PITTSBURGH: Support Jordan
Saturday, August 15th, 2020*update: gofundme got taken down & all donations are being refunded, new fundrazr is linked below*
DONATE HERE
Archive for the ‘Local News’ Category
NLG Pittsburgh Protest Felony Defense Fund
Sunday, August 9th, 2020CLICK HERE TO DONATE
The National Lawyers Guild of Pittsburgh is hosting this fundraiser to provide badly needed financial support to protesters in our city who are being charged and in some cases held in the Allegheny County Jail on unsubstantiated felony charges. In some cases, protestors are being held with exorbitant bail demands designed to keep them in holding, and at times, denied bail all together. We believe that these severe and unprovoked charges are being used to intimidate with the intention of repressing protests against police brutality in our city. 100% of funds raised will be used directly for the legal defense and expenses of these individuals. It will also provide much needed commissary funds while they are in jail.
While there is some legal support being provided to protestors in Pittsburgh, those facing the most serious charges and have the greatest needs are unfortunately the least likely to receive pro-bono legal defense. There are upwards of 30 (and counting) protestors and organizers who have been targeted, sought out, and charged by local and in some cases federal authorities — sometimes days or weeks after the protest in question has occurred, and usually without any tangible evidence. We hope to raise as much as we possibly can to offset the insurmountable financial burden they are facing, and appreciate your support through donating and/or sharing this link far and wide. Unfortunately, it will require a great deal of money to ensure the protestors being charged with felonies receive the legal defense they truly need to fight back.
The NLG is dedicated to the need for basic change in the structure of our political and economic system. The NLG anti-imperialist and anti-racist and we strive to bring in anti-oppressive practices to all aspects of our organization. The Guild is best known for our work defending the rights of protesters through our Mass Defense and Legal Observer Programs , which have been providing legal support for movements for social justice for 50 years. Guild lawyers, law students, and legal workers observe police actions during protests, provide Know Your Rights training, track arrestees through the legal system, and provide free attorneys for protest-related cases.
photo credit: Phil Henry
You can send your report-backs, zine submissions, critiques, graffiti/action photos, demo tapes, hate mail, & memes to…
Filler_PGH@protonmail.com
We’ll try to promote your content // reply in a reasonable amount of punk time.
Send reports in email form, as an attachment, or better yet, on an easy to use (and free) Riseup Pad or CryptPad.
An Annotated Response to Peduto’s “Equity Action In Pittsburgh”
Sunday, August 2nd, 2020Anonymous submission received on 07.28.20
Annotated Response to “Equity Action In Pittsburgh” [an official press release from Pittsburgh Mayor Bill Peduto’s government].
Under Mayor William Peduto the City of Pittsburgh has taken a number of actions to drive real change and reform. He established an Office of Equity — only the fifth such office in the country, run by Chief Equity Officer Majestic Lane — and implemented many other efforts that included:
First of all, this was a renaming of the Bureau of Neighborhood Empowerment. Secondly, Ricky Burgess had this idea in 2012. Third, the office’s annual “equity indicators” report (ironically the 2019 report is late) doesn’t suggest immediately implementable policy changes, it’s only a measure of our inequity.
* Joining the Government Alliance on Race and Equity (GARE), leading to citywide training in racial equity and establishing racial equity toolkits for every City department to use when budgeting
There’s no evidence showing such training programs work. If they are to succeed, they must be accompanied by comprehensive change throughout the organization, and this is something we haven’t seen in the City’s hiring. Additionally, this contract was for a whole $26,235.
* Reforming the City’s Disadvantaged Business Enterprise program, leading to a 37% increase in contracts to minority and women-owned businesses
Avoiding the real numbers here is certainly an interesting choice. Only a portion of City contracting is subject to review from the EORC, but even that has declined in recent years, after Peduto received significant criticism. In 2019, the amount reviewed was $37.5 million, whereas in 2010 it was $272 million, and $205 million in 2017. What’s changed? Are more sole-source (exempt) contracts being procured? The budget isn’t transparent if it can’t answer these basic questions.
MWBE only refers to ownership, it’s not a panacea for a lack of equity in hiring, not to mention that a greater share of last year’s percentage are WBE, who are most often White, which is not what we mean when we say we’re demanding equity and justice for historical wrongs.
* Established the Housing Opportunity Fund within the URA, using $10 million in city funds annually to establish the Rental Gap, Homeowner Assistance, Down Payment and Closing Cost Assistance, Housing Stabilization, and For-Sale Development programs; overseeing rental and mortgage assistance programs for those impacted by COVID-19; and the citywide Roof-a-Thon which will provide a total of 24 homes in Pittsburgh between $30,000-$35,000 worth of home repairs and a new roof
In 2016, when the enabling legislation for the HOF was passed, Peduto let Council deal with bickering of how to fund it. This can be seen as completely normal in a Mayor-Council government, but what it’s definitely not is a real, “driven,” change led by Peduto. The best he did was offer his typical empty promise of directing what would otherwise be PILOTs to his proposed privately-run ONEPGH.
More recently, his Chief of Staff pushed for an increase to the AMI eligible for down payment costs (from 80% to 115%), because they’re concerned not enough young white homeowners with college debt can take advantage of it. (Original bill here, and a look at the URA website will come up short for any references to the former PHOP, which is what the exception was made for.)
When you see a housing crisis and are more concerned about helping people with above average incomes participate in the private mortgage market (aka, the status quo) than you are about building publicly-owned social housing, you’re not “driving change.”
* Established the Office of Gender Equity, released the Gender Equity Commission’s groundbreaking “Pittsburgh’s Inequality Across Gender and Race” report in 2019, and became the 6th U.S. city to approve a CEDAW (Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women) ordinance
“Groundbreaking,” is an interesting word choice to describe what Black women have been telling the City for decades. No action has been taken on the report, as evidenced by the lack of even a cursory reference to anything remotely related on this list; this is no win for equity.
* Established the online Housing Assistance Resource Portal (HARP) to connect residents to organizations and resources that will help them buy a home.
This is brand new, but even if it weren’t, it’d likely show no equity improvements. Surely we’re all aware now that the problem isn’t the lack of financial ownership in housing (aka: debt), it’s the lack of agency, control, and safety. An elected Housing Authority board, a free eviction defense program, and a code enforcement system not driven by complaints that can easily be traced back to tenants, would all go much further in terms of people feeling invested and secure in their homes.
* Proposed and signed the City’s first Inclusionary Zoning Overlay District ordinance, which requires that all new developments in rapidly growing Lawrenceville include at least 10% affordable units
Peduto has spoken out against this as part of a City-wide housing solution, and only supported this specific change because the “community” demanded it, which is the exact system of Pittsburgh parochial NIMBYism (ensconced as policy under Pete Flaherty’s Planning department, intended to produce a veneer of objectivity relative to the contemporaneous Democratic Ward Chair problems while neither he, nor any administration since, actually sought meaningful change) that has allowed our historical divides to dig in and hold on, for generations.
