community-based, non-corporate, participatory media
community-based, non-corporate, participatory media
Rustbelt Radio for June 11, 2007
by Pittsburgh IMC: Rustbelt Radio collective
Monday, Jun. 11, 2007 at 10:47 PM
radio@indypgh.org (email address validated) 412-923-3000 WRCT 88.3 FM
On this week's show... * The Pittsburgh Pride Theater Festival kicks off this week * the Pittsburgh Middle East Peace forum marks the forty year anniversary since the beginning of Israel's occupation of Gaza and the West Bank * Both Coca-Cola and Boeing are coming under fire from community groups for their business practices * and more in our local and global headlines
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Welcome to this week's edition of Rustbelt Radio, the Pittsburgh Independent Media Center's weekly review of the news from the grassroots, news overlooked by the corporate media.
On today's show...
Rustbelt Radio airs live every Monday from 6-7 PM on WRCT 88.3 FM in Pittsburgh, PA, and again on Tuesday mornings 9-10 AM. We're also on Pacifica affiliate WVJW Benwood, 94.1 FM in the Wheeling, West Virginia area, on Thursdays from 6-7 PM. And we're on at a new time on WPTS - 10-11AM on Wednesday mornings on 92.1 FM from the campus of the University of Pittsburgh.
We're also available on the internet, both on WRCT's live webstream at W-R-C-T dot ORG and for download, stream or podcast at radio dot I-N-D-Y-P-G-H dot org.
We turn now to local headlines.
With the increase of shootings in various neighborhoods in Pittsburgh, it is no secret that violence is on the rise in the city. According to statistics released by the US Justice Department last week, violent crimes in Pittsburgh not only increased in 2006, but they increased at a rate that was double the national average.
The Pittsburgh Post Gazette reports that the Justice department's preliminary annual report, comparing crime statistics compiled by the FBI for 2005 and 2006, showed almost 3,500 violent crimes in Pittsburgh last year. This is an increase of 2.6 percent. Nationwide the violent crime rate rose by 1.3 %. Violent crimes include murder, rape, robbery and aggravated assault.
The city did show about a 12% decline in both murder and rape from 2005 to 2006 according to the report.
The report also showed a decrease in property crime of 2.9 percent nationwide and 2.5 percent in Pittsburgh. However, while the overall property crime rate was down, individually, arson and burglary both increased by over 20% each from 2005 to 2006.
Investigators in Pittsburgh say the homicide rate this year is on the rise. Thus far, the city has recorded 27 killings, which is ahead of last year's pace, according to the medical examiner's office. The homicide rate for Allegheny County is also on the rise so far in 2007.
Minister Jasiri X, a member of the anti-violence community group One Hood, said what he is seeing in neighborhoods is far bleaker than the Justice Department numbers. (quote) "These are people we know and we love. It's not about statistics."
Jasiri X also commented on the circumstances that lead to violence in Pittsburgh: quote "It's a perfect storm… We have a lack of opportunities, a failing education system, and … desire for more. We equate success with how much money you make, not righteousness." (Unquote)
Many community leaders believe the responsibility falls on neighborhood residents to stop the violence. In response, One Hood and B-PEP will be holding a series of anti-violence initiative meetings throughout the summer. The next meeting is this Wednesday June 13th at 6pm at the Hill House in the Hill District.
During the month of June, downtown Pittsburgh will have no buses in Market Square. The decision to re-route buses was made by the Mayor Luke Ravenstahl, who said it was an experiment to (quote) "enhance the overall atmosphere" downtown. But the ailing Port Authority, who will co-operate with the city's decision, says the change will have a negative impact on bus riders and the transit system. Nearly 600 buses on 21 different routes pass through Market Square daily, carrying 3,000 riders.
Activists with Save Our Transit are upset about the lack of input from bus riders on this sudden decision. Amanda Zeiders:
Business owners near Market square favor the decision, according to the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. Buses are also being removed from other parts of downtown as a part of the so-called "revitalization experiment."
Zeiders on the impact of the changes:
The experiment is scheduled to run until the end of June. Public transit advocates are organizing to express their opposition to the plan to the mayor's office.
On Saturday June 1, community groups in southwest Pennsylvania held a Dry Lake Festival at Ryerson Station State Park. The event was sponsored by The Center for Coalfield Justice, the Mountain Watershed Association, the Wheeling Creek Watershed Association, and the Allegheny Group of the Sierra Club. Rebekah Weigel, community organizer with the Center for Coalfield Justice, explains what happened to the lake at Ryerson Station:
The festival was intended to be a day of family fun that brought attention to the loss of the lake and its impact on the community. It featured all the events one might expect at a summer lake festival- with a twist. Participants in the casting contest, for example, had to cast their lines towards a bucket sitting on dry land.
