Rustbelt Radio for June 19, 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 and news overlooked by the corporate media.
On today's show...
- an interview with author David Carter on the beginning of the gay rights movement at the Stonewall Inn in New York,
- single payer healthcare advocates describe proposals for universal health care at the state and national levels,
- plus, an anti-war bike tour rolls through Pittsburgh, courts rule on police searches in the US and Germany, criticism of the Guantanamo Bay prison, and news from the eviction of the South Central Farm in LA.
Rustbelt Radio 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 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.
We now turn to local headlines from Pittsburgh Indymedia.
Headlines
Local News
[:30] River Clean Up
12 Tons of trash were collected by over 700 volunteers during the Pennsylvania River Sweep which took place on Saturday June 17th. This was the 17th Annual River sweep which is a multistate effort to clean up the Ohio River basin. Thirty-eight sites along the shorelines of the Allegheny, Ohio, Monongahela, Beaver and Youghiogheny rivers and their tributaries were cleaned .
Participants recovered many interesting items including a three-piece drum set from Armstrong County, a complete bathroom set with toilet, sink, rugs and towels from Washington County, a hazardous materials suit in Manchester and a stolen car in Beaver County.
[2:30] No War Bike Tour
Activist Kevin [DEEM] Deame came to Pittsburgh on Monday for a concert at the Union Project. He got here by bicycle, which is no small feat, since he started his trip in Los Angeles, California. This journey, titled The No War Bike Tour, is heading across country to Washington D.C., with frequent stops for performances like the concert tonight. We asked Kevin [DEEM] Deame about the trip and the response he's been getting across the country.
That was activist Kevin Deame, who is passing through Pittsburgh on the No War Bike Tour.
[2:00] Pride in Pittsburgh
This last week was Pride Week in Pittsburgh, ending with the annual Pridefest on Saturday. This year's theme was, "Pride, not Prejudice". Pridefest started with a march from downtown to Riverfront Park, kicked off by Pennsylvania Governor Ed Rendell, and ended with booths, shows, and festivities at Riverfront Park for several hours beyond. 6500 people were estimated to attend the events this year, up 60% from last year, primarily from an increase of supportive heterosexual attendees.
Governor Ed Rendell spoke at the pre-march rally about marriage rights and the discrimination that is occurring preventing gays from being united. His efforts did remove domestic partnerships or civil unions from being a part of the recently passed ban on same-sex marriages in the state congress, though they did not prevent this discriminatory state constitutional amendement from being passed. He pointed to the Defense of Marriage Act of 1996 as being unchallenged, so said that "this constitutional amendment is totally superfluous." However, civil unions are also not recognized in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania.
Even so, the mood of the parade and festival was upbeat and festive. The day was sunny with a high of 87 degrees farenheit, and many people enjoyed the sun by mingling among the vendor booths or watching the shows. There was a noted increase of booths supplying the festival and community with information and goods related to Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual, and Transgender issues or needs; or just information which was good for the public in general. Performances on the main stage were lively and cheered on by audiences despite some sound problems as the day progressed.
Pridefest did mark the end of the week long Pride week, other events during the week included the first annual Dyke March on Friday, in which around 100 women marched through Oakland; Pride night at Saturday evening's baseball event; and a Pride film festival.
[6:00] Penn Hills Curfew Law
A curfew law went into effect on June 18th in Penn Hills Council. This law will make it illegal for people 17 and under to be on streets, in parks or businesses without parents or guardians between 10:30 p.m. and 6 a.m. Sundays through Thursdays and from 11:30 p.m. to 6 a.m. Fridays and Saturdays.
Under this new law, Penn Hills police officers will take youth in violation of the curfew to the municipal police station, where parents will be called and the children detained until the parents arrive. If a parent or guardian is unavailable, a neighbor, family friend, relative or familiar adult who is at least age 21 will be permitted to pick up the minor. For the first three offenses, minors will be fined $25 and subsequent offenses will lead to a fine of at least $50 and no more than $300. If the fines are not paid, the Magisterial District Judge Leonard Hromyak has the option to imprison the curfew violator for up to thirty days.
