Thomas Merton Center Pittsburgh’s Peace and Social Justice Center
PITTSBURGH’S PEACE & JUSTICE NEWSPAPER VOL. 47 No. 5 June 2017
NewPerson of the Year: Carl Redwood "Some call Pittsburgh the most livable city, but it’s also the place where black people rank second from the bottom in economic opportunity. The current policy of the City of Pittsburgh is the forced migration of black people from Pittsburgh to the suburbs. The struggle for affordable low income housing and against the forced displacement of families is just one front of the struggle. Whether in the Hill District, the city of Pittsburgh, the U.S., or the world, we must fight on all fronts against all forms of oppression." - Carl Redwood Every year the Thomas Merton Center recognizes a local social justice hero who has dedicated their life to peace and justice in Pittsburgh. This year we are excited to announce Carl Redwood as the NewPerson of the Year! Redwood is the chair of the Hill District Consensus Group Board of Directors and a life-long community activist dedicated to economic and social justice. Redwood advocates for affordable housing in Pittsburgh, pushes back against the "most livable city" label, and fights against the forced migration of black people to the inaccessible outskirts of the city. June 26th, 2017 6:00pm Letter Carriers Hall 841 California Avenue, Pittsburgh, PA. Tickets come with free drinks and light food options. Scholarships, ads and sponsorships are available. tmcnewperson2017.eventbrite.com
Killer Robots Cast Long Shadows Over Academe By Calvin Pollak Carnegie Mellon University is the most prestigious higher education institution in the western half of Pennsylvania, with computer science and engineering departments that rank at or near the top of national and international lists every year. It boasts a sunny, green campus bordering the affluent Pittsburgh neighborhoods of Shadyside and Squirrel Hill. Among most Pittsburghers, CMU is associated with intelligence, status, and culture. But there is another, darker side to Carnegie Mellon that both outsiders and insiders rarely discuss: the university’s crucial role in the global, US-led militaryindustrial complex. Most notably, researchers at CMU’s Robotics Institute
(RI) conduct numerous studies sponsored or sub-contracted by the US military’s Army Research Laboratory, Office of Naval Research, and DARPA (Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency), as well as private defense contractors such as Lockheed Martin. In 2008, for instance, the RI’s National Robotics Engineering Center (NREC, located on 40th Street in Lawrenceville) developed Black Knight, an “unmanned” ground combat vehicle, for the UK-based contractor BAE Systems. (In 2014, this same BAE Systems supplied 72 fighter jets to the human rights--abusing monarchy of Saudi Arabia, Continued on Page 6
Penn Plaza Residents: The Relocation Challenges They Faced By Zak Thomas & Claire Hortens During the past year, Penn Plaza Apartments in East Liberty have become a powerful symbol of the hardships that gentrification can create for long-term residents of a neighborhood. The authors of the following article were directly involved in helping those residents relocate. When Neighborhood Allies first came on board at Penn Plaza (alongside the invaluable staff of Interstate Acquisition Services), there were just short of 200 residents facing displacement, nearly half of whom had less than four months to move. Moving is challenging for anyone, and competing with other tenants for a limited number of options makes it exponentially harder. A security deposit plus first month’s rent and moving costs were significant for tenants, who were already sacrificing to make ends meet each month. A number of tenants didn't have cars, making it more difficult to visit potential new housing; and narrowing their options to homes directly on a bus
line near amenities in walking distance. Some had issues with credit history or prior evictions. Other tenants just needed help navigating the logistics of accessing and filling out applications, printing, scanning, faxing, and organizing which apartments accepted Section 8 vouchers or applied subsidies to the rent. Others found it helpful to rely on the relocation staff to do the talking and periodically checking in on applications and wait lists. Although counter-intuitive, applying to a subsidized property is much more difficult than applying to a market rate property. The governmental compliance requirements on the owners are very high, so low -income housing operators have to require a lot of documentation about applicants’ assets and financial situations. The consequences of bending the rules are high, and it can be harder to prove you have a financial need than it is to prove you can pay the rent, although neither is easy. Where the process gets most complicated is Continued on Page 4
In This Issue… Battle of Homestead Anniversary….
Page 5
The Need for Unity….
Page 7
Immigrant Hope….
Pages 8-9
Science, Not Silence….
Page 11
May Day March 2017 for Workers and Immigrants in Pictures Hundreds marching on East Carson Street in Southside on May Day for Workers and Immigrants. Photos taken by Ike Gittlen of USW Local 3657.
More pictures on Page 8
The Thomas Merton Center works to build a consciousness of values and to raise the moral questions involved in the issues of war, poverty, racism, classism, economic justice, oppression and environmental justice. PERMIT NO. 458
TMC engages people of diverse philosophies and faiths who find common ground in the nonviolent struggle to bring about a more peaceful and just world.
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June 2017
NEWPEOPLE - 1
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Human Rights Book‘Em: Books to Prisoners Project bookempgh@gmail.com www.bookempgh.org Cities for CEDAW Fight for Lifers West fightforliferswest@gmail.com 412-607-1804 Fightforliferswest.org
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Office Phone: 412-361-3022 — Fax: 412-361-0540 Website: www.thomasmertoncenter.org
The NewPeople Editorial Collective Neil Cosgrove, Michael Drohan, Russ Fedorka, Marni Fritz, Nijah Glenn, Fatema Juma, Bette McDevitt, Calvin Pollak, Joyce Rothermel, Molly Rush, Mike Schneider, Jacqueline Souza, Jo Tavener, Nina Young
TMC Staff, Volunteers & Interns Executive Director: Antonio Lodico Finance Director / Project Liaison: Roslyn Maholland TMC Organizer/ Internship Coordinator: Gabriel McMorland Support Staff: Sr. Mary Clare Donnelly Activist & Office Volunteers: Raphael Cardamone, Christina Castillo, Monique Dietz, Nancy Gippert, Nijah Glenn, Lois Goldstein, Jordan Malloy, Joyce Rothermel, Judy Starr, Michael Telian New People Coordinators: Marni Fritz & Fatema Juma East End Community Thrift Store Managers: Shirley Gleditsch, Shawna Hammond, & Sr. Mary Clare Donnelly
Human Rights Coalition / Fed Up (prisoner support and advocacy) 412-802-8575, hrcfedup@gmail.com www.prisonerstories.blogspot.com Pittsburgh Campaign for Democracy NOW! 412-422-5377, sleator@cs.cmu.edu www.pcdn.org
2017 TMC Board of Directors Ed Brett, Rob Conroy (President), Neil Cosgrove, Bill Chrisner, Mark Dixon, Antonia Dominga, Michael Drohan, Patrick Fenton, Nijah Glenn, Wanda Guthrie, anupama jain, Ken Joseph, Anne Kuhn, Jonah McAllister-Erickson, Jim McCarville, Jordan Malloy, Joyce Rothermel, Molly Rush (co-founder), Tyrone Scales, M. Shernell Smith.