* Established free Financial Empowerment Centers to assist low-income residents with their personal finances, which has helped 557 people save a combined $319,777 and reduce their debts by $223,417 total
Lower income people don’t have a greater problem with financial literacy than middle income people, what they have is a lack of livable wages that allows them to make the same mistakes that middle income people do. Refundable tax credits at the City-level would do more to alleviate poverty. Paying part-time City staff $15/hr would also be a good step.
* Implemented expansion of “ban the box” on criminal convictions when applying for City jobs.
I can’t find anything to support this claim.
* Implemented a ban on salary history on job applications
This is nearly meaningless as a government employer, where most jobs are unionized or otherwise subject to pay scales, which are available for the public to see. Claims of hiring discrimination at the City have never been an issue of previous salary for exactly these reasons.
* Created the Rec2Tech program, which transforms our recreation centers into after-school learning hubs
Okay. The Northside has a total of 1 rec center. Not only are there not nearly as many tech jobs as Peduto believes in, but perhaps this isn’t a path to equity when we’re not even providing children with basic rec centers, tech programs or not.
* Joined the My Brother’s Keeper initiative, which coordinates with partners throughout the city and region to build opportunities and a brighter future for young Black men
This concept has been criticized by many people as being based in respectability politics, but all I want to say is: the impact of any project for the benefit of young Black men would be multitudes greater if you hired them to work for the city, instead of the (mostly) young white men who are hired (Police, Fire, EMS) or contracted (DOMI, DPW, Planning, Law).
Just last year, the administration pushed two bills, which Council passed (here and here), that simplify the contracting process with numerous entities, reducing transparency around contracting, and all but assuring that the City won’t hire diverse candidates, be able to hold onto institutional knowledge, or leave room for apprenticeships or training that leads to career advancement; many City staffers could be better at their jobs if they weren’t stuck managing contractors.
The City “encourages” contractors to hire 25% minority and 10% women, but to what extent the contractors actually hit those goals doesn’t appear to be publicly available, and contractor status as a MWBE doesn’t tell us anything about whether they engage in discriminatory hiring practices, nor what they do to bridge equity gaps in their respective fields. Again, the City could be the real changemaker here, offering apprenticeships to abate the systemic racism of Pittsburgh trade unions, reserve City internships for City residents, and find other ways to break down equity barriers caused by racism.
* Created the Summer Learn & Earn program, which connects nearly 2,000 underserved residents in the region between the ages of 14 and 21 with six-week summer jobs
The city has had numerous summer jobs programs in the past, this is just a straight-up weird claim. The program has also never been evaluated for having an effect on equity disparities.
* Supported the URA’s Catapult program, the business incubation program for minority and women entrepreneurs who want to start a business, or existing businesses looking to grow
This was a URA-funded program; so “support” means you thought it was a good idea? More importantly, there’s no evidence that entrepreneurship has any effect on wealth or economic mobility, nor has it ever proven to increase equity.
* Joined 12 select cities nationwide in the Mayors for Guaranteed Income pilot, to help those with low and moderate incomes
Again, another brand new thing. Without any details whatsoever, it’s hard to take this any more seriously than the failed ONEPGH privatization project. But we agree, now would be a great time to implement a local EITC and a rent rebate for the majority of residents who are subsidizing the minority who own their own homes and have homestead exemptions.
* Distributed thousands of free books to children through the Dolly Parton Imagination Library
Dolly is doing this, not the City. Why even list this? Stop it.
* Established the Welcoming Pittsburgh office protecting and supporting the city’s immigrant community
This was a national program, not an internal, “driven,” change. Ultimately, it’s a report that produced no equity driven changes, though there sure has been a lot of talking about things. Let’s never forget how Peduto conflated refugees with FBI entrapment of a vulnerable young adult.
* Improved infrastructure such as sidewalks and countdown pedestrian signals in minority communities like Homewood that were long underinvested
Homewood is being gentrified, this is nothing new. Take responsibility for sidewalks city-wide, and you’d have an equity win. The current process benefits only private contractors while being incredibly confusing for property owners to deal with, while also consuming valuable staff time from DPW and the Law Department. It would literally be cheaper to implement a 5- or 10-year program for making sidewalks accessible to all, as ADA requires, instead of waiting for every neighborhood to be gentrified.
* Won federal support of the community-driven Larimer Choice project, which includes hundreds of mixed-income housing units and a new neighborhood park space
* Approved important gun safety ordinances following the Tree of Life massacre
This is actually a wasteful lawsuit that, if won, would only serve to further criminalize the same communities harmed by our existing gun policies. It’s important to note that these bills were demanded by White people, and there’s little similar concern for the gun violence that affects Black residents, or what ordinances they want to see.
* Established the civil affairs unit within the Pittsburgh Bureau of Police, increased staffing in the PBP’s Neighborhood Resource Officer and Community Resource Officer beats, and invested further in the Group Violence Intervention (GVI) program
An increase of staffing does nothing to remove officers from patrols, to prevent them from harming people. Additionally, the PBP has a relatively low ratio of non-sworn staff to sworn officers, which increases the size of the FOP, whose members require higher pension payments than other City staff.
* Required implicit bias training for police and all City departments
There’s no proof such training works; systemic change is necessary.
* Supported use-of-force legislation introduced by state Representatives Summer Lee and Ed Gainey, and called on state leaders to take action to amend Act 111 and allow municipalities to release police body camera footage
This is not a win for equity, the bill went nowhere.
* Agreed with American Civil Liberties Union to change police interview process for applicants in effort to boost minority hiring.
Several things are happening in this sentence. The case was ultimately about subjectivity and nepotism in hiring, which, in a white supremacist system, harms Black applicants more than White applicants; it was in no way about “boosting” minority hiring, this is an obfuscation, and it’s easy to “agree” in hindsight with something you roundly lost on. Peduto has done worse at “diverse” hiring than any of his recent predecessors, even as he expanded the force to levels not seen since the 1980s and 1990s, when the wars on drugs, crime, and poverty hit their stride and ruined entire communities.
We’re also supposed to walk away from this one with the inference that minority police behave in a less harmful or racist way, or may be less likely to kill, but none of these implications are proven. “We can’t get trapped into thinking that individual police officers can change systems.”
Further, the year that lawsuit was settled (2015), the ACLU filed another for First Amendment violations, for residents cited for attempting to record officers. The main officer in that case was promoted to sergeant, in 2019, by Peduto.
* Signed President Obama’s My Brother’s Keeper Alliance Pledge, which charges the City with reforming our Police Bureau with community input
A signature doesn’t improve equity. Listing MBK twice makes this list seem extra desperate.
* Oversaw five years of declining crime rates, including the lowest number of homicides in 20 years
This is a statement of fact, not an equity accomplishment. There’s no proof that any action taken by the City has contributed to this, it’s a national phenomenon.
* Launched the Office of Community Health and Safety, which will utilize social and public health services rather than policing to respond to certain situations in the community.
This is new, it’s not an equity improvement until proven so by its work. Shifting funding from the PBP budget would be a good first step. It’s not hard.