Sarah Kuhn the Deputy Mayor of Penn Hills explained to Rustbelt Radio why the municipal government decided to enact a curfew:
Kuhn told us that the Public Safety Director Ron Machesky helped draft the ordinance after reviewing curfew laws in other areas including Churchill, Wilkinsburg, Swissvale, Forest Hills and Uniontown, Fayette County.
Councilman Dr. J-Lavon Kincaid spoke of the positive impact he felt the curfew would bring to the Penn Hills Community.
While many people working in Municipal Government are in favor of the curfew , it has been documented that many youth are against it. The organization Student Voices of Greater Pittsburgh has an online forum where youth discuss of town and city curfews for young people.
Ian H. from Trinity High School, in Washington, PA wrote "Town and city curfews should be completely removed. These curfews prevent young people from many privileges that are available. For example, a curfew would be set at 11 o'clock and a family was in desperate need for milk, the teen could not go and get this necessity."
Santi from Trinity High School in Washington, PA disagreed and wrote
"Curfews are, in my opinion, very important. It shouldn't matter if you are 12 or if you are 17. Being that you are still under the supervision of your parents and are legally their responsibility, you owe them the respect to be home at a reasonable time. In Washington, the curfew is 11. If you look around, there is not much to do in this town after 10 pm.
There is a nationwide campaign of organizations working to repeal curfew laws. We spoke with Alex Koroknay-Palicz about curfew laws and how he felt they were discriminatory towards youth.
Koroknay-Palicz disputed governments statements that curfews help control crime.
On the student voices of greater Pittsburgh discussion forum Andrew from Monessen High School echoed this sentiment "Curfews are pointless. I feel that as long as we are not doing anything wrong, there is no reason to make us come home early. I think all a curfew really does is increases a crime rate because kids are still going to stay out late because they feel that curfews are dumb and in reality they are. Kids are only going to get into trouble for being out past curfew and nothing else, and that is going to increase the number of citations on the youth. Just because it is late does not mean that teenagers are going to commit crimes. If they are going to commit crimes, they are going to do it anyway, and there really is nothing anyone can do about it but increase the charges that can be brought upon them. All that this is going to do is put more of our youth behind bars. Teenagers are going to be teenagers, and they are going to make mistakes and do things that they should not do. I realize that the crime rate may be higher at night, but either way teenagers are going to do wrong things. I feel that this is just a part of life, and as long as there is no vandalism going on, then everything should be all right."
To read more entries from the online discussion group you can visit student-voices.org/pittsburgh and for more information about youth rights you can go to youthrights.org
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 Rustbelt 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.
[0:45] Supreme court rule police can use illegally obtained evidence
The Supreme Court has ruled that police can use evidence in a trial which they have obtained by illegally entering a home without knocking. Prior to this ruling, such evidence could not be included as evidence in a trial.
The Fourth Amendment requires police to announce their presence before making a search. Prior to this ruling, police knew that evidence obtained illegally would be excluded from a trial, and many believe that this deterred police misconduct. It is still illegal for police to enter a home without announcing their presence.
Justice Antonin Scalia was one of the five judges voting in the majority. He wrote that the reasons for requiring police to announce their presence [quote] do not include the shielding of potential evidence from the government's eyes. [unquote]
[0:30] German police can strip-search World Cup attendees without cause
A court in Germany ruled earlier this month that German police have the right to strip-search World Cup Soccer attendees without any grounds for suspicion. The court dismissed claims by a 16-year old girl that a strip-search by police before a match in March of last year was inappropriate and infringed her personal rights. The girl was one of several female fans ordered into a cabin and forced to strip naked before the match. The court ruled the strip-search was justified in order to make proper checks, adding the girl should have expected it because fans had smuggled in smoke powder for previous matches.
[2:30] Gitmo
The United States faced even more criticism recently over the Guantanamo Bay detention camp.
Over 450 people are being held in the camp. Despite being held for over four years now, few have been charged with a crime or have been given access to legal council. Further, there is the widespread belief among human rights monitors and advocates that US treatment of these prisoners amounts to torture.