Pittsburgh Darfur Emergency Coalition jumphook@gmail.com; www.pittsburghdarfur.org
Environmental Justice Marcellus Shale Protest Group melpacker@aol.com 412-243-4545 marcellusprotest.org Pittsburgh 350 350pittsburgh@gmail.com World.350.org/Pittsburgh
Westmoreland Marcellus Citizens Group 724-837-0540 lfpochet@verizon.net
Steel Smiling info@steelsmilingpgh.org www.steelsmilingpgh.org 412-251-7793
Economic Justice
Stop Sexual Assault in the Military 412-361-3022 hildebrew@aol.com
Harambee Ujima/Diversity Footprint Twitter @HomewoodNation Pittsburgh Anti-Sweatshop Community Alliance 412-512-1709
Western PA Student Organizing Net-
TMC Affiliates
The East End Community Thrift (Thrifty) is an all volunteer-run thrift shop which provides quality, low-cost, used clothing and household goods to the surrounding community. Thrifty needs volunteers and shoppers! Please contact us at (412) 361-6010 and ask for Shirley or Shawna, or stop in at 5123 Penn Avenue, Pittsburgh, PA 15224. Email shawnapgh@aol.com.
(Affiliates are independent partner organizations who support the nonviolent peace and justice mission of TMC. - Articles may not necessarily represent the views of Affiliates) Abolitionist Law Center 412-654-9070 abolitionistlawcenter.org
www.associationofpittsburghpriests.com
Raging Grannies 412-963-7163 eva.havlicsek@gmail.com
Battle of Homestead Foundation
www.pittsburghraginggrannies.homestead.com
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Religion and Labor Coalition 412-361-4793 ojomal@aol.com
The Big Idea Bookstore 412-OUR-HEAD www.thebigideapgh.org
CeaseFire PA
www.ceasefirepa.org—info@ceasefirepa.org Citizens for Social Responsibility of Greater Johnstown Larry Blalock, evolve@atlanticbb.net Global Solutions Pittsburgh 412-471-7852 dan@globalsolutionspgh.org www.globalsolutionspgh.org
For more information: Call 412-361-3022 or email newpeople@thomasmertoncenter.org.
North Hills Anti-Racism Coalition 412-369-3961 email: info@arc.northpgh.org www.arc.northpgh.org PA United for Single-Payer Health Care www.healthcare4allPA.org www.PUSH-HC4allPa.blogspot.com 412-421-4242
Table of Contents
Pittsburgh Area Pax Christi 412-761-4319
Page 1
Culture Watch: Behind Il Duce's Curtain Merton Award Recepient Page 7 Killed Robots Cast Long Shadows Over Acade mia MayDay March Penn Plaza Residents: The Relocation Challenges
SWPA Bread for the World Joyce Rothermel 412-780-5118 rothermeljoyce@gmail.com
The Black Political Empowerment Project Tim Stevens 412-758-7898
To Submit an Event to the TMC Calendar: Visit www.thomasmertoncenter.org/calendar/submit-event To Advertise: Visit www.thomasmertoncenter.org/newpeople/ad Advertising prices range from $15 for a business card size to $250 for a full page. There is a 10% discount when purchasing 6 months of ad space at a time, and a 20% discount when purchasing a year of ad space at a time. An additional 10% discount is available for non-profit organizations and faith-based groups.
Pittsburgh BDS Coalition bdspittsburgh@gmail.com
Pittsburgh Palestine Solidarity Committee info@pittsburgh-psc.org www.pittsburgh-psc.org
Association of Pittsburgh Priests Sr. Barbara Finch 412-716-9750
412-848-3079
The New People is distributed each month to 3,000 people who belong to diverse organizations, businesses and groups. The deadline for all submissions is the 13th of the month for the following month’s issue.
Pittsburgh Cuba Coalition 412-303-1247 lisacubasi@aol.com
Pittsburgh North People for Peace 412-760-9390 info@pnpp.northpgh.org www.pnpp.northpgh.org
Amnesty International info@amnestypgh.org - www.amnestypgh.org
We are mission driven volunteers who look to build love and community by serving others in times of need.
Page 3
Anti-War Committee awc@thomasmertoncenter.org
Shalefield Stories (Friends of the Harmed) 412-422-0272 brigetshields@gmail.com
Pittsburghers for Public Transit 412-216-9659 info@pittsburghforpublictransit.org
Madan, Trisha Klan
Anti-War/Anti-Imperialism
School of the Americas Watch W. PA 412-271-8414 rothermeljoyce@gmail.com
Greater Pittsburgh Interfaith Coalition Anne Wirth 412-716-9750
Thomas Merton Center Interns: June Antley, Lucy Cheung, Monica Silny, Isha
work (WPSON) andrew.woomer@gmail.com
Attica: A Constant Reminder of a Shameful His tory Sectarian, Schmectarian: The Need for Unity Against U.S. Imperialism
United Electrical, Radio and Machine Workers of America (UE) 412-471-8919 www.ueunion.org Veterans for Peace Paul Dordal 412-999-6913 vfp47wp@yahoo.com Women’s International League for Peace and Freedom (WILPF) Eva 412-963-7163 edith.bell4@verizon.net
TMC is a Member of Pennsylvania Interfaith Impact Network 412-621-9230 office@piin.org Pennsylvanians for Alternatives to the Death Penalty Martha Conley 412-361-7872, osterdm@earthlink.net TMC supports these organizations’ missions.
Pittsburgh March for Science Brings Out Thousands: Science, not Silent Spring Page 12 How have you used your rights today? Speak Out! Protect over 55,000 Vulnerable Hai tians in the U.S.!