* Collaborated with Allegheny County and CONNECT to implement a pre-arrest diversion program for people who commit low-level crimes stemming from behavioral health issues, including those whose crimes are related mental health and poverty as well problematic substance use
This is new, too. Further, it is funded by a grant from the County, and therefore requires little in terms of substantive change and commitment from the City.
In conclusion, I yield my time, fuck you.
***
You can send your report-backs, zine submissions, critiques, graffiti/action photos, demo tapes, hate mail, & memes to…
Filler_PGH@protonmail.com
We’ll try to promote your content // reply in a reasonable amount of punk time.
Send reports in email form, as an attachment, or better yet, on an easy to use (and free) Riseup Pad or CryptPad.
PITTSBURGH: Anti-Fascists Confront Armed Nazis in Bloomfield
Sunday, June 14th, 2020Statement from “some anti-fascists based in the East End.”
Submission received on 06.14.20
Timeline of Events
(Confirmed) Around 6pm on Saturday, June 13th, approximately fascists (some affiliated with the Nazi skinhead gang, Keystone United) attempted to picket The Big Idea Cooperative Bookstore & Café in Bloomfield. Within minutes, dozens of East Enders turned out to oppose the Neo-Nazis.
(Confirmed) Around 6:30, the fascists split into smaller groups and put up propaganda flyers around the neighborhood. Local anti-fascists monitored the situation, following the fascists from a distance and filming their activities.
(Unconfirmed) Around 6:45, one fascist assaulted someone who was documenting his activities outside of Silky’s Bar on Liberty Ave.
(Confirmed) Around 6:45, police arrived at the scene outside of Silky’s Bar. The police and several others separated the fascists from the locals, and two officers briefly spoke to two of the Neo-Nazis. A few minutes later the police and the Nazis shook hands and went their separate ways.
(Confirmed) A few blocks up the street, another splinter group began taunting local anti-fascists and other residents outside of Lou’s Corner Bar. As the video shows, the Nazis went to their parked vehicle. One of them pulled a handgun out of the backseat,and threatened the people filming him. The Neo-Nazis drove off shortly after.
(Unconfirmed) The gunman may be Keystone United member Josh Martin.
Pittsburgh is no stranger to the fascist movement’s violence. The tragic attack on the Tree of Life Synagogue in October 2018 is still fresh in our memories. In 2009, a white supremacist named Richard Poplawski made the front page for murdering three Pittsburgh police officers (it is worth noting that the police killings of Paul Palmer and Lamar W. Smith earlier that same year went largely ignored by the media).
In July 2018, the last time Keystone United gathered in Pittsburgh, six members of the gang were arrested for racially-motivated attack in Avalon.
not welcome in Pittsburgh; Even though many local anti-racists were attending Black Lives Matter protests in other parts of the city
Hate has no home here.
Keystone United may have retreated for now, but it is likely that they are staying with their local contacts and will remain in town for the weekend. So please, please be safe yinz. Roll with a crew if you plan on hitting the bars.
If you think you’ve spotted a group of Nazis and want to alert the community, remember the acronym SALUTE.
Make sure you come prepared if you intend to document their activities or to intervene in racist / sexist / homophobic / transphobic attacks. Always protect your identity: bring a mask, cover your tattoos, bring a change of clothes. When leaving an encounter, remember to take three turns to check for tail; you don’t want them to know where you live or what kind of car you drive. If you cannot risk a confrontation, then perhaps you can assist with coordinating communications, transportation, provide safe houses, child/pet care, alert your neighbors… anti-fascism is a community effort!
Remember: Anti community self-defense; it is something that you do. Let’s take action to protect ourselves, our friends, and our neighbors.
– some anti-fascists based in the East End
PITTSBURGH: Justice for Elijah Brewer?
Saturday, May 30th, 2020Anonymous submission received on 05.29.20
On the night of March 5th, 2020, the Pittsburgh police murdered Elijah Brewer, a 25 year-old black man from Mt. Oliver. There were no protests, no hashtags… most of Pittsburgh didn’t even seem to notice. But why?
Both the corporate media and the white liberal-left are guilty of perpetuating the silence around Elijah’s murder. The corporate media focused on sensationalizing unverified police speculations, painting Elijah as nothing more than a criminal before abruptly discontinuing coverage of the story. Likely turned off by the media’s portrayal of Elijah, Pittsburgh’s liberal-left largely dismissed or ignored his murder.
In seizing this historical moment, let us end this silence.
1) The Corporate Media
Allegheny County police Superintendent Coleman McDonough held one press conference. Despite having attended the exact same press conference, nearly every corporate media outlet presents a strikingly different narrative of events.
At 6:55pm, 3 detectives and 1 intelligence officer in an unmarked GMC Yukon pulled over Elijah Brewer (the passenger) and his friend (the driver remains unnamed) around the 200 block of East Ohio Street. The officers asked both men to step out of the vehicle…
- for unclear reasons during a routine traffic stop
- because the traffic stop was possibly connected to a robbery of a nearby Boost Mobile store
- possibly because they smelled marijuana
Then, at around 7pm…
- a “scuffle” ensued
- gunfire was immediately exchanged (no scuffle mentioned)
- [PATCH, WTAE, PennLive, WPXI, Post-Gazette]
The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, WESA, WPXI, and KDKA (CBS Pittsburgh) all report that Elijah fired first, possibly twice, and that an unknown number of detectives then “returned fire” with an unknown number of bullets, killing Elijah.
Meanwhile, WTAE, PATCH, and TribLive report that it is unclear who shot first.
During the alleged firefight, one officer was reportedly wounded by gunfire originating from…
- Elijah’s illegal firearm
- An undetermined source, implying the possibility of friendly fire.
That officer was struck in the…
Naturally, none of what has been reported has been verified given that not one of the four officers wore a body-camera, the undercover vehicle had no dashboard camera, and the police say there are no known security cameras in the area and that they’d like help finding one. Allegheny County police Superintendent Coleman McDonough explained this in his press conference by stating that all four of the detectives were simultaneously wearing official police vests and unmarked plainclothes, which makes perfect sense if you don’t think about it.
More could be said, but this is nothing new. The police and the capitalist media are just tools of a white supremacist settler state; the “facts” that get reported are either the stories that sell to racist suburbanites, or they are the stories spoon-fed to journalists by state officials. For all we know, the gun could’ve been planted.
2) The Liberal-Left
The liberal-left is equally responsible for the silence around Elijah’s murder. It is possible that some leftists in Pittsburgh may have ignored this instance of police violence because they believed one of the various corporate media narratives. Others maybe remained quiet because felt that it would be too difficult to exploit this tragedy to recruit for their organization, as that would require publicly supporting a black man who might have been “guilty.” Perhaps some on the left even believed that this extra-judicial execution was justified, because Elijah was a convicted felon and was alleged to have fired upon officers of the law.
Elijah was 25 years old. His obituary reads,
Elijah Brewer, “EZ” as he was affectionately known, 25 of Mt. Oliver departed this life 3/5/20, born to Clinton and Jarmayne Brewer 10/29/1994 in Sheridan Pennsylvania.