On June 11th, three prisoners at the Guantanamo Bay detention camp committed suicide by hanging themselves with bedsheets. The Camp's Commanding Officer, Rear Admiral Harry Harris told the Reuters News Agency [quote] "I believe this was not an act of desperation, but an act of asymmetrical warfare waged against us;" [unquote] and Assistant Secretary of State Colleen Graffy called the suicides a [quote] “good P-R move” [unquote] in an interview with the BBC.
The three men had been held for several years at the Guantanamo detention camp. One of the men, Mani Shaman Turki al-Habardi Al-Utaybi was due to be released according to his lawyer, Mark Denbeaux, but had not been so informed by the US government. Mr. Denbeaux told the BBC that feeling among the prisoners was [quote] “hopelessness.” and went on to say that [quote] "These people are told they'll be 50 by the time they get out, that they have no hope of getting out. They've been denied a hearing...” [unquote]
The suicides, as well as the initial callous stance taken by US officials added to the ever growing criticism of the facility. This criticism led to the European Parliament overwhelmingly passing a resolution on Tuesday calling for the camp's closure. The European Parliament represents 450 million citizens of European Union member states, and is directly elected by EU citizens every 5 years. The vote was 80 for closure, 1 against.
This resolution, coming from the Upper-half of the legislative branch of the EU government, along with other widespread criticism from around the world led the US State Department to backpedal on its statements: Last Monday, State Department representative Sean McCormack said [quote] "I would not say that it was a PR stunt" [unquote] when asked about Ms. Graffy's previous statements on the suicides.
The criticism has grown to the point where it is causing serious strains between the US and EU member states. Next week, a summit is scheduled between George W. Bush and several European Leaders; many expect the calls for the camp's closure to be the major topic.
[1:30] UK Terror Raids
Two brothers who were apprehended in one of Britain's largest anti-terror raids last week have been released without charge after police found no trace of the chemical weapons they were allegedly manufacturing at their home.
Black Box Radio has more:
- bbr_uk_terror_raid - 1:14
(
NOTE to hosts don't read the indented material, that's what blackbox reads.)
Over 250 police officers were involved in the pre-dawn raid, in which one of the brothers, Mohammed Abdul Koyair, was shot. News reports at the time of the raid carried very specific details about the supposed chemical bomb the suspects were developing and carried no hint the information might be questionable.
The Gaurdian reports that over 250 have gathered outside Scotland Yard in protest of their treatment with some condemning the raid as "unbelievable." This is the second incident in which British police have used lethal force against an innocent person based on faulty intelligence. Last summer, following the July underground bombings, police shot and killed a man boarding a train with a backpack. Then incident, in which Brazilian citizen Jean Charles de Menezes died, caused an uproar in Europe and demands by Brazil for an official apology.
In the current case, the two brothers were held as suspects for over a week while police and MI5, Britain’s intelligence agency, sparred over the mixed-up intelligence. Their lawyer, Gareth Pierce, said the two were finding it difficult to re-enter their daily lives and that compensation would be sought, possibly totalling 6 hundred thousand pounds. The size of the damages will prompt police to think twice in future before carrying out such raids, it was claimed.
That was a report from Black Box Radio. The protestors outside Scotland Yard wore Brasil soccer jerseys to show solidarity with the late Jean Charles de Menezes. The Menezes family has refused to accept Tony Blair's apology for the police shooting him in the head seven times.
[0:30] EPA to (slowly) eliminate use of AZM
In response to a lawsuit filed by the United Farmworkers of America and other farmworker groups, the Environmental Protection Agency, or EPA, has announced it will begin phasing out use of a toxic pesticide. Azinphos-methyl, or AZM, the pesticide, is used on different food crops, and was derived from nerve agents used during World War II. The EPA found in 2001 that AZM was dangerous to farmworkers, but kept it on the market. In last week's announcement, the EPA said that all uses of AZM would be eliminated by 2010.
