PIIN Annual Public Action

The Wesley Center A.M.E. Zion Church in the Hill District was filled with people of many faiths - Protestant, Catholic, Jewish, Muslim, Unitarian, Quaker - on Sunday afternoon, October 17, 2004. The occasion was the annual Public Action of PIIN, the Pittsburgh Interfaith Impact Network. Approximately 600 people from PIIN’s member churches, synagogues, faith and labor groups, and organizations including the Thomas Merton Center, came together to “pin” their public officials to commitments in the areas of civil rights for immigrants, education, housing and public transportation.

The meeting was one in a series of large public action meetings by more than fifty affiliates of the Gamaliel Foundation all across the country - dubbed “Rolling Thunder.” The meeting opened on an inspirational note when a Zulu stick that had been sent from South Africa, where it had been a symbol against apartheid, was passed to PIIN from a sister group in Erie. The stick had made its way to Pennsylvania from California.

In addition to PIIN members, a number of public officials attended the meeting at PIIN’s invitation. These officials included State Senator Jim Ferlo, State Representatives Dan Frankel, Paul Costa, Joe Preston, and Jake Wheatley, County Council members Charles Martoni, Brenda Frazier and Bill Robinson, Superintendent of Schools John Thompson, City Council member Gene Ricciardi, and Port Authority CEO Paul Skoutelas. US Representative Mike Doyle, Gov. Rendell, County Executive Dan Onorato, and City Council member Twanda Carlisle sent representatives. Pittsburgh Mayor Tom Murphy was conspicuously absent.

Also attending as PIIN allies were representatives of A-Plus Schools, ACORN, Allegheny Disability Services Alliance, Amalgamated Transit Union - Local 85, Coalition for Christian Outreach, Fair Housing Partnership, Head Start Policy Council, Housing Alliance of Pennsylvania, Mon Valley Unemployed Committee, Pittsburgh Transportation Equity Project, Save Our Transit, Service Employees International Union - Local 504, Southwestern Pennsylvania Alliance of HUD Tenants, Sustainable Pittsburgh, Transportation for Livable Communities, United Steel Workers and A. Philip Randolph Institute.

The appropriate officials were asked to come forward and answer with just one word - either “yes” or “no” - when asked by PIIN task force chairpersons to make commitments on various issues.

On the national level, PIIN won a commitment through representatives of Rep. Doyle and Senate candidate Joe Hoeffel to support legislation to reform immigration laws, in accordance with principles set out by the Gamaliel Foundation, and to work to put a recently announced National Housing Agenda on the Congressional agenda. Sen. Rick Santorum, who was not in attendance, had agreed to meet with PIIN representatives to discuss both issues.

Regional housing concerns revolved around developing an action plan for fair housing choice and increasing the supply of affordable housing for the neediest. Through a representative, County Executive Onorato agreed to meet with PIIN by February 1 to address housing choice issues.

With regard to education, PIIN received commitments from School Superintendent Dr. John Thompson and School Board members Mark Brentley, Patrick Dowd, and Bill Isler to discuss incorporating culturally relevant materials into the curriculum at the African Centered Academy, and to work for better communication between parents and schools.

The Regional Equity Task Force of PIIN focused on public transportation. In the face of the current crisis at Port Authority Transit (PAT), with large fare hikes and extensive cuts in service in the works, PIIN obtained commitments to work to obtain dedicated funding for public transportation from officials on the county and state level. PAT CEO Paul Skoutelas then pledged that if dedicated funding is secured, service and fares will not be jeopardized.

In addition, the task force requested all PIIN members to contact Gov. Rendell and urge him to support pending legislation in the state General Assembly: House Bill 2697 and Senate Bill 1162. These bills would provide continuing, dedicated funding for public transit in Pennsylvania for the first time ever.

An important part of PIIN’s action is to ensure that the many commitments obtained at this public meeting are not just used by public officials as photo opportunities. PIIN will follow up and hold all officials accountable to follow through on their public promises.

- Jeanne Zang is a member of the Allegheny UU Church and has been an activist on many different issues ever since college. She worked for Eugene McCarthy in 1968 during her freshman year.

 
Left, the Wesley Center A.M.E. Zion Church was packed on Sunday, October 17 for the PIIN Annual Public Action. Right, Celeste Taylor asks school board members to commit to incorporating culturally relevant materials into curriculum. (Photos by Marie Skoczylas)