He obtained his GED from Pittsburgh Job Corps September of 2011 soon after getting his GED he attended CCAC to study Music and Business Management. He became a certified Fitness Trainer 3/2019. He was employed at Roots in Oakland as a Food Service Worker until his death. He enjoyed music, bodybuilding, and nutrition as well as playing basketball, reading, writing, and poetry.
EZ loved family and was family oriented, he was a well-known Rap Artist (started rapping at the age of 12) and loved his Rap brothers to no end, Nathan Freeman Jr. ( Nizzy ), DaShauntae Jones-Peeples, Davon Nichols. He believed in opportunities, welcomed challenges and inspired all who came to know him.
The authors of this article believe that the question of Elijah’s innocence or guilt is entirely irrelevant.
He shouldn’t have been pulled over in the first place. Racism and wealth-disparity shouldn’t exist in the first place. The institutional successor to slave patrols commonly known as “the police” shouldn’t exist in the first place.
We are firmly on Elijah’s side in every version of events that’s been presented, including the one where he shoots first.
We speak on behalf of no one but ourselves. We write this for those who feel similarly—to let you know that you are not alone, and that we will see you in the streets over the coming weeks.
Only the system is guilty. Fuck the police.
Rest in Power, Elijah Jamaal Brewer.
Rest in Power, George Floyd.
Rest in Power, Antwon Rose Jr.
Rest in Power, Mark Daniels.
It’s 1312 in 412,
– some anarchists
RUST PUNX RADIO (Ep. 3) || Stream New Punk & Hardcore from the Rust Belt || Anarchist News from Pittsburgh
Monday, May 25th, 2020
Rust Punx Radio is a show that highlights the latest in DIY punk & hardcore from across the so-called Rust Belt. Hosted by some kids from the Filler Distro, an anarchist zine distro, record label, and news website based in Pittsburgh, PA.
AVAILABLE FOR STREAMING ON
Bandcamp
Soundcloud
Podbean
Support the Bands:
Overstep by PREVENTION – straight edge hardcore from Springfield, Illinois [2019]
https://preventionxxx.bandcamp.com/album/your-bad-habits
44 Bomber Jacket by HIGHWAY SNIPER from Cleveland, Ohio [2020]
https://highwaysniper.bandcamp.com/album/greatest-hits
Who Am I? by YAMBAG from Cleveland, Ohio [Dropping 2020 thru Convulse Records]
https://yambag.bandcamp.com/releases
Spineless by SOLEMN JUDGEMENT from Detroit, Michigan [2019]
https://solemnjudgementhc.bandcamp.com/track/spineless
Sellout by SCAM LIKELY from Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania [2019]
https://filler-pgh.bandcamp.com/album/a-scam-for-the-big-idea
Quarantine by DECIVILIZE from Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania [2020]
https://filler-pgh.bandcamp.com/album/quarantine-single-decivilize
Green by SAP, anarcho-punk from Kent, Ohio [2018]
https://sapsapsapsap.bandcamp.com/
Ableist Lincoln by TERROR CELL from Kalamazoo, Michigan [2020]
https://terrorcellkzoo.bandcamp.com/album/demo
Best Bet by SUBURBAN DOWNGRADE from Lock Haven, Pennsylvania [2019]
https://suburbandowngrade.bandcamp.com/album/s-t-demo
Classic track of the week: The Movement by RESIST AND EXIST [1998]
https://resistandexist.bandcamp.com/album/the-best-of-discography-album
Pittsburgh Anarchist News
If you’re not familiar with the Filler collective, part of our project is to highlight local news that’s relevant to the anarchist movement in Pittsburgh.
2020’s been wild so far, so here’s a brief recap of some of the autonomous individual and small group actions that you might have missed.
Starting around March 1st, stickers with anti-police, anti-racist, and pro-neighbor messages started going up all across the East End, the most prominent of which featured a friendly cartoon chameleon and the message “Fuck Cops, Love Neighbors.”
On March 5th, ATMs owned by PNC bank were sabotaged in retaliation for the bank’s collaboration in the construction of the Mountain Valley Pipeline. In a communique claiming responsibility for the action, an anarchist crew called ‘Guerrilla Biscuits’ stated,
“Last night, we sabotaged 7 ATMs […] by jamming adhesive-soaked plastic rectangles into their card slots. It was quick, easy, fun, and no one even gave us a second glance—you should try it sometime. Whether it’s because of the cold, a health precaution, or for criminal direct action… one day we’ll all wear gloves and masks.”
On March 6th, Nazi propaganda stickers were spotted and removed by anti-fascists in Polish Hill.
On March 9th, a variety of anarchist and anti-fascist posters were seen wheatpasted across Polish Hill.
March 26th, graffiti supporting the April 1st Rent Strike went up in Bloomfield and East Liberty.
On March 30th, the North Shore Police Memorial was vandalized with spraypaint that read “fuck the pigs.”
All throughout April, the corporate media felt really sorry for all the nice landlords who didn’t get their rent checks. Won’t someone please think of the landlords?
Sometime in early April, a CCTV camera was destroyed in Oakland.
On April 13th, the Allegheny County Jail began releases hundreds of inmates due to the COVID-19 pandemic. If you want to support the abolitionist movement in Pittsburgh, we recommend checking out the Bukit Community Bail Fund and Dignity Act, among others.
On May Day, an autonomous crew coordinated out a series of banner drops in support of the 5 Global Demands which is a decentralized campaign that is mobilizing in light of the COVID-19 pandemic. In a communique claiming responsibility for the action, the group stated,
“Too many of us in Pittsburgh believe that the course of the response to this pandemic is out of our control, that we can only make the best of plans and actions handed down from on high by politicians, landlords, and business owners. It does not have to be that way… our power lies in our autonomy and our solidarity—together, we can all protect one another.”
On May 7th, several American flags were stolen and burned in solidarity with anarchist comrades facing an illegal eviction.
On May 9th, unknown individuals dropped piles of sand at the entrance to City Hall, partially blockading access to the building. The action was taken in retaliation to the city’s decision to close the Polish Hill skatepark by dumping sand all over it.
On May 12th, a gold exchange store located off of Liberty Avenue in Bloomfield got its windows smashed up.
And lastly, we’d like to give a quick shout out the folks who have escaped Pittsburgh Community Corrections so far this year. Most recent police reports indicate that at least two of yinz are still breathing fresh air – godspeed to the ungovernable!
LYRICS [when available]
Overstep by PREVENTION
“WE KNEW WE COULDN’T MAKE IT ILLEGAL TO BE EITHER AGAINST THE WAR OR BLACK, BUT BY GETTING THE PUBLIC TO ASSOCIATE THE HIPPIES WITH MARIJUANA AND BLACKS WITH HEROIN. AND THEN CRIMINALIZING BOTH HEAVILY, WE COULD DISRUPT THOSE COMMUNITIES. WE COULD ARREST THEIR LEADERS, RAID THEIR HOMES, BREAK UP THEIR MEETINGS, AND VILIFY THME NIGHT AFTER NIGHT ON THE EVENING NEWS. DID WE KNOW WE WERE LYING ABOUT THE DRUGS? OF COURSE WE DID.”