Page 8 June Spotlight: NewPeople Coordinators
Page 4
Hope Amid Despair for Undocumented Immi grants Public Letter from Martin Esquivel Hernandez
Page 13
May Day March (photos)
Page 14
Osama Alomar: City of Asylum Resident Writer The Plot to Scapegoat Russia: New Book by Dan Kovalik
The Only Realistic Path to Affordable Housing Penn Plaza Residents: The Relocation Challenges Page 9 Page 5 The Tail Wagging the Dog The 1892 Battle of Homestead
The Ancients (poem) Living Simply
Page 10 Single Payer Health Care: The Time Has Come Campus Rape
Page 6 Killer Robots Cast Long Shadows Over Acade mia Cont’d 2 - NEWPEOPLE
June 2017
Page 11 A Story About The Citizen Science Lab
Page 15 Working for a Future We Believe In Two Merton Center Members Recognized with Jefferson Awards
Merton Center News June Spotlight: NewPeople Coordinators By Fatema Juma, with Marni Fritz
Marni Fritz Marni discovered the Thomas Merton Center through the NewPeople newspaper, which she regularly picked up at Biddle’s Escape. “I was shocked that anyone would be covering the struggles in Palestine, let alone on the front page of a newspaper,” said Marni, reflecting on the pro-Israel media bias. Soon after, Marni started working at TMC as an intern in January 2015, aiming to gain experience in nonprofit administration. At the conclusion of her internship she was hired on as an administrative assistant. One year later, she was promoted to the fulltime position of Director of Communications, reflecting the work she was already doing with TMC. After working at TMC for 2.5 years, Marni finds her experience hard to describe. “This was the first time I had to understand, as a white woman, that issues of oppression and social justice are very real everyday experiences of people around me, both as victims and perpetrators of oppression. This experience is extremely unique to each and every individual. Oppression is not monolithic.” Marni started a process of recognizing both her role and the role of nonprofit culture in perpetuating systems of oppression in hopes of com-
bating these issues. In her eye, “all social justice issues are connected,” not singular and they directly stem from white supremacist capitalist patriarchy. To Marni, the most valuable experience at TMC has been working with the NewPeople interns because it is a time when people from different perspectives and experiences come together to talk about politics, current events, pop culture and personal identity. After this great experience and self-reflection and intentional work, where does Marni go from here? Marni’s future includes her attending graduate school, where she will delve into issues of race, whiteness, social inequality, institutional oppression
and structural racism on the academic level. She is concerned by the oppressive structure within social movements themselves and how funding is delegated to particular issue areas. Her goal is to make justice-related research more accessible outside of academic spaces. Marni firmly believes that “no matter where white people exist on the political spectrum, toxic whiteness exists in all facets of organizing, social movements and even anti-racist efforts.” In order to overcome oppression, we need to be able to give and receive loving criticism. We need to begin looking within ourselves before we look for change in others. “This experience has been an invaluable one for me. It changed my life forever and put me on the path I am now pursuing. I am incredibly thankful for all of those who mentored me, challenged me, collaborated with me and held me accountable. Thanks to you, I have grown. I will miss everyone so much.” Marni Fritz is the NewPeople Coordinator and is passionate about racial justice.
Fatema Juma I was born and grew up in Bahrain and came to the US as an exchange student in 2010. In the spring of 2011, the effects of what’s now known as the Arab Spring took my home country by storm. I was heavily involved in human rights advocacy and my work in Bahrain made it unsafe for me to return. So, I applied for political asylum in 2011, In the picture from left: Marni & Fatema. which was granted in October of that year and I decided two days later to move to Washington, DC, realized the strong relationship between the different where I could be more involved in advocacy for hu- facets of social justice and the repercussions of each man rights in Bahrain. Although the work was reaction taken in any area on the larger struggles in warding because I could learn about how politics society. The Thomas Merton Center was one of the worked in DC and on the international level, I still organizations in Pittsburgh where I met individuals was not able to fully delve into human rights advo- who stood firmly in their beliefs and pushed me to cacy. It hadn’t occurred to me how much my asylum evaluate my perspective. My public policy fellowprocess had affected me and my perspective on the ship experience made me extremely critical of my work that I was doing at the time. role in society and I spent most of my last year folTherefore, I decided to take a break and save lowing the fellowship trying to find a place where I money to finish my bachelors. After my BA in Inter- can contribute to social justice without hindering national Studies, I moved to Pittsburgh in 2015 to progress. Unfortunately, I often found myself in pursue a public policy fellowship. Through that ex- situations where I became part of systems that do perience, I learned more about the work done in the not value or respect human value over capital and city and had my first real opportunity to delve into productivity. Therefore, I decided to take some time social justice work through organizations like the off and reflect on where I wanted to be and go so Thomas Merton Center. I learned about TMC that I am not again becoming part of the problem in through one of the projects that I completed during the social justice work in Pittsburgh. my fellowship, which required me to learn more Having worked in several organizations in Pittsabout social justice resources and organization in burgh in the last two years, where I saw injustices Pittsburgh. manifest and practices of oppression overlooked Some of the issues that I always stood for internally, I grew more frustrated with the status throughout my career had been equity for women quo. People were very much willing to overlook inand freedom of expression. But, over my time work- justice because it often was “above their pay grade.” ing and studying in the US for the past 7 years, I I heard that phrase used so many times that I started
to question whether or not some in the social justice movement were genuinely willing to tackle these issues head-on rather than put them to the side and let them fester or grow. It is not the responsibility of people who are suffering injustices to educate others about their suffering, nor is it just to limit social justice to the confines of a job description, while at the same time respectfully recognizing workload limitations. We need to be intentional in most, if not all, that we do and as often as possible so that we are genuinely approaching that status of equity we seek in society. All in all, I am excited to join the NewPeople Editorial Collective, and to be able to learn from the experiences of those who preceded me at TMC and add my own to the mix of voices that motivate the great work being done here. I have decided that the best direction for me this year is to attend graduate school and further my education, and get more exposure to resources and skills that enable a successful dismantling of systems resisting equity and inclusion. I am hopeful that my time working on the NewPeople will be spent being pushed to evaluate my perspective more and challenge others to reevaluate theirs, too. My hope from taking over the NewPeople work as Marni leaves is that I am able to learn from the great contributions Marni has made to the Thomas Merton Center and to build on the great work and awareness that she has brought through the newspaper. Fatema Juma is the new NewPeople Coordinator and is passionate about equity and inclusion.
Become A Member Today! Subscribe to The NewPeople by becoming a member of the Thomas Merton Center today! As a member, The NewPeople newspaper will be mailed to your home or sent to your email account. You will also receive weekly e-blasts focusing on peace and justice events in Pittsburgh, and special invitations to membership activities. Now is the time to stand for peace and justice!