[1:00] Repression against Oaxacan teachers
On, Wednesday morning in Mexico, state and federal police committed yet another act of severe repression, this time against the public school teachers of Oaxaca. The teachers had maintained a sit-in, in the city center for 23 days in order to protest for better working conditions. In the early hours of Wednesday the 14th, over 3000 police moved in to evict the teacher's encampment. Using tear gas, smoke grenades, stun grenades and firearms, the police evicted the 70,000 workers who comprise Section 22 of the National Union of Education Workers . Reports estimate there were 11 detentions, 75 people wounded, and 11 killed, including three children and a pregnant woman. The Teachers Union office building was also broken into and the installations of Radio Plantón were destroyed. Radio Planton was the un-licensed community radio station that had been set up one year ago as a point of independent media and information distribution in Oaxaca.
In addition, the office of human rights workers who are representing the teachers, was broken into by unknown people, who deleted electronic files containing information about the detainees.
In response to the events, 20 municipal buildings were seized by teachers and family members in the communities surrounding oaxaca.
Mexican citizens are denouncing the attack against the teacher's as another " Atenco."
[4:15] South Central Farmers Evicted, Farm Destroyed
In November 2005, Rustbelt Radio reported on the ongoing crisis at the South Central Los Angeles Farm. This 14 acre community garden is the nation's largest urban farm worked by 350 families for over 13 years in order to feed themselves and their neighbors. Many of the farmers are immigrants from Mexico, El Salvador, Guatemala, and other Central American countries. Last Tuesday, June 13th, the 3 year struggle to save the farm from corporate developers finally came to a head.
Ralph Horowitz, a real estate developer and the owner of the 14 acre property, demanded 16 million dollars for the purchase of the land. After several months the farmers’ were able to raise the money. Despite the fact the South Central Farmers came up with the funding to purchase the land, Horowitz refused the offer and continued with the eviction of the farmers.
The farmers, their families, and other supporters had been maintaining a presence in the farm for weeks, after the occupants received their eviction notice several weeks ago. At 5Am on Tuesday morning, while 100 people were camped inside the farm, a combined force of hundreds of sheriffs, LAPD, fire department workers and bulldozers arrived to carry out the eviction process.
Dozens of protestors locked down around a tree inside the farm, while hundreds of protesters were surrounding the fence around the farm to provide support. Throughout the protests, approximately 66 activists were arrested.
By 10AM, bulldozers had moved in to begin destroying the corn, flowers, medicinal plants, vegetables, fruits and some of the 600 trees that have been cultivated for more than 13 years by the farmers.
Farmers and supporters cried as they watched their years of work being destroyed in order to make way for a new building.
We now hear voices from the protestors at the Farm:
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.
Music Break
- No Knock by Gil Scott-Heron
Features
Intro
That was Gil Scott-Heron. You're listening to Rustbelt Radio.
[12:00] David Carter on Stonewall Riots
The Stonewall Riots of 1969 are considered the launching point of the modern gay rights movement. Rustbelt Radio now presents an interview with David Carter, the author of
Stonewall: The Riots that sparked the gay revolution, who spoke with Dred-Scott Keyes on WBAI’s "The Morning Show". David Carter begins by describing the Stonewall Inn, the bar where the conflict began.
- [[http://docs.indymedia.org/pub/Local/PghRadioEverGreens/Stonewall-Davids-Master.ogg][[11:33] Dred-Scott Keyes interviews David Carter about Stonewall Riot]]
That was David Carter, the author of
Stonewall: The Riots that sparked the gay revolution, discussing the beginning of the gay rights movement with Dred-Scott Keyes on WBAI's "The Morning Show".
[14:30] citizens' hearing on healthcare reform
46 million Americans, and 1.5 million Pennsylvanians, do not have health insurance. In response to this healthcare crisis, there is a growing movement to abolish private insurance and enact a universal healthcare system. The Pennsylvania Healthcare Solutions Coaltion recently held a Citizen’s Hearing on Healthcare Reform to inform Pittsburghers about universal single-payer healthcare proposals that have been introduced at the state and national levels.
Pennsylvania State Senator Jim Ferlo, who introduced the single-payer proposal SB 1085 into the Pennsylvania senate:
We'll now hear excerpts from question-and-answer on the single-payer proposal with Jim Ferlo, as well as Attorney Steven Larchek and pediatrician Scott Tyson, who helped to draft the bill.