-JOHN EHRLICHMAN
AIDE TO PRESIDENT NIXON
RISING FORM,
TAKING HOLD.
PEOPLE LOCKED AWAY.
BROKEN FAMILIES.
OVERSTEP
REDIRECT
GO AND POINT THE BLAME.
OVERSTEP
SUSPECT
WASH AWAY THE NAMES.
OVERSTEP
COALESCE
MEN ARE LOCKED AWAY.
OVERSTEP
SUPPRESS
COUNTING DOWN THE DAYS.
RACIST HANDS,
PLUNGE DEEP IN.
PEOPLE LOCKED AWAY.
BROKEN COMMUNITIES
RACIST MACHINES,
OILED IN BLOOD.
CREATION OF THE CELL
OUTCAST, THEY STOOD.
VILE CONDITIONS,
FALLEN DISGRACE.
HOPELESS ENDEAVOR.
MANIPULATED,
BLINDED HAZE.
44 Bomber Jacket by HIGHWAY SNIPER
The kids in a two parent state
Content to play favorites and supplicate
And long for the glory days
And act like a false knight of hope didn’t pave the way
Gaza – 500 children dead, hospitals bombed
Billions in weapons to SAAF – while Yemenis starve
Unmanned aerial gunships snuffing out innocent lives
And meanwhile back on the homefront
Thousands of families torn apart
Ripped from their lives and deported
A typical legacy of abuse
From Clinton to Bolton
Here’s your Nobel Prize
Spineless by SOLEMN JUDGEMENT
I’m sick of the fucking nonsense that y’all spout
have you ever done something that wasn’t for yourself ?
you’ll run your mouth when no one‘s around but you won’t keep me down
you’re an enemy to no one except yourself
thinking you’re so high up you can’t get knocked down
I can stick my nose up too
I can pretend to be better than you
you’re scared senseless to face your vices
you’ll judge those for using their voices
spitting and screaming waiting to be heard
you’ll live in comfort off of those who suffer
so you could be the righteous ones
say something to my face
but I know you won’t do anything
and I just wish that you’d choke
on every shallow excuse
that comes out of your throat
God forbid you have a back bone
you ignored the cries
of your friends
who begged you to have their backs
you left a knife in it instead
Sellout by SCAM LIKELY
(sample from the documentary East of Liberty)
consensus, concessions,
new contexts, same lessons
big tents and repression,
from sellout progressives
keep wasting all our fucking time
jagoffs tow their party-line
“Dont write ACAB on that sign
Never ever speak your mind!”
radicals are burning out ,
from pushing for event turnout,
to build the org, to win reform,
to hardly change the social norm
talking heads wont ever stop,
working hard to be a cop,
but just because you pay their rent,
doesn’t meann you won’t be dead!
they’ll promise you a good career
swear that they won’t interfere
You joined up, or so I hear
Young and dumb and so sincere
now they control your agenda
escalate n’ they’ll just fire ya
protest marshal motherfucker
you ain’t no one’s compañera
Here in Pittsburgh, so called radicals are collaborating
with the Bloomfield development corporation
.
The BDC wants to bulldoze a grocery store
to build a yuppie condo in order to attract the tech industry.
and by legitimizing a ~ “dialogue” ~ thru events
that the BDC controls, these sellouts are deliberately
channeling community anger into a dead end
just so they can boost their NGO organizing careers.
From the Hill District to East Liberty, we’ve seen this before.
radicals are burning out ,
from pushing for event turnout,
to build the org, to win reform,
young and dumb and so sincere
now they control your agenda
escalate n’ they’ll just fire ya
protest marshal motherfucker
you ain’t no one’s compañera
Quarantine by DECIVILIZE
I’m trapped inside,
For days on end,
There’s no way out,
The crisis deepens.
Blaming the other,
Divided by hate,
Racist lies,
Sold by the state.
Quarantine!
The worlds on lockdown.
Isolation!
Government crackdown.
The world’s a mess,
I am distressed.
Quarantine:
the social contagion.
Green by SAP
GREEN IS THE COLOR OF NATURE’S DEATH
THE TRUMP ADMINISTRATION WANTS GREEN NOT BREATH
GREEN IS THE COLOR OF NATURE’S DEATH
THE TRUMP ADMINISTRATION WANTS GREEN NOT BREATH
MONEY RULES THE EARTH
MONEY KILLS THE WORKERS
WHO MAKE YOUR CLOTHES, TO SURVIVE
AND GET PAID SHIT
CAPITALISM CREATES DEATH
OLD MEN WITH GREEN LIES
CAPTIAL LIES
OLD MEN WITH GREEN LIES
NATURE DIES
Best Bet by SUBURBAN DOWNGRADE
This motherfucker’s gonna have it’s day.
This motherfucker ain’t goin’ away.
This motherfucker’s in disarray.
This motherfucker’s gonna make a display.
Your best fuckin’ bet, best believe, stay away!
This motherfucker doesn’t need you.
This motherfucker won’t confide in you.
This motherfucker might make it through.
That motherfucker might find out, too!
Your best fuckin’ bet, best believe, stay away!
PITTSBURGH: Black Mamas Bailout Car Caravan Targets Courthouse and Jail
Saturday, May 16th, 2020
Originally published on 05.13.20 by TORCHLIGHT,
an anarchist news website based here in Pittsburgh
Photos stolen from City Paper
Yesterday [05.12.20] a caravan of almost 30 vehicles circulated downtown, demanding that Allegheny County Jail release prisoners, especially Black mothers, in light of the ongoing Covid19 pandemic. The action was organized by Dignity Act of PA. Protesters hung signs from their cars and honked as they circled the City-County Building beside the county courthouse. After about a half hour there, the caravan headed over to Allegheny County Jail, where they stopped in front until the cops ordered them to move and started handing out tickets. Organizers then held a press conference.
Corporate media coverage was typically sparse, again, in comparison to the flood of coverage given to the right-wing astroturfed “reopen” protests last month. Only City Paper and KDKA Radio reported on the caravan.
Inside the jail, little has changed. The jail’s oversight board recently voted not to do universal testing for coronavirus. Last week Chelsa Wagner, the county controller, wrote a blistering op-ed in the Post-Gazette calling out county executive Rich Fitzgerald for lack of transparency, and questioning the testing priorities of UPMC and county officials.
Currently, jail testing data indicates 28 out of 59 prisoners have tested positive, a 45% rate. This is actually lower than the 56% from a couple of weeks ago, raising the suspicion that the jail is manipulating the numbers downward somehow. Given the crowded conditions and the number of symptomatic individuals reported to be inside, it is very unlikely that the true positive rate is going down.
PITTSBURGH: Autonomous May Day Action for 5 Global Demands
Saturday, May 2nd, 2020Anonymous submission received on 05.02.20
On May Day, an autonomous group of individuals carried out a series of banner drops in Pittsburgh in support of the 5 global demands.