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Mail to TMC, 5129 Penn Ave. Pgh. PA 15224 Call (412) 361-3022 for more information. June 2017
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Battling for Affordable Living The Only Realistic Path to Affordable Housing: Government By Neil Cosgrove
In a supply-and-demand-based housing market, low-income families lose; landlords set rent-levels that will provide them with the profits they desire, or offer sub-standard housing at affordable rents, neglecting basic maintenance in order to obtain similar profits. The only way to ensure adequate and affordable housing in such an economy is to provide government assistance. But, as 2017 NewPerson awardee Carl Redwood points out, our current political climate features a “type of capitalism that has implemented the shutting down of government support for the people.” Many families have to negotiate the housing market themselves, regardless of how far below the Area Median Income (AMI) their annual pay may fall. With a need for more than 17,000 additional units of affordable housing, and with many lowincome people who perform essential work within the city seeking affordable housing in nearby suburbs, Pittsburghers generally agree the city is experiencing a “housing crisis.” As certain neighborhoods “gentrify,” many poor, elderly and disabled residents find themselves uprooted from places where they have spent much of their lives. (See article below by Thomas and Hortens.) How do you reverse or at least slow trends that make some neighborhoods affluent enclaves and others low-income ghettos? How do you ensure that essential low-income workers live close enough to jobs to have access to frequent, convenient public transit, and that the elderly, and people with disabilities, have reasonable access to the services they need? The city’s Affordable Housing Task Force (AHTF), and a variety of service organizations, have considered several tools, all of which they know are inadequate without greater federal and state support. One tool is to build new units of affordable housing. However, “the primary funding … for 90%
of the newly constructed affordable housing in the United States,” according to Lena Andrews, an affordable housing developer with ACTION-Housing, is the IRS-administered Low Income Housing Tax Credits (LIHTC). No other federal program offers enough incentives to developers, since multifamily buildings can cost at least $250,000 per unit to construct. “In Pittsburgh,” Ms. Andrews continues, “this program creates only about 200 units per year,” which barely dents that 17,000 affordable unit deficit. Pittsburgh’s AHTF recommends expanding use of the LIHTC but also the inclusion of affordable units in new developments with otherwise marketrate units. The Task Force would push for affordable units in any project with 25 or more units that is receiving public benefits such as tax abatements or height and density bonuses, to “a level commensurate with the amount of public subsidy.” The Task Force, incidentally, defines a housing unit as affordable if the cost is feasible for “households at or below 50% AMI [approximately $28,500 for a family of two] for rental units and households at 80% AMI or below for home ownership.” Another move is to replace or renovate existing housing. For example, the city’s Housing Authority recently issued $75 million in bonds, which will allow the Authority to obtain another $54 million in LIHTC money and consequently make 460 affordable homes available. The AHTF also wants to preserve “the more than 15,000 deed- or income-restricted affordable housing units” and to protect existing homeowners and tenants. It recommends controls over spikes in property reassessments. Another program would provide “just cause eviction protections and notification requirements for tenants of developments receiving direct public subsidy.” When tenants are evicted, finding affordable housing for them be-
comes increasingly difficult. The recently created Housing Trust Fund would supposedly assist in all these efforts by distributing as much $10 million a year, but only if it manages to obtain a steady stream of funding. Some of the suggested sources—such as a ½ mill increase in the real estate tax or a 1% increase in the realty transfer tax—have drawn little political support. Contributions of $10 million each year from the city’s largest non-profits would no doubt be more popular. Pittsburgh must do what it can, but federal rental assistance programs are crucial to increasing the city’s available affordable housing. Rising demand for rental housing over the past decade, across the country, and consequent jumps in rents have made such assistance more necessary than ever. “The number of families that paid more than half their income for rent or lived in severely substandard housing rose by 53% between 2003 and 2013, to nearly three million,” says the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities (CBPP). Douglas Rice of the CBPP observes that 85% of the federal Department of Housing and Urban Development’s (HUD) budget goes to rental assistance. Under President Trump’s proposed budget, Rice says, “it’s mathematically impossible to implement the Administration’s proposed HUD funding cuts without making deep cuts in rental assistance.” Yes, government assistance is necessary to provide citizens with adequate and affordable housing, and not just for poor or otherwise marginalized citizens. Lest we forget, most federal housing assistance goes to higher-income households, in the form of mortgage interest and property tax deductions when yearly tax returns are filed. Neil Cosgrove is a member of the NewPeople editorial Collective and of the Thomas Merton Center board.
Penn Plaza Residents: The Relocation Challenges They Faced Cont’d By Zak Thomas and Claire Hortens
at the intersection of poverty, mental and physical health, and weak social or financial networks. The elderly tenants experienced the most difficulty in confronting all the barriers; and they were also the most likely to carry with them the baggage of prior displacements and, in many instances, social injustice. They also tended to be the tenants who struggled the most to deal with the emotional, psychological and physical realities of moving. Our goal was to help residents find housing that maximized the factors most important to them, usually some combination of quality, safety, accessibility, affordability, sufficiently spacious (large enough to accommodate a lifetime of sentimental possessions and other, financially irreplaceable belongings). When an apartment meeting the tenant’s needs
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was not an option in East Liberty, we looked for sustainable communities with access to family, medical or social service providers, or quality public transportation. The geographical issue in Pittsburgh is more challenging than in other cities due to the prevalence of large numbers of small neighborhoods with dividing lines that are often as physically stark as the income disparity between them. It was a rare circumstance to find a unit that suited all of these needs, and in order to pursue such housing conditions in earnest, tenants must first have accepted the loss of their current apartment. It is challenging to perform an effective role as a 'relocation agent' in those instances, where the tenants may not actually be ready to leave; let alone embrace or simply accept the new landscape they face. So we have to help the already overwhelmed tenant navigate the tough choice between accepting a lesser but obtainable unit now, or holding out for something better, which may mean ending up somewhere even worse if the better unit doesn’t materialize. Indeed, no one person can play the multiple roles necessary to fully help a tenant who may
rightfully feel disempowered by the situation they are in, and who cannot enthusiastically pursue that which they don’t feel they should have to do. The one clear fact was that the tenants who were fortunate enough to apply for the right wait lists early on and used time to their advantage stood the best chance of improving their situation in the longrun. They often ended up in units of much higher quality than their dilapidated units at Penn Plaza. There is plenty of thinking and learning to do around this experience. For us, we are advocating for establishment of a fully funded relocation office, staffed with housing specialists who can anticipate the varied requirements of particular types of occupancies, who are familiar with public housing systems and services, and who are trauma and mental health informed. This office could be a successful public-private partnership. Having available financial and housing counseling services would help tenants anticipate vulnerable housing circumstances in the future, and reduce the risk of being displaced again. All relocation projects as well as individual displacements should have access to such resources. Too many residents of Penn Plaza were there because the building was a place they could go, not should go – the warning signs were there (in particular, month-to-month leases) but the system wasn’t coordinated enough to see them. Zak Thomas is Senior Program Officer for Affordable Housing and Lending and works with the Local Initiatives Support Corporation and Neighborhood Allies. Claire Hortens is a graduate student in Social Work at the University of Pittsburgh, who assisted in the relocation of Penn Plaza tenants.
