburgh's Hill District. That bill contains language that would overturn the current right of felons in the state of Pennsylvania to regain their voting rights upon release from prison. B-PEP was joined by representatives from the ACLU, Hill House, Pittsburgh Housing Authority, the Thomas Merton Center, ACORN, the Nation of Islam, PA Coalition of Young Democrats, and Black & White Reunion. All of these groups came together with Dwane Kirks, recently released from prison, to oppose this legislation. They are calling it a violation of civil rights that unfairly disenfranches minorities.

B-PEP is calling on Governor Rendell pledge to veto any such act, and also calls on the PA State Senate to oppose the legislation. Rustbelt Radio spoke with Tim Stevens of B-PEP about his coalition's campaign against this bill.

• [ phone interview - 4:14 ]

[1:00] Bad Cop, No Plum

A Plum Borough patrolman has been suspended after the FBI charged him with witness intimidation. Officer Ryan Schneiderlochner faces up to 20 years in prison if convicted.

This case is just the latest out of the FBI investigation of the Plum Borough department in eastern Allegheny county. Litigation and criminal allegations involving officers, and the former chief of this department, have been ongoing for more than five years.

Police Chief Robert Payne promised that officers would be removed from duty if the investigation warrants. Payne has previously said the probe involves several officers and that his department is cooperating with investigators.

The charges and investigation center around a number of civil rights violations, and other matters such as insurance fraud and missing evidence. The details surrounding these investigations have not been released by FBI, due to ongoing and pending cases.

[7:00] Bring Them Home Now Tour Visits Pittsburgh

This Sunday Cindy Sheehan and the Bring Them Home Now Tour stopped in Pittsburgh on their journey from Crawford to Washington. The Thomas Merton Center organized a speak-out at flagstaff hill and a march from there to soldiers and sailors hall. Local groups turned flagstaff hill into a temporary camp site, named Camp Neil in honor of Army 1st Lt. Neil Anthony Santoriello who was from Pittsburgh and was killed in action August 13 2004.

Neil's mother Diane Santoriello spoke about how she came to believe that we must bring the troops home now.

• dianesantoriello.ogg (3:39)

Other parents of killed soldiers also spoke, including Cindy Sheehan.

• s11.ogg: varoius voices from the sept. 11 rally on flagstaff (3:04)

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.

[4:00] Refugees for Refugees

Suheir Hammad knows about being a refugee. She was born in Jordan to Palestinian refugee parents and moved to Brooklyn, New York, when she was five years old. Since putting down roots in New York she has become one of the city's pre-eminent poets, and over the weekend she hosted an event there called "Refugees for Refugees" in support of the people forced from their homes in New Orleans.

Suheir spoke with Deepa Fernandez on WBAI's Wake Up Call, and ended the interview with a poem she wrote.

• refugee_edit.ogg: refugee audio, 4:10

That was New York poet and Palestinian refugee Suheir Hammad.

[2:00] Trans Refugee Arrested

20 year old Arpollo Vicks and her 16 year old cousin thought they were lucky to have been able to get out of hurricane ravaged New Orleans. But their flight to safety turned into a nightmare after being arrested for using the women's shower at an emergency shelter at Reed Arena at Texas A&M University.

Vicks, a substitute teacher at a middle school in New Orleans, and her cousin, both preoperative transsexuals, said they felt safer using the women's showers.

They were arrested Sunday by Texas A&M campus police and charged with criminal trespass. Vicks was held for six days in an isolation cell in the Brazos County Jail. With no money and no way of getting any because of the hurricane, she was unable to pay raise the $6000 bail bond.

David Smith of the Human Rights Campaign in DC called the provost of the university and said (quote) "What you've done is take two victims of one of the worst natural disasters in history and arrest them when all they wanted to do is take a shower." (end quote)

After many calls to the district attorney and to Texas A&M from civil rights advocates across the US, the charges were dropped Friday and Vicks was returned to the shelter. But she had not as of Friday evening received an apology.

Vicks told the College Station Eagle (quote) "I don't think I should be here. It's foolish. This is nothing to be in jail for. I live like this. This is my life."

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.

[3-8 min] Astrodome second-line in Houston (music break)

Over the weekend in Houston, a traditional New Orleans second line was held at the Astrodome. The Treme Brass Band played with other New Orleans brass bands to support the New Orleanians struggling to survive in the Astrodome. Thanks again to the hard work of KPFT's Renee Feltz, we bring you these sounds from Houston. Rustbelt Radio will be back after this break featuring music and voices from the Astrodome.

• second_line_edit.ogg: music break with interview at the beginning

Features

Intro

That was music from the second line held at the Houston Astrodome with displaced New Orleans residents and brass bands.

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

[11:30] Charity Care

(this story has its own intro)

• charitycare.ogg:

[ Break ]

You're listening to Rust Belt Radio.

[15:15] PMHAP

For this week’s grassroots feature we will speak with Sabira Bushra (sa-beer-a Bush-ra) of The Partnership for Minority HIV/AIDS Prevention a nonprofit, community-based organization committed to the international principles that the HIV/AIDS pandemic is not hopeless and that sexual/reproductive health care is the right of every person.

As part of their educational efforts, PMHAP is screening the film AIDS warriors on PCTV Channel 21. AIDS warriors will air this Thursday September 15th at 7:00 pm, Friday September 16th at 10:00 pm and Saturday, September 17th at 11:00 pm. We spoke with Sabira about the movie, and the issues surrounding HIV/AIDS prevention both at home and abroad.

• pmhap.ogg: 14:36

That was Sabira Bushra of the Partnership for Minority HIV/AIDS Prevention. For More information you can go to www.pmhap.org or 412.241.5960. Once again the movie AIDS Warriors will be airing Thursday at 7PM, Friday at 10PM, and Saturday at 11 PM on PCTV Channel 21.

Ending

[1:30] Calendar of events

And now we present the Indymedia calendar of events:

• Tuesday, September 13th at 7:00 pm there will be a film screening by the Womens International League of Peace and Freedom and discussion of the recent footage of Fallujah at Tazza D'Oro on North Highland Avenue at Bryant St.
• Every night this week at 8:00 pm, Pittsburgh Filmmakers screening room on Melwood will be showing films from the Amnesty International 2005 Film Festival
• On PCTV channel 21, the show Courting Controversy, Don Kovalik of the United Steelworkers will join host Bruce Krane to discuss the role of US Corporations in terrorism in Colombia. That's tomorrow night at 8PM, and again Thursday at 9AM, on PCTV channel 21.
• Friday, September 16th at 10:00 am is the Protect Social Security Town Meeting at the City County Building, 414 Grant St in the City Council Chambers 5th floor
• Also on Friday, September 16th at 11:00 am is the Pittsburgh Mercury Forum at the Regional Enterprise Tower downtown, 425 6th Avenue on the 31st Floor.
• Saturday, September 17th at 10:00am there is the Fight for Lifers meeting at the Thomas Merton Center, 5125 Penn Avenue in Garfield

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 Jessie Buckner, Abie Flaxman, and Jessica McPherson with contributions from Danny P, Matt Toups, Abie Flaxman, Andalusia Knoll, and Gwen Schmidt. 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 news from the grassroots.