The Center For Coalfield Justice is asking that Ryerson Station State Park be restored to full public use, including the lake; that the Department of Conservation and Natural Resources release its report on why the damage occurred; and that Consol be held responsible for the damages it caused. Rebekah Weigel:
Energy companies such as Consol have plans to conduct longwall mining under four-fifths of Greene County and large portions of Washington County. Current law places very few restrictions on where companies can do this type of mining, despite the widespread damages to homes, water bodies, and infrastructure caused by the "planned subsidence” it creates. To learn more, visit the Center for Coalfield Justice’s webpage, www.coalfieldjustice.org.
Now for this week's "word on the street"
* g8wots (3:10)
that was 'word on the street'.
For more on local news, you can visit pittsburgh dot I-N-D-Y-M-E-D-I-A dot org.
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 news from other independent media sources around the world.
On May 30th, the American Civil Liberties Union filed a lawsuit against Jeppesen Dataplan, a subsidiary of Boeing, accusing the flight logistics company of aiding the CIA in its "extraordinary rendition" program. At a New York City press conference, ACLU lawyer Ben Wizner said: "This is the first time we are accusing a blue-chip American company of profiting from torture." Anthony D. Romero, Executive Director of the ACLU, added: "American corporations should not be profiting from a CIA rendition program that is unlawful and contrary to core American values".
While legal rendition has been used by the United States since the 1980s as a way of transferring foreign detainees between countries, "extraordinary rendition" describes the more recently used methods of taking suspects into custody, and delivering them to third-party states. The process of "extraordinary rendition" has recently been used by the CIA to deliver suspected terrorists to countries where they can be interrogated and tortured.
ACLU attorney Anne Brick describes "extraordinary rendition", during an interview with Flashpoints Radio:
According to the lawsuit, Jeppesen has provided flight and logistical support to at least 15 aircrafts, and has aided in a total of 70 rendition flights, where it knew that it was delivering detainees to countries known for routinely torturing and abusing prisoners.
Some of the services provided by Jeppesen included: furnishing aircraft crew with flight planning services; facilitation of customs clearance and arrangements for ground transportation; and provision of physical security for aircraft and crew. Steven Watt, a staff attorney for the ACLU's Human Rights Program claims that "Jeppesen's services have been crucial to the functioning of the government's extraordinary rendition program, [and] without the participation of companies like Jeppesen, the program could not have gotten off the ground".
Although the lawsuit names three specific instances where Jeppesen's support was crucial in carrying out renditions, the lawsuit also brings forth the significance of the relationship between the CIA and corporations like Boeing. ACLU attorney Anne Brick:
For more information on the lawsuit, visit www (dot) ACLU (dot) org.
Around the world, Special Economic Zones, or S-E-Z's, are characterized by diminished economic regulation, with the sole purpose of increasing foreign investment. In India, the state government of West Bengal declared in 2006 that it would create a special economic zone in the city of Nandigram, ceding large areas of land over to the Salim Group, a large Indonesian conglomerate whose planned projects include the building of expressways. In response, peasants rose up in protest. On March 16th of this year, Indian police killed 11 peasants protesting the Nandigram S.E.Z, and injured at least 50 others.
Following the tragic massacre, activists from Muslim communities, workers rights groups, Marxist movements, and others in all regions of India organized an All-India Convention on Nandigram and SEZ. The conference took place from June 2nd to June 3rd in Kolkata, India.
Now, we’ll hear an excerpt from an interview with Vaskar Nandy, organizer of the All-India Convention.
This piece comes from Vancouver’s Red Eye Coop Radio.
Vaskar sees a growing movement among Indian workers to reclaim a right to their livelihood and land.
That was an interview with Vaskar Nandy, organizer of The All-India Convention on Nandigram and S.E.Z, from Red Eye Coop Radio.
Earlier last week Coca Cola, the multinational beverage company, announced that they were going to be taking efforts to protect rivers on four continents by spending $20 million to conserve seven of the world’s most critical river basins.
But less than a week after that announcement, Coca Cola has been charged with seizing lands from small farmers illegally and dumping sludge and other industrial hazardous waste in the surrounding community of the Indian state of Uttar Pradesh.
This practice has been called “greenwashing,” in which Coca Cola is attempting to create a greener image with announcements like the one made last week, while its actions show the opposite.
This is not the first time that Coca Cola has come under scrutiny from environmental or human rights groups, in India or elsewhere. In 2003, the Central Pollution Control Board of India ordered the company to treat its sludge as industrial hazardous waste after finding it contained high levels of toxic heavy metals. Allegations have also been made that the company has been complicit in murdering union organizers in Colombia.
In the last six months 25 universities from the United States, Canada, and the United Kingdom, have all taken actions to remove Coca-Cola from their campuses.
One of these universities is Smith College in Massachusetts. Upon their choice on May 29th to remove Coca Cola from their campus, president Carol T. Christ wrote: (quote) In light of Coca-Cola’s business practices in Colombia and India, Smith will preclude Coca-Cola from the list of approved bidders when we enter the contract renewal process later this summer (end quote).