Income Inequality: Then and Now The Tail Wagging the Dog Review of Book: Makers and Takers:The Rise of Finance and the Fall of American Business by Rana Foroohar, Crown Business, NY, 2016. Economic inequality is a growing cancer in the US domestic economy, as also in the global economy. The figures are truly obscene; for instance, the 400 richest individuals in the world own more wealth than the poorest 50 percent of the world’s population. Between 1978 and 2014, average CEO pay in the US increased by 1000%, whereas that of a median worker increased by 11%. Consequently, CEO pay now stands at 303 times that of the average worker. Just these few stats illustrate the enormity of the divide between what the Occupy Movement termed the one percent and the 99 percent. But we may ask: how did this happen and how does it continue to get worse? The new book Makers and Takers gives an account of one major factor in the process of inequality creation, namely financialization. So what is financialization of the economy and how did it take place? Rana Foroohar explains in her book that financialization is the process by which the banking, insurance, asset management and debt/credit segments of the economy take over and become ends in themselves. “Wealth creation within the financial markets has become an end in itself, rather than a means to the end of shared economic prosperity,” she explains. There was a time when money and banking were the lubricant that helped the economy to grow and prosper but that is no more. Banks were institutions which received the savings and deposits of individuals and then lent them to investors on Main Street to create products and market them. Banking was at the service of the productive economy but now that equation is reversed. Main Street works for and at the behest of the banks and Wall Street and Main Street busi-
By Michael Drohan
nesses go under if they do not. Marx saw the growth and dominance of finance capital as the highest and last stage of capitalism, after which it would collapse and give way to communism. This he wrote in the late 19th century, when the process was taking shape. Marx was nearly right when the entire system collapsed in 1929, as banks went overboard in risky lending ventures with no reserves to pay back their creditors. In the aftermath of the Great Depression, the US government instituted a number of measures to rein in the banks and curb their exuberance and overweening pursuit of profits. One measure was the Glass-Steagall Act in 1932. This Act of Congress put a firewall between Commercial Banking and Investment Banking. The former accepted deposits of individuals and lent from these deposits to companies and small businesses. Investment Banks, on the other hand, dealt in securities, futures and other risky investments. Another feature of Glass-Steagall was the creation of the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC), which ensured bank depositors for up to $5,000 each, reducing the risk of bank runs. In addition, Regulation Q put a cap on interest rates banks could offer, thus eliminating risky competition between banks. While the banks accepted the new measures at least temporarily, as order was restored to the economy, they were never happy with them and endeavored to end them right from the beginning. They finally succeeded in their quest under President Bill Clinton, when Glass-Steagall was repealed in 1999. There followed the bubble with sub-prime mortgages in the early 2000s and the mighty collapse of the system in 2007-8. What happened in essence was that the untethered banks underwrote mortgages to clients who had little to no collateral or means of
payment. Then these mortgages were bundled, sliced and diced, and resold as mortgage-backed securities. When the collapse came, however, the banks were deemed “too big to fail;” they were bailed out to the tune of trillions of dollars while the homeowners in default were left high and dry. This risky behavior of the banks is but one aspect of the takeover of the economy by the finance sector and the massive growth in inequality. Another aspect of the phenomenon that Foroohar examines is how corporations were financialized, taken under the control of Wall Street and hollowed out. In industry after industry, leadership in manufacturing companies came from finance rather than individuals interested in producing products. They danced to the tune of Wall Street and were rewarded or punished on the stock numbers. Workers were squeezed or eliminated by corporate flight to low-wage havens and consolidation. Another area of financialization that Foroohar examines is the invention and proliferation of new financial instruments and funds of every conceivable variety. Through instruments such as hedge funds and their like, the casino phase of finance capital arrived. The end result is that, in large part, the US economy is no longer about producing goods and services that people have need of but about juggling and betting that enriches the lords of Wall Street. Michael Drohan is a member of the NewPeople editorial collective and the Thomas Merton Center.
The 1892 Battle of Homestead: Actor Rylance Calls it "A Story Worthy Of Shakespeare" By Lynne Squilla for Battle of Homestead Foundation
In 2003, Mark Rylance, world-respected Shakespearean actor and then-Artistic Director of the Globe Theater in London, was in Pittsburgh to perform “Twelfth Night.” He was also taking in Pittsburgh’s dramatic labor history: tales of gigantic struggles and heroic sacrifices made by ordinary working people. These stories touched him deeply, and he realized their power as a potential stage play. “I came to Pittsburgh in 2003 looking for a new play worthy of Shakespeare’s Globe Theater,” says Rylance, “I discovered a story worthy of this globe (planet Earth) we hope to continue living on. It has obsessed me ever since.” The story that obsessed Rylance most was the 1892 Battle of Homestead. He began to research it in earnest, with help from local historians (the late) David Demarest and Charles McCollester, among others. The result is a play-in-progress, being cowritten with theatrical artist Peter Reder. In June and July 2017, Rylance returns to Pittsburgh for the 125th Anniversary of The Battle of Homestead. He and Reder will present pieces of their new work-in-progress for the first time in front of an audience. Rylance will also perform some of his favorite Shakespeare in An Evening With Mark Rylance and Friends at the Carnegie Library Music Hall in Homestead. Prior to that must-see program, Rylance will host a Meet and Greet fundraiser on June 30 at the Bost Building in Munhall (the steelworker union’s headquarters during the epic battle). All proceeds benefit the non-profit Battle of Homestead Foundation, to enlighten a broader audience about Homestead and the greater Pittsburgh area’s important place in the struggle for fairness, justice and prosperity for the working class. The July 6, 1892 Battle of Homestead is one of the most iconic moments in American labor history. It was the fateful day when locked-out steelworkers of the Carnegie Steel works at Homestead, together
with citizens of the town, broke into the closed and fortified mill, nicknamed “Fort Frick” after CEO Henry Frick. On the bank of the Monongahela River, they confronted a private army of Pinkerton agents hired by Frick as they attempted to land and secure the mill. The ensuing battle raged throughout the day, with gunfire, burning oil and cannon shots. At day’s end, the Pinkertons surrendered, but seven workers and three Pinkertons lay dead, with others wounded. The surviving Pinkertons were led away through a gauntlet of enraged women, children and townspeople. The conflict marked a watershed in U.S. labor relations and casts a deep shadow to this day. It is a story of Shakespearean proportions and power. Rylance’s events to honor the Battle of Homestead are but two of a series of lectures, films, plays and education initiatives in 2017, presented by The Battle of Homestead Foundation with sponsorship help from The Waterfront, The Rivers of Steel Heritage Area and The Department of Conservation and Natural Resources. In the 1990s, Mark Rylance met Chicago actor and activist Sam Wanamaker, who'd been blacklisted during the McCarthy years for un-American activities. Sam founded Shakespeare's Globe Theater in London and Rylance became its first Artistic Director from 1995-2005. Rylance first visited Pittsburgh in the 90s, playing “Hamlet” for the Public Theater. He has played on Broadway and has become more widely known for his roles in films such as Steven Spielberg’s Bridge of Spies and The Big Friendly Giant. He is currently working on Christopher Nolan’s Dunkirk, scheduled for release July 21. His television work includes the BBC miniseries Wolf Hall that aired on PBS in America. He has written two original plays and was recently
created a Knight Bachelor in the 2017 New Year Honours for services to the theater. He is a committed activist for a number of environmental and human rights causes. Tickets for Mark Rylance Meet and Greet: $150. Visit battleofhomesteadfoundation.org. Tickets for An Evening with Mark Rylance & Friends: $25 - $50. Visit ticketfly.com or http:// www.librarymusichall.com Lynne Squilla is a freelance writer, television documentary and event producer, working as consultant to the Battle of Homestead Foundation.
