Rustbelt Radio for April 24, 2006

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.

On today's show...

• A memorial service for Pittsburgh Revolutionary Sanjulo Ber
• Cover the Uninsured Week - An interview with the Consumer Health Coalition
• A Report on Alternative Spring Break trips to Guetamala and New Orleans
• The "green scare" and government repression of Environmenal Activists
• The Ohio ACLU is concerned with documents obtained via the Freedom of Information Act on anti-war groups, and more

Rustbelt Radio show airs live every Monday from 6-7pm and again Tuesday mornings at 9AM on WRCT 88.3FM in Pittsburgh, every Thursday from 11am to noon on WARC Meadville 90.3 FM from the campus of Allegheny College, every Saturday from 5-6pm on WVJW Benwood, 94.1 FM in the Wheeling, West Virginia area, and also every Saturday at 5pm on WPTS Pittsburgh, 92.1 FM from the campus of the University of Pittsburgh.

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 for download or podcast at radio dot I-N-D-Y-P-G-H dot org.

First, local headlines from Pittsburgh Indymedia.

Headlines

Local News

[4:00] Sanjulo Ber Memorial

• sanjulo.ogg 4:52

[6:15] ACLU Ohio receives new documents via FOIA

Last week the Ohio ACLU received a set of documents in response to a "FOY-AH" or Freedom of Information Act request it made on behalf of Ohio anti-war groups. The ACLU submitted the FOIA request to the Department of Defense and local police departments shortly after NBC reported that the Pentagon was maintaining a database, called "TALON", that tracks threats to domestic military installations, including recruiting centers.

One of the newly-received documents includes an Executive Summary from the Army Counterintelligence Center (or, ACIC) that was sent to the Akron Police Department. It states that the ACIC views these "threats as a force protection issue." Gary Daniels from the ACLU tells us more.

• ACLU ohio interview (5:00)

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.

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 Sources around the world.

[1:00] Buffer zone laws unconstitutional

Buffer zone laws regulate how close protesters can be to women's health clinics and the women visiting the clinics. Such a law was passed in Pittsburgh last year, and similar laws have been enacted in other cities around the country.

But last week, a federal judge ruled in West Palm Beach, Flordia that their buffer zone law violates the free-speech rights of abortion protesters and ordered the city not to enforce it.

The law was enacted last October after a protester set fire to the Presidential Women's Center, which is the last women's clinic in Palm Beach County. It created a 20-foot buffer around entrances and other public areas outside health-care facilities.

[1:00] Immigrant Raids

In what is being called the largest-ever raid on undocumented workers, 1,187 people were taken from their workplaces and arrested on April 20th by the Department of Homeland Security and local police. While the story is still unfolding, it appears that 275 workers have already been deported to Mexico, while the rest are being processed. The raids occurred in 26 states, including California, where workers in both Riverside and Fresno were rounded up. All the workers are said to be employed by IFCO Systems North America - an international corporation that builds wood pallets for shipping. 7 company managers are also facing immigration-related charges.

Activists insist that this latest assault on immigrants is an attempt to intimidate and repress the growing movement that has seen millions in the streets of communities across the country. Meanwhile, families remain concerned about the status of their loved ones, many of whom have lived and worked in the United States for decades, own homes, and have little children.

[4:00] World Bank and International Monetary Fund spring meetings in DC

The annual spring meetings of the World Bank and International Monetary Fund were held this past weekend in Washington, DC. Activist groups gathered outside the meetings and dressed up as a group of health inspectors called "People's Department of Health." As international delegates passed, they gave a report on the effects of these financial institutions on public health around the world.

• audio from DC IMC [3:22]

Thanks to Mike Flugennock for that recording. Also during weekend meetings, groups interrupted a press conference by World Bank President Paul Wolfowitz, displaying a banner that read "World Bank Finances Corporate Corruption." Wolfowitz's Maryland house was also picketed, and demonstrations were held at the offices of the contractors Halliburton and Bechtel, who receive funds from an arm of the World Bank called IFC or International Finance Corporation.

[3:00] Pro-democracy demonstrations in Nepal

On Saturday, hours after the king of Nepal made an offer to "hand power back to the people" (without any mention of giving up the throne), 100,000 protestors gathered on Kathmandu's Ring Road to march to the royal palace. Police have used tear gas and live ammunition, including rubber bullets, to suppress protests. More than 100 people have been hospitalized. In a press statement, Maoist demonstrators described the royal offer as "a show of feudal arrogance and an insult to the great human sea that has taken to the streets."

To date, at least 3000 demonstrators have been jailed in Nepal from the past two weeks' demonstrations. The government warned that anyone caught violating a curfew would be shot on sight. On Wednesday, four people were killed and dozens more injured when police shot at another demonstration in an eastern town. Police reportedly directed the protesters towards a stadium before they opened fire.

Protests were in opposition to the rule of King Gyanendra, who seized power through a political coup last year. Two weeks ago, the government started to crack down on protests by imposing a daytime curfew and arresting hundreds of activists, several of them journalists. Despite the curfew, thousands of demonstrators took to the streets.