In this time of crisis, it is more important than ever that we prioritize the safety and well-being of our neighbors and communities over the profits of the owning class or a quick return to “normal”. Too many of us in Pittsburgh believe that the course of the response to this pandemic is out of our control, that we can only make the best of plans and actions handed down from on high by politicians, landlords, and business owners. It does not have to be that way. With these banners, we are spreading awareness of the possibilities of collective action, hoping to foster the knowledge that we as people can make the decisions that will keep us and our people safe, housed, and secure despite the changes that the virus has made necessary. These problems are systemic, and our demands are inextricable from one another. We cannot have homes for all if we do not cancel rent, debt, and mortgage, or if prisoners are released without healthcare and homes to go to. Our power lies in our autonomy and our solidarity—together, we can all protect one another.
Demand 1: Free Healthcare
Free testing, treatment, and medical care for all. We must be able to seek access to preventative and emergency care without fear of debt or incarceration. With health insurance tied to employment, millions of newly unemployed people have lost access to medical care in the midst of a pandemic.
Even before the COVID-19 pandemic, over 2 million Pennsylvania residents had unpaid medical debt. As the health crisis continues, we must expect this number to increase dramatically. We need to radically expand access to COVID-19 testing and make healthcare available for all people, regardless of class, employment status, and ability to pay. In response to the crisis, the government has funded a $2 trillion dollar stimulus package that functions primarily to bail out billionaires. This is proof that we have the capability to take drastic measures to protect vulnerable populations during this crisis; what we lack is the political will. For this reason, the masses of unemployed and working people must come together to demand a radical new approach to health care access in this country. We need to stop protecting corporations and the exploiting classes. We need testing, treatment, and healthcare for all, and we need it now!
Demand 2: Workers Decide
Work can only continue on our terms. Guaranteed benefits and expanded insurance for the unemployed. Paid sick leave, hazard pay and worker protections for essential sectors. Any essential service must adopt strict protective measures for workers and their families.
We call on Governor Wolf and the state legislature to defend workers’ right to decide how and when they go back to work, once widespread testing, tracing and necessary protective measures have been made free, accessible, and available. Workers across the globe are communicating and organizing together to resist premature reopening of businesses and worksites. Workers in “essential” industries such as healthcare, sanitation, food production, and retail are coming together to demand appropriate protections and compensation. If workers aren’t given paid sick leave, hazard pay, worker protection, and personal and medical protection, there will be hell to pay when we strike. We demand that employers stop asking workers to risk their lives for their employer’s accumulation of wealth!
Demand 3: No Paying, No Debt
Cancel rent and mortgage payments, utility and bill collections and all debt payments for the duration of the pandemic. No work means no pay. The unemployed cannot be forced to choose between survival and settling their debts.
Prior to COVID-19, two in five Americans and three in five renters across the United States would have been unable to afford a $400 dollar emergency expense. According to reports, about 59% of Americans live paycheck to paycheck, with 44% struggling to make payments on their bills and credit card debts. In Pittsburgh, 22% of residents live at or below the poverty line, significantly higher than that of the state average of 13.3%. Comparisons of today’s economy to the 2008 financial crisis indicate that we are heading for a collapse that could eclipse the recession of twelve years ago. We cannot repeat our past mistakes. The $2 trillion stimulus package that was passed in late March must work for the people, not Wall Street.
Even with the $1200 stimulus check, many who are out of work will not be able to make their payments. If we are unable to work, we are unable to pay. The unemployed cannot be expected to bear the burden of debt during the pandemic.
We call upon the Pennsylvania state legislature to sign on to bill HR 6515 introduced by Representatives Sara Innamorato and Summer Lee of Allegheny County, Representative Elizabeth Fiedler of Philadelphia and Representative Danielle Friel Otten of Chester County, to suspend rent and mortgage payments during the COVID crisis. Moreover, we challenge landlords and banks to open their ‘rainy day funds’ to their lenders, and tenants and individuals to organize with their neighbors through the Pittsburgh Union of Regional Renters.
Demand 4: Free Prisoners
Release high-risk inmates and those held on bail from jails and prisons immediately. Release all immigrants and asylum seekers held in detention centers. Provide care for those infected and adequate minimum distance requirements for remaining inmates. Prison cannot mean a guaranteed death sentence.
Formerly incarcerated folks have reported to Jailbreak (a jail after-care support group) the poor conditions of those currently inside Allegheny County Jail. N95 masks given with the seals broken, 1 roll of toilet paper per week to be shared with a cell-mate, limited access to soap, medical care and testing, just to name a few. If the state is going to keep people in the jail, it is paramount that they treat all those behind their walls in a safe and humane manner.
Dr. Debra L. Brogen, the newly appointed Director of the ACHD, must do more. Those inside must have proper access to basic hygiene and medical needs, including testing anyone that has even 1 symptom. If Dr. Brogen does not act, the jail will inevitably become a death camp. With how easily the virus transmits we know cases are rising daily. As of May Day 2020, there are 27 positive tests for those incarcerated—out of only 48 total tests. There are over 1,600 people currently locked up. We believe in the end of the industrial prison complex. Free Them All!
Demand 5: Homes For All
Shelter the houseless. Halt eviction proceedings. Sheltering in place is the most effective way to prevent the spread of COVID-19. Open unoccupied homes and hotels to anyone who needs shelter. End the criminalization and sweeps of houseless encampments.
Housing is a human right, and collectively we have the capability to house everyone. Renters across the region are still facing the prospect of houslessness, eviction, and increases in their rent, while landlords sit idly by waiting for our rent checks. Moments of crisis such as this pandemic force us to make a choice: safety and security for the people, or profits for those who own the buildings we live in?
Seventy percent of Americans are under lockdown orders. Although banks and homeowners have been offered forgiveness for late-payments and adjustments to mortgages, many of our most vulnerable are left without a safety net yet again. In a small sample of houseless individuals in Boston, 36% tested positive for COVID-19. Other cities have created housing programs that open empty hotels to houseless individuals. Pittsburgh must follow suit. We understand that these are temporary solutions in a long, systematic struggle against the powers of privilege, property, systemic racism, and capitalism, but even temporary solutions are worth our while during a crisis such as this.
If we cannot rely on those in power to protect us, we have to take matters into our own hands by organizing with our neighbors, negotiating with our landlords, and if necessary, taking part in a rent strike. We stand collectively in agreement with the Pittsburgh Union of Regional Renters’ (PURR) call to:
- Cancel rent
- Cancel mortgages
- Extend the eviction moratorium (currently expiring May 8)
- Provide protective equipment for all workers
- Guarantee shelter to the unhomed
- Guarantee paid sick leave
- Decarcerate the Allegheny County jail. It remains inhumane and a deadly health risk.
We know that these 5 demands are not relevant only in the time of the Covid-19 coronavirus. Regardless of the course of the pandemic and the government’s response to it, these demands will continue to guide us towards a better world in which we can all thrive. These are difficult and scary times; there is no going back to the patterns of living and working we were familiar with before this global pandemic. Even scarier is the fact that this was inevitable—this moment of realization that the system we had before was not created for the welfare of all.