June 2017
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Failing Institutions Killer Robots Cast Long Shadows Over Academe Cont’d By Calvin Pollak
which were subsequently used to “bomb Red Cross and MSF hospitals” in Yemen, according to The Independent.) The NREC’s white paper on Black Knight praises the robot as “a piece of technology that can help the Army win battles.” Operators direct Black Knight using a controller similar to that of an Xbox or PlayStation. Before Black Knight, there was Gladiator, another robotic tank developed by the NREC, this time for the Office of Naval Research in 2005. NREC’s Steve DiAntonio characterized Gladiator as “a tactical robot, one that would actually go in front of infantry, Marine infantry.” Gladiator is equipped with machine guns and smoke grenade launchers. More recently, Professor Maxim Likhachev and other RI roboticists have been working on “persistent surveillance mission requirements” involving unmanned aircraft, a.k.a. drones. Likhachev co-authored a paper on this Office of Naval Research-funded project in January, describing its goal as making it easier for large fleets of robotic planes to constantly spy on targets. What makes all of these projects unethical is that they allow officials, policymakers, and US citizens to increasingly dissociate themselves, and their senses of right and wrong, from the death and destruction necessarily wrought by war. In this way, they contribute to pervasive cultural dynamics in the US that make it stiflingly difficult to build a mass
movement for peace. But CMU is not only a hotbed for militaryindustrial complex research—it is also a key center for recruitment. At annual job fairs, the same defense contractors that pay CMU researchers to build weapons offer students sweet employment packages. Intelligence agencies such as the National Security Agency (NSA) openly advertise job openings to students. And various branches of the military seek recruits, often offering misleading accounts of the agreements students will sign, benefits they will receive, risks involved with military service, and realities of what they will be required to do. By sanctioning industry and military recruitment, the university feeds technicians and soldiers into ongoing wars in the Middle East and other regions. For all of these reasons and more, it is critical for members of the Pittsburgh community, especially people at CMU, to engage in anti-war activism targeting the university. Back in 2007, students Kristen Lukiewski and Kelly Cahill wrote an editorial for CMU’s The Tartan newspaper entitled “Killer Robots Pose Moral and Branding Issues for University.” As they wrote then: “for as much as the Gladiator will destroy lives, there are ways to redirect our learning and research towards things that will enhance lives instead.” Over ten years later, this is still absolutely true. But the university has shown that it won’t change until more people stand up and
demand that it does. I know that I’m likely to make my life as a student and instructor at Carnegie Mellon more difficult, and more stressful, by challenging members of the campus community to consider the stakes of these issues. However, such stress is nothing compared to the constant fear of bombings and invasions which people in Pakistan, Yemen, Somalia, Afghanistan, Iraq, Syria, Libya, Palestine and elsewhere have been experiencing for years and decades— thanks, not just to my own government, but to my own university as well. Above all, CMU must be made to confront the brutal irony of its motto—the Andrew Carnegie quote “my heart is in the work.” We must ask: when your work has such terrible consequences for the world, what does this motto reveal about your heart? Calvin Pollak is a PhD student in Rhetoric at Carnegie Mellon University. He teaches first -year writing & professional writing.
Culture Watch: Behind Il Duce's Curtain Now we know why the Pruitts, the Sessions, and the Tillersons were appointed. Their task is one of demolition. The cancellations of Obama-era rules and regulations appear in the press in drips and drabs and, although some media outlets like the NYTimes and the New Yorker attempt to get a handle on what is going on behind the footlights, most TV and cable outlets spend their time on frontline issues like health care, immigration and the Russia investigation in the context of partisan politics. What appears to be happening is more than what the New Yorker calls Trump’s ‘big business agenda’ (see 4/21/17, John Cassidy). The Trump Administration appears to be the vehicle for energizing and consolidating the power of the corporate class, its effect being the merger of the business and political elites into the corporate state -- what some have called fascism. From this perspective, it makes perfect sense that Trump refuses to show his tax returns or put his holdings in a blind trust. His understanding of power harks back to the Gilded Age “Robber Barons,” as they were called by Progressives. Wealth accrues to the family and sustains its power and legacy. The way Trump has woven his family into the Administration and sustained its connection with its economic branch only illustrates my point. Of course, without Citizens United, none of this would be happening. We now have fiefdoms around wealthy men who wield enormous power over the political parties and election financing. The Koch Brothers and ALEC (The American Legislative Exchange Council) were harbingers of Trump. Now he is here, attempting to enact the greatest transfer of wealth from the working classes to the One Percent by his health care and tax proposals. What else can this be but class consolidation and class warfare? It even makes sense that Trump canceled the TransPacific Partnership. Trump sees nations as oligarchical formations, glossed with a patriotic national identity. “America First” is its tweet-sized ideological construction that connects the masses to the ruling elites, accompanied by its rowdy sports-like cheer of USA!, USA! He’s the Barnum & Bailey of the political show -- not so good, however, at press conferences or with the ubiquitous presence of the White House press, where he can’t control the scene. Still, he’s found ways around the press corp while undermin6 - NEWPEOPLE
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ing its legitimacy, creating a perpetual dog and pony show distracting media attention from the imposition of a broad regulatory freeze and roll back of more than 90 Obama-era rules and regulations whose enforcement has been delayed, suspended or cancelled -- to the benefit of the corporate class. The Business Roundtable has provided Trump with 16 rules it wants killed. Dow Chemical asked the administration to ignore scientific findings on its pesticides harmful to endangered species. Exxon is once again requesting an exemption from the sanctions on Russia to begin drilling. The message is clear: “the rules of the game are changing.” (Cassidy, New Yorker) The following is hardly an exhaustive list of regulatory roll-backs. Still, it is representative of what needs to be undone before the coming of the corporate state. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) dismantling Obama’s Clean Power Plan, worsening climate change rolling back latest Corporate Average Fuel Economy (CAFE) standards cutting department budget by a third planning to eliminate a quarter of department workforce planning to eliminate 56 of its programs, including clean up of Great Lakes, Chesapeake Bay, Puget Sound Federal Communications Commission (F.C.C.) planning to undo net neutrality eliminating price caps on broad-band & programs servicing the poor eliminating ability of cable customers to buy set -top boxes enabling higher prices for cable users & unrestrained monopolistic power for cable companies Department of the Interior a hold on fossil fuel valuation mined on public lands, requested by energy companies, worth $85 million annually Department of Health & Human Services tightening Affordable Care Act enrollment collecting unpaid premiums to cut enrollment relaxing oversight of individual mandate
CMU graduate student Mert Terzi holds a sign at a May 2017 anti-war demonstration on campus. Photo by Calvin Pollak.