You're listening to Rustbelt Radio, the Pittsburgh Independent Media Center's weekly review of news from the grassroots.
Pittsburgh Pride Theater Festival will begin its fourth year on June 14-24 at Pittsburgh Playwrights Theater downtown in the cultural district . One of PPTF's goals is to showcase local playwrights like Paula Martinac whose play "Their Town", will premiere. Martinac's play will be the festival's first full length play.
Martinac talks about what inspired her to write the play.
Martinac has invited, Rev. Janet Edwards, a local Presbyterian minister, to speak after the June 17th performance of "Their Town". In 2005, Edwards came under fire for uniting a lesbian couple from West Virginia in marriage.
Martinac talks about how she believes art can help to create social change.
Martinac addresses why the lines between church and state are so blurred when it comes to gay marriage.
Martinac also believes the U.S. is still far behind in same-sex marriage rights compared to the rest of the world.
Pennsylvania is one of only a few states producing annual LGBT theater festivals. Martinac explains what she believes the reason for this is.
Martinac discusses how successful the festival has been in choosing a diverse set of plays.
Visit www.averygayplay.blogspot.com for more information or call the box office at 412-288-0358.
This week is the anniversary of the Six Day War during which Israel occupied the West Bank and the Gaza Strip. Said Fattouh of Pacifica affiliate KPFT in Houston explains the history that led up to the war. This piece is excerpted from Cages and Dreams, a Pacifica Radio special on forty years of occupation and 60 years of dispossession in Palestine:
Said Fattouh speaks on the past 40 years of occupation:
In Pittsburgh, members of the Middle East Peace Forum have organized several events to mark the fortieth anniversary of the 6-day war by focusing on how to move forward after four decades of occupation and conflict. Last Thursday evening, the Middle East Peace Forum and the Art from Chaos collective sponsored the premiere of the film Encounter Point at the Kelly-Strayhorn theater. The film explores the work of Palestinians and Israelis who are working in their communities organizing for non-violent approaches to solving the conflict. Thursday’s event also featured exhibition of artwork on the conflict by Palestinians, Israelis, and Pittsburghers.
Rustbelt Radio spoke with Julia Bacha, writer and co-director of the film:
The film Encounter Point focused on several members of the Bereaved Families Forum, a joint Palestianian and Israeli group of people who have all lost loved ones to violence. Despite tremendous personal tragedy, these individuals work to build opportunities for dialogue between Palestinians and Israelis. They also worked within their own communities to build support for non-violent approaches to resolving the conflict. Bacha speaks about why they are uniquely effective:
Many of the organizers featured in the film view non-violence as an all-encompassing strategic approach to lifting oppression, similar to the philosophies of Nelson Mandela, Martin Luther King, or Gandhi. The groups they work with frequently engage in actions to bring attention to their grievances and achieve specific political aims. However, the film focused on the basic work of creating dialogue between and among Palestinians and Israelis. Bacha explains why:
Bacha on the relation of this grassroots work to a political solution to the conflict:
Bacha hopes the work of these individuals can be the seeds for social movements:
Basha hopes the film can be a catalyst for positive action:
Encounter Point is a project of Just Visions, a group working to provide alternative coverage of positive work for peace in the middle east. The website JustVisions.org contains over 180 interviews with the organizers featured in Encounter Point, as well as resources such as a peacemakers’ timeline of the middle east, educational curriculum for high schools and colleges, discussion guides for the movie, and up-to-date information on the grassroots peace groups working in Israel and Palestine.
And now we present the Indymedia Calendar of Events:
[ Outro Music ]
Thanks for tuning in to Rustbelt Radio here on WRCT Pittsburgh, WVJW Benwood and WPTS Pittsburgh.
Our hosts this week are Carlin Christy and Matt Toups with contributions from Anitra Van Lier, Carlin Christy, Jessica McPherson, Thiago Hersan, Diane Amdor, Matt Toups, Lizzie Anderson and Vani Natarajan. This week's show was produced by Donald Deeley. Special thanks to all of our hosts, producers, and contributors.
You can get involved with Rustbelt Radio! To contact us, or to send us your comments, email RADIO at I-N-D-Y-P-G-H dot ORG. All of our shows are available for download or podcast on our website at RADIO dot INDY-P-G-H dot ORG and this show can be heard again Tuesday morning on WRCT at 9 AM after Democracy Now!
Tune in next week at this time for another edition of Rustbelt Radio, the Pittsburgh Independent Media Center's weekly review of news from the grassroots.
Rustbelt Radio for June 11, 2007 (ogg vorbis)
by Pittsburgh IMC: Rustbelt Radio collective
Monday, Jun. 11, 2007 at 10:47 PM
radio@indypgh.org 412-923-3000 WRCT 88.3 FM
audio: ogg vorbis at 24.9 mebibytesaudio: ogg vorbis at 24.9 mebibytes
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