- 1085-fund [2:50] (all three clips played back to back)
- 1085-bus [1:00]
- transition.wav
SB 1085 combines universal coverage with malpractice reform. Under the proposal, malpractice insurance would be eliminated. Instead, a program is created that provides a reasonable and immediate set of benefits to anyone injured by their medical care, regardless of how careful the health care provider may have been. Consumers may also choose to pursue the traditional fault-based restitution.
That was attorney Steven Larchek. State Senator Jim Ferlo:
The forum also featured discussion with Michigan representative John Conyers, who has introduced a bill for national universal healthcare coverage into the US house of representatives. The bill, HR 676, would essentially expand the medicare system to cover everyone, and increase the services provided to include elder care, drug and alcohol treatment, and mental health, as well. Under a system similar to the Pennsylvania bill, the national proposal would be funded by a 3.3 percent payroll tax. In both cases, the projected funds would be sufficient to cover costs because the new system would eliminate private insurance, and thereby remove administrative costs and insurance profit margins.
We'll hear an excerpt from the question-and-answer with Representative John Conyers.
Although the national bill does not include malpractice insurance reform, Conyers addressed the subject:
- conmal [1:15]
- Ins-opp [1:07]
That was Michigan representative John Conyers speaking on a proposal for universal healthcare.
[2:00] Outro
And now we present the Indymedia calendar of events:
- Right now, Monday night until 9 PM, The No War Bike Tour hosts a free concert with free food and free drink that features music by Vale and Year and Omar Abdul at the Union Project Great Hall on Negley Ave in Highland Park.
- This Thursday June 22nd, at 7pm, come hear Frida Berrigan give a presentation about her experiences with the Catholic Worker and Witness Against Torture's direct action campaign to shut down the Guantanamo Bay detention center, as well as her work on war profiteering and nuclear weapons. This event will be held at CMU’s Porter Hall 100, in Oakland. For more information contact 412-371-3607 or Jessica @ pittsburghendthewar.org
- On Friday the 23rd at noon, there will be an Anti-Torture March and Rally Protest to shut down Guantanamo. A Brief rally will be held at Market Square followed by a march to the Federal Building, Downtown.
- Friday June 23rd begins the 2nd annual Bike Fest sponsored by Bike Pittsburgh. This twelve-day festival will include several events each day, such as themed rides, movies, races and lectures. For more information about Bikefest, go to www. Bike dash pgh dot org.
- The Western PA Committee to Free Mumia Abu Jamal invites everyone to Muhammad Mosque in Wilkinsburg at 5 pm on Saturday the 24th to hear Pam Africa and Julia Wright, present a documentary on the French campaign to Free Mumia. The Muhammad Mosque #22 is located at 1001 South Avenue in Wilkinsburg. For more information contact: Saleh at 412-654-6047 or salehw@ yahoo.com
- And finally, this Sunday June 25th from 4 to 6 pm, come to the Thomas Merton Center to celebrate activist Emma Goldman’s birthday with a cakewalk, customized Dance Dance Revolution game, and a screening of animations made in collaboration with local youth and seniors For more information on this event, go to www. Dance dance revolutionary . org. The Merton Center is located at 5125 Penn Avenue in Garfield.
Thanks for tuning in to Rustbelt Radio here on WRCT Pittsburgh, WARC Meadville, WVJW Benwood and WPTS Pittsburgh.
Our hosts this week are Matt Toups, Andalusia Knoll and Morgan Ress... with additional contributions from Carlin Christy, Andalusia Knoll, Jessica McPherson, Gwen Schmidt, Abie Flaxman, Jessi Berkelhammer, and Morgan Ress. This week's show was produced by Donald Deeley. 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.
radio.indypgh.org
Rustbelt Radio for June 19, 2006 [ogg vorbis]
by Indymedia Rustbelt Radio collective
Tuesday, Jun. 20, 2006 at 1:21 AM
radio@indypgh.org 412-923-3000 WRCT 88.3 FM
audio: 
ogg vorbis at 18.5 mebibytesaudio: ogg vorbis at 18.5 mebibytes
radio.indypgh.org
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