By Jo Tavener
Department of Education revoking Every Student Succeeds Act enforcing school accountability canceling school diversity grants, student loans and civil rights enforcement funding cuts for after-school programs, summer programs, child nutrition, class size reduction, community schools Department of Justice reviving the war on drugs, according to John Ashcroft’s mandatory minimum sentencing revoking Holder’s “Smart on Crime” policies reviewing all consent decrees by which reforms are imposed on police departments Department of Treasury reviewing powers given to federal regulators overseeing banking and financial industries after the 2008 meltdown freezing Dodd-Frank provision, “Orderly Liquidation Authority” giving broad discretion to regulators making loans to failing financial institutions possibly shaking-up the Consumer Protection Bureau in response to Republican criticism that it is a “rogue” institution that needs oversight changing the tax code & tax cuts benefiting the top 2 percent, What stops the Democrats from doing to the Republicans what is now being done to them? The answer: Trump’s “Presidential Commission on Election Integrity,” led by VP Mike Pence and Kansas Secretary of State Kris Kobach, known crusaders against “voter fraud.” Jo Tavener is a member of the NewPeople Editorial Collective and retired assistant professor of critical media and cultural studies.
Oppression’s Complexities Attica: A Constant Reminder of a Shameful History By Neil Cosgrove On September 9, 1971 hundreds of inmates at the Attica prison in upstate New York began an unplanned, initially chaotic, take-over of a portion of the facility. Attica’s correctional officers knew, as they apprehensively set off for work each day, that they were sitting on a powder keg with a lit fuse. The violations of prisoners’ basic human rights were both numerous and obvious—poor diet, indifferent medical and dental care, lack of adequate heating and cooling, of fresh air and exercise, and punitive, arbitrarily administered isolation. The rioting prisoners thought the 39 guards and civilian prison workers they had taken hostage during the uprising could save them from violent retaliation. The hostages were consequently protected, respected and cared for over the ensuing four days of negotiations with authorities. Unfortunately, the authorities had other agendas that superseded concern for the welfare of either the hostages or the prisoners. Governor Nelson Rockefeller believed, given his own political ambitions, that he needed to appear “tough on crime” and “general disorder,” and he was stoutly supported in that position by “law and order” President Richard Nixon. State prison officials feared a loss of their coveted authority, and were gripped (as was the governor) by a more generalized, historically nurtured, fear of the empowered Black male. Correctional officers and state police were in thrall of a somewhat different set of racial fears nurtured by economic anxiety and the considerable cultural and geographic differences that marked their relationships with the prisoners. And so, on the morning of September 13th, state police and prison guards mounted a poorly planned, astoundingly undisciplined assault on the yard where prisoners and hostages had dwelt since the uprising. National Guard corpsmen, with actual training in riot control, were present but not used. Armed with large-caliber rifles, as well as their own guns, the
assailants first created a cloud of gas, then a cross fire from the catwalks during which 33 prisoners and nine hostages were killed, all by the police and guards, since the prisoners themselves had no firearms. Over 80 others were wounded, and the assault was followed by hours, days and weeks of brutal torture inflicted on defenseless prisoners. These appalling events, and the subsequent thirty -plus years of legal actions through which state authorities sought to deflect responsibility, while prisoners, former hostages, and their families sought some compensation and sense of justice, are depicted vividly and thoroughly in Heather Ann Thompson’s Blood in the Water: The Attica Prison Uprising of 1971 and Its Legacy. Thompson’s work was recently awarded the 2017 Pulitzer Prize in History, perhaps because of Attica’s ongoing relevance to our interrelated problems with incarceration and racism, as well as the author’s decade-long, dogged research in the face of New York State’s continuing attempts to withhold evidence. Some prison reforms did follow Attica, improvements in living conditions and increased prisoner opportunities to educate themselves and to communicate with the outside world. But Thompson argues that the more persistent legacy is apparent in the repressive drug laws and mandatory-minimum sentences that have led to the “mass incarcerations” of large percentages of people who dwell in communities of color. That the actions of New York’s authorities and “peace” officers in September, 1971 were based in large part on a fear of “losing control” over people of color (Attica at the time also had a large population of Hispanic prisoners) is hard to miss in Thompson’s account. One of the most vicious, and symbolic, reprisals against prisoners who took part in the uprising was that inflicted on Frank “Big Black” Smith, a man of imposing size. Based on a false rumor that Smith had castrated an officer during the riot, guards made
Smith run gauntlets in which he was hit by officers armed with ax handles and batons, and forced him to lie, spread -eagled and naked, on a table for six hours while holding a football under his chin. He was warned that he would be shot if he let the football slip, and in the meantime he was spat upon, struck in the testicles, and subjected to a steady stream of racial slurs. Thompson includes a photo of Smith spread on the table, taken from a catwalk above, that clearly supports his claim that state officials witnessed his ordeal and did nothing to stop it. Another photo Thompson provides, of slain prisoners lined up on stretchers in front of apparently indifferent state cops and officials, is equally haunting, and damning. It recalls the famous image of the frozen corpse of Spotted Elk, the Lakota chief killed at the 1890 Wounded Knee massacre. Another instance when people of color broke out of confinement in search of dignity and basic human rights. Another instance when the state, in the guise of the US calvary, employed disproportionate fire power to terminate a rebellion. Attica hasn’t just a legacy. It is another moment in a horrific 400-year history born of racial fear and guilt, of self-justifying myth, and willful ignorance. Thompson’s book forcefully demands that we confront that history, acknowledge it and replace it with knowledge, empathy and restorative action. Neil Cosgrove is a member of the NewPeople editorial Collective and of the Thomas Merton Center board.