The needs that the 5 Demands address existed before the crisis, but have made unmistakably clear by the pandemic’s effect on a system with no extra space for those at the margins. Although COVID-19 is the immediate cause of much suffering and our response to it is our priority, the underlying problem is not the virus, but the stranglehold that capitalism holds on our lives and our ways of thinking. Until it is destroyed, we will continue to fight.
***
You can send your report-backs, zine submissions, critiques, graffiti/action photos, demo tapes, hate mail, & memes to…
FillerCollective@RiseUp.net
or
Filler_PGH@protonmail.com
We’ll try to get back to you in a reasonable amount of punk time.
Send reports in email form, as an attachment, or better yet, on an easy to use (and free) Riseup Pad or CryptPad.
Conditions Inside Allegheny County Jail Deteriorating Rapidly
Friday, April 17th, 2020
photo of ACJ inmates from a noise demo during the 2016 national prison strike
This report was originally published on 04.16.20 by
TORCHLIGHT — Anarchist News From Pittsburgh
UPDATE 2: Contrary to our previous reporting, prisoners in ACJ can buy postage stamps, but the process to do so is byzantine. A family member must access the prisoner’s commissary account to buy the stamps, which are then delivered to the prisoner’s cell. We do not know how long this takes, but suspect the wait is lengthy.
UPDATE 1: Pittsburgh Current has published an article featuring a current prisoner at ACJ that confirms much of our information, and further exposes the media coverup of the Covid-19 outbreak in the jail. 60 prisoners recently wrote and signed a letter to the media, which never appeared in any outlet. In addition a second jail employee, this one a CO who had contact with prisoners, has tested positive. ACJ has updated their statistics to reflect the new data, but has not made any further announcement. No other outlets than the Current have reported on the new case.
Torchlight has spoken with multiple sources with inside knowledge who describe increasingly horrific conditions inside Allegheny County Jail. Many prisoners have symptoms of Covid-19, but the jail’s web page indicates only 12 have been tested as of this writing. Not only have visits been canceled, but commissary purchases and most phone calls have also been cut off. With only two five-minute calls permitted per week and no way to buy stamps, contact with the outside world has become almost impossible, leaving prisoners with little ability to report on the inhumane circumstances of their confinement.
Torchlight has learned that ACJ has devoted an entire housing unit to presumed Covid-19 patients. Prisoners there are only allowed out of their cells for a few minutes a day to exercise and are not being taken to a hospital. They are also still being housed two to a cell, in cells far too small to allow for the six feet of separation recommended by the Centers for Disease Control. This is a violation of the jail’s own Covid-19 procedures policy, which states “The ‘at-risk’ individual shall be placed in a holding cell alone or with other symptomatic individuals if space does not allow for single cell housing.” Due to the recent population reduction at ACJ, space does indeed allow for sick prisoners to be single-celled, but instead all prisoners there have been packed into fewer housing units, making social distancing impossible.
Anyone who needs medical attention now has to visit the infirmary instead of having a nurse come to their cell, risking coming into contact with potential coronavirus carriers. In addition to being a public health hazard, this practice violate ACJ’s own policy for combating Covid-19, which states “Healthcare staff will be deployed to housing units to perform non-emergency healthcare requests, provider visits, or assist in other locations of the facility that have critical staffing needs.” Without being able to buy food at the commissary, the only dining option for prisoners is the cafeteria, where small tables and general lack of space add to the risk of infection.
The jail’s procedures do call for screening incoming inmates for fever, coughing, and other symptoms of Covid-19. However, they do nothing to address asymptomatic patients, such as testing for coronavirus, or the 14 day quarantine recommended by the CDC. New prisoners have been sent directly to work in the kitchen preparing meals for the entire population with no idea whether they were infectious or not. One source reports that only prisoners who hold jobs within the jail are having their temperatures taken. Any prisoner without a job has to visit the infirmary if they think they have a fever.
What sanitation is being done within the jail exacerbates prisoners’ vulnerability to Covid-19, because ACJ mandates the use of bleach. Fumes from the bleach solution used to clean surfaces are causing sickness and weakening respiratory systems already at risk.
In short, a major outbreak of Covid-19 appears to be on the verge of exploding in Allegheny County Jail, and jail officials are doing little except hiding their heads in the sand and issuing press releases. The 12 prisoners they have tested for coronavirus are 5 fewer than the number of ACJ staff who have received tests, despite staff being fewer in number. Of the 12 tested prisoners, four came up positive with one still pending. This represents at best a 33% positive rate, which is far higher than Allegheny County at large. Only one ACJ staff member has tested positive out of ten completed tests, a rate of 10%.
ACJ’s response has been to minimize the pandemic, hide conditions in the jail by cutting off contact with the outside, delay even the half measures they been forced to take as long as possible, and exaggerate their effectiveness. In this they have had the able assistance of most of the local media. For example, much has been made about the “over 900” releases in the last month – without taking into account the number of new prisoners who have been confined in that time. Pittsburgh Current (a notable dissenting voice) has released a timeline of ACJ’s response to the pandemic that shows a clear pattern of pattern of delay, lies, and callousness. Historically ACJ has dealt with serious medical problems by letting the patient die and dealing with the PR fallout later. In a pandemic that approach will be even more lethal than in the past.
Photograph from a local march supporting the June 11th
International Day of Solidarity with Long-Term Anarchist Prisoners in 2017
CLICK HERE to donate to the
Bukit Community Bail Fund of Pittsburgh
Pittsburgh Progressive Groups Demand Release of ACJ Prisoners to Fight Coronavirus — TORCHLIGHT PGH
Wednesday, March 18th, 2020Originally published by Torchlight — Anarchist News From Pittsburgh
A coalition of organizations and individuals has released an open letter demanding that Allegheny County Jail release most prisoners, among other measures designed to prevent the spread of coronavirus in the facility.
The letter is reposted below. To sign on to it contact acjcovidresponse AT gmail.com.
The rapid spread of COVID-19 has created an international public health crisis. It has now been classified as a global pandemic by the World Health Organization and declared a national emergency by the United States. In Pennsylvania, Governor Tom Wolf ordered all K-12 schools to close and prohibited all public gatherings of over 250 people, and most major universities have switched to online learning for the remainder of the school year. Both City of Pittsburgh Mayor Peduto and Allegheny County Executive Rich Fitzgerald have declared a state of emergency in their respective regions. The nationwide attempt to “flatten the curve”—to slow the infection rate so as not to overwhelm our healthcare system—has led to the implementation of many measures that prevent large groups of people from congregating in close quarters.
However, these measures do not take into account one of the most vulnerable, highly concentrated populations: the county’s jail population, composed of over 2300 individuals packed into tight quarters and often lacking basic hygiene items. Additionally, prevalence of health conditions that increase vulnerability to COVID-19—including tuberculosis, asthma, HIV, hypertension, diabetes, heart conditions—are all significantly higher among the jail and prison populations. To make matters worse, the jail’s medical capacity isn’t nearly high enough to deal with a potential outbreak within the jail; it is woefully understaffed to deal with the medical needs of incarcerated individuals as is. Many individuals will likely need to be transported to and from the hospital, further increasing the likelihood of exposure and transmission.
