Local Action

Sierra Club
Pittsburgh communities are at risk! The Pittsburgh Sierra Club is having community meetings and neighborhood walks in Highland Park and Shadyside and Squirrel Hill throughout the month of February so we can discuss what to do to stop the Bush administration’s attacks on our health, our communities and the environment we love. We are also have weekly environment happy hours on Fridays and activist nights. Joining us to hold the Bush administration accountable for the disastrous environmental policies of the past three years. Call Robert Silber 412-931-5312.

SOA Watch Update
Forty-four human rights activists were arrested for trespassing on federal property during the 2003 vigil and nonviolent direct action to close the School of the Americas/Western Hemisphere Institute for Security Cooperation. Twenty-eight people are scheduled to go on trial on January 26th in Columbus for "crossing the line." The defendants are facing up to six months in prison and a $5000 fine for their courageous witness, exposing the issue of SOA/WHISC violence to the public.  Our friends face prison while those responsible for the death and suffering of thousands of Latin Americans have not been held accountable.  The defendants will use the courtroom to put the SOA/WHISC itself on trial.

Support the defendants. Visit the SOA Watch webpage at www.soaw.org to find out how you can support the defendants, see photos and read bios and statements written by the defendants.

Three activists who climbed over the fence in an act of civil resistance during the November vigil remain in the Muscoge County jail.  They are refusing to comply with the bond conditions and have asked that no one post it for them. Visit the website for their prison addresses.

A Win for Water
Clean Water Action announces a very important clean water win that would not have been possible without the help of citizens across the country and more than 200 members of Congress expressing concern about the Bush administration’s plans for protecting America’s waters. The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the Army Corps of Engineers (Corps) have announced they will not issue a new rule on federal regulatory jurisdiction over isolated wetlands. The extraordinary move puts the brakes on a misguided policy proposal that would have needlessly jeopardized wetlands and streams that provide Americans with flood protection, clean drinking water, recreational opportunities and wildlife habitat. According to a statement from the EPA: "After soliciting public comment to determine if further regulatory clarification was needed, the EPA and the Corps have decided to preserve the federal government’s authority to protect our wetlands. The agencies will continue to monitor implementation of this important program to ensure its effectiveness." Contact the National Wildlife Federation at info@nwf.org or 1-800-822-9919.

Brown v. Board of Education Teach-in and Community Speak Out
Now, more than ever before, it is important that we join together to fight for educational justice not only in Harrisburg, but also in our local communities. The event will allow community members to reflect on the 50th anniversary of this landmark court case, how it continues to impact public education today, and how we can strengthen our advocacy to ensure every child has an equal opportunity to pursue a quality education. Saturday, February 21, 2004Albright Community United Methodist Church 486 S. Graham Street (Shadyside), Pittsburgh, PA 15232.

The day will begin with a 9:30 a.m welcome breakfast, followed by a 10:00 a.m. teach-in (limited enrollment) and a 2:30 p.m community speak out (free and open to the public).

If you have any questions, please contact Celeste Taylor at 412-687-8628, or by email at celeste@goodschoolspa.org.

Autonomous-Decentralized Political Action of the Month

"No War in 2004" Banner drop by Radicalize Pittsburgh - parkway west inbound
(Photo by Pittsburgh Indymedia)

Union Busting's Got to Go
On January 21, members of the Service Employees International Union (SEIU) Justice for Janitors campaign picketed in front of Center City Tower. They protested Independence Management’s firing of nine Center City janitors, an action that directly violates the employees contract which guarantees employment, even when management companies change.

The new contract would have provided these employees with adequate, affordable healthcare for the first time in ten years.

Jane Marshman, one of the nine fired on December 30th, fears that Independence Management’s action will set a presidence for other city employeers. Building tenants have joined SEIU to support the former Center City Employees. Letter writing campaigns have called on Independence Management to rehire the employees that tenants refer to as "reliable and secure." The turnover rate for service employees had averaged at 11 years, with one employee working for 25 years. To date, Independence Management has refused a meeting with the tenants.