The government shut down nationwide cell phone service in an attempt to freeze dissent, as cell phones and text messaging were used for organizing protests. A coalition of seven parliamentary parties and the Maoist party are leading the pro democracy demonstrations with such strategies as a general strike and a halt to transportation.

Meanwhile, three leading human rights groups-- Amnesty International, Human Rights Watch, and the International Commission of Jurists-- are calling for targeted sanctions against the Nepalese government. The three organizations issued a joint statement on Wednesday saying King Gyanendra and his senior officials should be refused entry to foreign countries and have their assets frozen.

[6:00] Earth Day Repression

This past weekend saw an array of activities across the country to celebrate Earth Day. Many of these events both celebrated the earth and provided an opportunity for people to envision a more sustainable and harmonious relationship between human societies and the planet we inhabit. However, many earth day events focused on the "green scare," a wave of government repression against environmental activists. There have been many educational forums and also benefits for people like Daniel McGowan, an environmental and social justice activist who supporters are claiming has been falsely accused of multiple counts of arson, property destruction, and conspiracy.

In Portland Oregon the Portland Chapter of the National Lawyers Guild and the Northwest Constitutional Rights Center have sponsored forums on the criminalization of environmental activism. We will now hear BARBARA DUDLEY a professor at Portland State and former director of GreenPeace US about this crackdown on dissent.

• 4:52

[2:00] In Pennsylvania Prisons and Other US Prisons, Women Give Birth While Shackled

In US prisons and jails, pregnant women prisoners are routinely shackled to their beds. Restraints are used when prisoners are transported to and from hospitals, kept in hospitals, and while they are iin labor. Shackles are also maintained when women prisoners are in a coma.

Of 50 states in the US, only two states, California and Illinois, have laws against the shackling of pregnant inmates. A similar bill is pending in New York.

Leg irons are commonly used on the wrists and ankles of women prisoners during labor. Many women who return to prison days after having Cesarean section births are routinely denied pain medication and antibiotics.

In Pennsylvania, the Department of Corrections requires the use of restraints on pregnant women in transportation, and wrist restraints during labor. Once newborn children are delivered, mothers are restrained with ankle restraints. Pennsylvania DOC law also requires the presence of a correctional officer in the room while a woman prisoner is giving birth.

Amnesty International reports that despite DOC policy specifying that a woman must give consent before birth is induced, some women prisoners have been subjected to induced births without their permission.

According to Dr. Patricia Garcia, an OB-GYN at Northwestern University's Prentice Women's Hospital, shackling a labouring mother "compromises the ability to manipulate her legs into the proper position for necessary treatment. The mother and baby's health could be compromised if there were complications during delivery such as haemorrhage or decrease in foetal heart tones."

Stay tuned for more updates on this issue from Rustbelt Radio.

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.

Bad Cop No Donut

We turn now to this week's edition of Bad Cop No Donut where we here about a Pennsylvania police officer being charged with sexual assault against a minor.

• bcnd042006.wav (0:52)

Features

Intro

You're listening to Rustbelt Radio.

[08:45] Consumer Health Coalition

As of 2004, the number of Americans without health insurance was at nearly 46 million and growing. To call attention to uninsurance and its consequences, next week, the first week of May, is Cover the Uninsured Week. Our grassroots group of the week is an organization that is working to raise awareness of healthcare issues and to get coverage for those who don't have it.

• consumer health feature, 8:45

[14:30] Alternative Spring Break

Now we'll hear about alternative spring break, and the trips that US college students have been making to places like New Orleans and Guatemala.

• asb.ogg 14:30

Ending

[m:ss] Calendar of events

And now we present the Indymedia calendar of events:

• On Wednesday, April 26 supporters of WakeUpWalMart.com, local "Change to Win" federation members, workers, and community activists will lead a public rally and public petitioning as part of a nationwide campaign to "Help Cure the Wal-Mart Health Care Crisis." That's on Wednesday, 11:30am at Mellon Square downtown.
• There will be a May Day celebration on Saturday the 29th in West Homestead, cosponsored by the IWW. There will be entertainment, a cash bar, open mic, literature and Midnight march to Homestead Strikers' Monument. That's at the Bulgarian-Macedonian Hall, one 449 W 8th Ave, in West Homestead.

Outro

[ Outro music ]

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

Our hosts this week are Jessica McPherson and Sara Valenzuela with contributions from Judy Flaxman, Donald Deeley, Gwendolyn Schmidt, Andalusia Knoll, David Meieran, Matt Toups, Vani Natarajan and Andy Mulkerin. This week's show was produced by Matt, Andausia, and Don. 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 or call 412-923-3000. All of our shows are available for download on our website at RADIO dot INDY-P-G-H dot ORG, and this program can be heard again on Tuesday morning at 9AM after Democracy Now on WRCT 88.3FM Pittsburgh.

Tune in next week at this time for another edition of Rustbelt Radio, the Pittsburgh Independent Media Center's weekly review of the news from the grassroots.