Because 81% of individuals at the Allegheny County Jail have not been convicted of a crime, and the rest are serving relatively short sentences, there is a high turnover rate at the jail. Over 100 individuals pass through intake on a daily basis. The result is that many individuals will enter an environment where the risk of contracting COVID-19 is relatively high, and simultaneously many individuals will also be leaving and potentially spreading the illness to others. This high turnover also increases the likelihood that staff at the jail will contract and spread the disease. All of these factors converge to create the perfect storm for a potential COVID-19 outbreak to spread quickly amongst the incarcerated population. Emergency efforts to decarcerate the jail are more crucial now than ever. Doing so will decrease the likelihood of COVID-19 spreading amongst the ACJ population and staff and subsequently throughout the region. It will also make it more manageable for the jail to provide adequate medical care to those affected.
Other counties have already taken steps towards emergency decarceration, and Allegheny County ought to follow their lead to slow the spread of the disease in the region. San Francisco County’s Public Defender has announced that his office’s attorneys will be seeking the immediate release of pre-trial clients who have a high susceptibility to the virus, and the County’s District Attorney has instructed his office’s prosecutors to not oppose these motions for individuals not deemed a threat to public safety and to strongly consider sentences of time served in plea deals. Additionally, the judges, the Public Defender, the District Attorney, and the Sheriff of Cuyahoga County in Ohio, where Cleveland is located, have agreed to hold mass plea and bond reduction hearings in an effort to release as many people as possible from the jail and reduce the impact of potential outbreak of coronavirus among this population. Many other regions are calling for or implementing similar measures. Other countries are taking strong preventive action as well. Iran plans to release 70,000 people from its prisons. Counties in the United States, the country with the highest rate of incarceration in the world, ought to be taking similarly urgent measures. The potential of COVID-19 to spread among the incarcerated population was seen in China, where the incarceration rate is six times lower than in the United States. Over 500 cases of coronavirus were reported from just four prisons in China, two of which were in the region at the epicenter of the outbreak. It is imperative that public officials act now to slow the spread of COVID-19 in the region to prevent a similar outcome.
We are calling on the county executive, county council, and all of county government and administration; judges, prosecutors, and public defenders; police, parole and probation officers to all unite on emergency decarceration initiatives to halt the rapid spread of COVID-19 in Allegheny County.
The Fifth Judicial District of Pennsylvania should:
• Immediately lift/postpone imposition of detainers of every individual held on alleged probation violations based on new charges or for technical violations;
• Immediately modify bond of those held pretrial to nonmonetary and/or “release on their own recognizance” (‘ROR’);
• Cease parole and probation revocation proceedings and terminate long tails;
• Release all individuals with less than 6 months left in their sentence;
• Release all individuals incarcerated for misdemeanors, whether pretrial or serving a sentence;
• Release all individuals incarcerated for drug possession, sex work, and other nonviolent offenses;
• Release all elderly individuals (over 50) and those at high risk of vulnerability, including but not limited those with respiratory conditions, heart conditions, diabetes, cancer, or other autoimmune diseases;
• Release all pregnant individuals;
• Transfer all non-releasable individuals to less restrictive forms of custody, including electronic monitoring and house arrest, where individuals can self-quarantine as needed.
• Review individuals on probation or otherwise confined to halfway houses and release those individuals to home confinement automatically;
• Terminate in-person reporting for those on pre- or post-trial supervision indefinitely.The District Attorney of Allegheny County should:
• Postpone the convening of grand juries;
• Affirmatively support and not oppose the above-mentioned motions and petitions for relief;
• Withdraw and drop all pending charges for drug possession, sex work, and other nonviolent offenses.Law enforcement agencies throughout Allegheny County should:
• Recall all pending warrants (that have not been served/executed);
• Delay dates of voluntary surrender for incarceration sentences as requested by defense;
• Immediately cease arresting individuals for all offenses not directly implicating public safety or an individual’s physical well-being;
• Immediately cease arrests on warrants for probation violations – technical and otherwise;
• Avoid new bookings into the jail at all costs, limiting incarceration for only the most immediate and severe instances of harm reduction.
• Given the similarly dangerous conditions in immigrant detention centers and those jails and prisons that contract with Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), we demand that Allegheny County Jail and county criminal justice officials NOT facilitate the detention of undocumented immigrants or the transfer of them to ICE custody.County government and the jail administration should immediately:
• Issue an emergency order making phone calls free for individuals detained at ACJ;
• Ensure all incarcerated people have unlimited and free access to: soap, hand sanitizer, hygiene products, showers and laundry service, NOT monetized through commissary;
• Provide free access to books and other reading and writing materials to all individuals incarcerated at the jail;
• Provide additional commissary items at-, below-, or no-cost to all individuals, to boost morale during the trying times ahead;
• Facilitate the use of video visitation, including confidential video visitations for attorney visits.We call on our colleagues both in the Office of the Public Defender and in the private criminal defense bar to begin to file motions and petitions, in a pro bono capacity, for all individuals held in Allegheny County Jail under a probation detainer, unaffordable or unjustifiably restrictive bond, and serving long probation or parole terms.
We are demanding that all governmental agencies collaborate on this initiative in order to protect public health. Limiting the spread of COVID-19 – and its mortality rate – requires that we free as many of our neighbors as possible, as they are part of our families and communities. Protecting them and our greater community from avoidable harm go hand in hand, and this must be our shared imperative.
We are calling on other organizations in Allegheny County to endorse and circulate this statement and help shape the course of the response to COVID-19 in our community.
To sign on to this statement, please provide your organization’s name and email address below or email acjcovidresponse@gmail.com – thank you.
Endorsing Organizations:
Abolitionist Law Center
Coalition to Abolish Death By Incarceration – West
Take Action Mon Valley
Human Rights Coalition-Fed Up!
Bukit Bail Fund
Casa San Jose
Radical Youth Collective
Allegheny County Elders Council
Liberation/Ukombozi
New Evangelistic Ministries
Book ’em
West End P.O.W.E.R.
Olivia Bennett, Allegheny County Council
Bethany Hallam, Allegheny County Council
Jews Organizing for Liberation and Transformation (JOLT)
Ratzon : Center for Healing and Resistance
Rep. Sara Innamorato, 21st Legislative District, Pennsylvania House of Representatives
Black Unicorn Library and Archive Project
Green Party of Allegheny County
ACLU-PA
1Hood Media
Chelsa Wagner, Allegheny County Controller, Member of Jail Oversight Board
Community Forge
Three Rivers Free Clinic for the People
Pennsylvania Prison Society - Allegheny County
Jerry Dickinson for Congress
Fossil Free Pitt Organizing Committee
Let’s Get Free: Women & Trans Prisoner Defense Committee
Community Gone Rogue
The Big Idea Bookstore & Cooperative
Pittsburghers for Public Transit
Thomas Merton Center
Words Without Walls
Richard S. Matesic, Attorney at Law
Pitt Prison Outreach
Put People First! PA