This was only one of a week of escalating activities by downtown janitors to regain their health benefits and ensure their jobs. Other actions inluded delegations to building management, mass rallies and demonstrations and legal actions.

A mass demonstration on Friday, January 23, brought out 150 supporters from over 25 different groups to rally in response to arrests made at the previous day’s peaceful demonstration supporting the janitors. The arrestees included Labor Chaplain Father Jack O’Malley, Labor Council President Jack Shea, Father Don McIlvane, Reverend Don Dutton and Reverend Ken Love. "As members of the faith community we are compelled to act on our faith - not just preach it," said Father O’Malley. "We will be here until Centre City Tower puts the janitors back to work and restores their healthcare."

 - Allison Hahn and Marie Skoczylas

SEIU rally
(Photo by Marie Skoczylas)

Don't Pay to Borrow Your Own Money
A new partnership has begun between Just Harvest and ACORN to stop predatory Refund Anticipation Loans (RALs).

Many commercial tax preparers tempt taxpayers with advertisements of fast refunds at tax time or even advance refunds in time for Christmas shopping. RALs allow taxpayers to get their refunds in 1-48 hours rather than waiting the 8-14 days it takes to have their refund direct-deposited into a bank account at no cost. Numerous taxpayers are unaware that these fast refunds are actually loans, often with very high fees and interest. On top of the excessive cost, refund loans can be hazardous to a taxpayer's financial health. If something happens and the amount of the refund changes, the taxpayer will have to pay back the money. If it has already been spent, the taxpayer's credit rating will suffer.

Tax preparation services cluster in working poor neighborhoods. A Brookings Institution study found that nearly $2 billion in Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC) dollars were diverted to commercial tax preparers and banks for the fees and interest paid for tax preparation and RALs in 1999. Fifty-three percent of EITC recipients in Pittsburgh purchased a RAL in 1999.

Just Harvest is joining ACORN in targeting H&R Block for preying on low-income workers with this product. H&R Block has been targeted because they are the largest tax preparation company in the U.S. H&R Block earned $134 million in RAL fees in the 2000-2001 fiscal year, due to a 44% increase in cost and an additional 1.7 million RALs processed over the preceding year. Many other commercial tax preparers also sell RALs to taxpayers at a wide variety of costs.

Joint actions have been held at three H&R Block offices across the city already this year and were timed to coincide with actions held by ACORN affiliates throughout the country. Just Harvest and ACORN members and staff educated pedestrians and motorists about the dangers of RALs and about Just Harvest's free tax preparation service. They have also begun collecting signatures for a petition to hold a public hearing in front of City Council. At the hearing people will speak out about the dangers of RALs and propose legislation aimed at improving disclosure on RAL applications. If you would like to participate in the hearing, contact Maryellen Hayden at ACORN at 412-441-6551.

- Kristie Weiland

A protestor at the ACORN/Just Harvest action
(Photo by Mary Ellen Hayden)

Art and Education
Granderson Glenn II, who goes by Glenn, has brightened the scene for art lovers, and for the North Side, with the opening of his art gallery specializing in African and African American art. "Spirits Embodied" is located at 607 East Ohio Street.

Homeless Coalition Forms
Pittsburgh’s homeless residents and local activists unite! A Homeless Coalition is forming between these two groups to garner the power to effectively change many of the injustices that homeless people in our area have been enduring. From abuse by shelter workers (getting cheated out of donations, not getting phone calls from potential employers, verbal abuse), inadequate facilities and resources, police repression (unannounced raids and sweeps), lack of adequate grievance procedures, homeless folks have decided they aren’t going to take it anymore.

The coalition is calling for a mass meeting on Saturday, February 14^th at the Unitarian Church on the North Side at noon to discuss what we can do to end this abuse and exploitation. Spread the word to all those living on the streets and fighting in the streets. For more info, call 412-361-3022.

- Marie Skoczylas