Sectarian, Schmectarian: The Need for Unity Against U.S. Imperialism By Ron Read
There has been a recent debate among socialists, religious people, communists, anarchists, and others in Pittsburgh over how the peace movement should respond to various military flashpoints around the world. One argument says that the U.S. government and other countries fund rebel groups and propaganda to overthrow foreign government and that criticizing those governments (Syria, Russia, North Korea) plays into a neoconservative agenda. Other groups believe they must criticize tyrannical dictators wherever they are to show solidarity with oppressed people. Some religious people will argue against all forms of violence (from intervention to violent revolution) regardless of the situation at hand. The opposing view is that God is against oppression, not violence, and that pacifists are focusing on the wrong things. And then there are people who say all states are bad and that….. Nevermind, that is not what this article it about. This article is about why these arguments should not stop people from working together. Discussion and conflict should be at the heart of a movement. There should not be uniformity of thought on anything. Imperialism is not a simple idea, it is very complex which is why governments get away with doing it. And to address imperialism, people need to understand what it is and be open to different interpretations of it. However, debate and discussion is where groups should let their differences with other antiimperialists lie, and here are the reasons why: The public does not care. Most members of the public do not know or care about the individual positions of the groups that make up the movement. Even people in the activist community are puzzled when they hear about disagreements among the groups and shake their heads when they hear about in-fighting amongst them. Generally the only thing the greater public sees (or doesn’t see) are the
events and demonstrations the groups hold and the media coverage they get. Requiring ideological purity also excludes a large part of society that is less opinionated on such topics, thus preventing the construction of mass movements capable of effectively resisting oppression. The opponents will not care. In Spain, Franco killed and imprisoned the socialists, communists, and anarchists without the slightest concern for their divisions. In the United States at the turn of this century, the same groups were deported and jailed while right wing groups took over local, state, and federal government. I also don’t remember Hitler caring much about the differences between Trotsky v. Lenin v. Kropotkin v. Bonhoeffer. The left plays a dangerous game when it excludes people who want to help because they are not in total agreement with a given ideology. Such conflicts prevent the movement from achieving the right analysis, when people exclude or marginalize other viewpoints on an issue, they often ignore valid concerns that their arguments could benefit from. If analyzed correctly, the more information we have the better our knowledge of the situation will be. This is not to say every speaker (see Milo Yanniopolus or Ann Coulter) has something genuinely valid to say. It just means that there should be a high bar for when we tell someone to go to hell. Such divisions will empower exclusionary and authoritarian groups – Those who choose to divide often want to conquer. And those who demand ideological purity from others tend to be controlling in how they organize their “resistance” to oppression. If they can’t handle someone’s criticism of Assad, or their criticism of people who demonize Putin, how will they respond to differing views on majority v. consensus decision making? Or if they are afraid of being too “radical” by using the word
imperialism, what other words will people not be allowed to use? This article is not a call for people to forget about what makes them different or even to ignore relevant discussions on anti-imperialism. It is a call for people to acknowledge and accept how they are different, and to quit wasting our time with what Freud called “the Narcissism of Minor Difference.” When people do that, amazing things can happen. They can hold large rallies, organize regular pickets, put together townhalls…they can do all sorts of things to fight for change. But first they must let go of the belief that they can get everyone to think the same thing on a given issue. It will never happen, and I refuse to wait for such as fantasy to come true. Ron Read is a member of the TMC Anti-War Committee.
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The Hope of Immigrants Hope Amid Despair for Undocumented Immigrants By Cheryl Aughton
Spring is a season of hope and new life. Yet, for countless numbers of undocumented immigrants in the U.S., hope is difficult to find this year. Recent executive orders from the White House have put renewed emphasis on the illegal status of undocumented immigrants living in the U.S., putting thousands of vulnerable people at risk. “The whole Hispanic community is really panicked,” says Suzanne Susany, OSF, an immigration attorney who represents low-income Hispanics in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. “Parents are worried about what to do if the two of them get deported. How will they be able to get their children [who are U.S. citizens] returned to them in another country?” she says. “They are all trying to get forms to sign so someone will have the authority to take care of their children.” Children, too, are living under stress. “They are afraid they’ll come home and their parents will be gone,” explains Sister Suzanne. “On top of it, depending upon where they go to school, their peers are saying ‘you’re an immigrant; you’re going to get deported,’ even to children who were born in the U.S.” According to Sister Suzanne, families are no longer safe in their own homes. Federal agents entering a home looking for a specific individual now can
take all undocumented individuals residing in the home into custody, even without warrants for their arrests. “They might not be looking for you, but if they come across you, they can deport you,” explains Sister Suzanne. For undocumented immigrants, “It’s like working to stay under the radar.” “More and more,” says Sister Suzanne, “U.S. immigration officials are treating undocumented immigrants as criminals, whereas in the past, being undocumented was a civil offense. With today’s Executive Orders, there are no priorities for arrest and deportation and immigrants whose only offense is entering without documents are being treated on equal status with people who have committed felonies,” she says. For migrants fleeing violence and abuse in their homelands, America is not the refuge it once was. Unaccompanied immigrant children hoping to reunite with their parents are not welcomed with open arms.” Instead,” says Sister Suzanne, “the whole family now risks deportation.” In her present practice, Sister Suzanne represents many Hispanics seeking asylum, a status granted to those who can prove their lives are in danger if they remain in their home countries. Many attorneys require a $5,000 to $10,000 fee for these cases. However, Sister Suzanne’s fees are greatly reduced and
can be made in payments. Each day, Sister Suzanne patiently prays and works hard to represent these persecuted people. “Asylum cases are a lot of work,” she explains. “For example the Georgia and North Carolina immigration courts deny 95 percent of their asylum cases.” This spring the world cries out for hope. “The whole immigration issue and the anti-immigrant rhetoric have really stirred up hate groups and so people are – the country is – really, really in a state of anxiety,” says Sister Suzanne. Together with God’s help, we can make a difference. “We really need to pray because this is really the road to Calvary for so many people,” says Sister Suzanne. “We need to speak out. As people of faith, we need to be very clear about where we stand about what is going on, not just with immigration. We need to stand in solidarity with the poor.” Cheryl Aughton is director of communications for the Sisters of St. Francis of the Neumann Communities in Millvale, Pennsylvania. She earned a bachelor’s degree in telecommunications from Kent State University in Ohio and a certificate in religious communications from Loyola University in New Orleans, Louisiana.
Public Letter from Martin Esquivel Hernandez undocumented people, especially against ICE. I also want to thank the Pittsburgh community and the clergy who have united and supported all immigrants in their prayers but most importantly in their actions I want to thank my wife, Alma Brigido, and my three children, Shayla, Luz and Alex, for all of their continued support and endless love that they have blessed me with. I want to thank them for fighting so strongly against the agency of ICE and all other agencies that tear families apart. They have fearlessly led this fight for full rights for all undocumented immigrants and we need to recognize that. For about 10 months they have fought night and day while I was incarcerated in various prisons in PA and Ohio. They have always maintained strong and resilient and it is something I am proud of, more than I can say. Today, I want to encourage all people of all nationalities and races that we unite in this fight. We are all from Pittsburgh; we all call this place home; we all have love and family connected to this city. We need to start fighting united as if we were all a family. We are here and we are not going anywhere. Now more than ever. No one should ever be deMartin & his family at last year’s May Day March 2016. These ported and fall victim to our racist system. We are photos were taken by Ryan Deto. workers and we matter. But most of all, we are peoThis letter was read at the May 1/May Day Rally ple with beating hearts and hungry ambition to see and March in Pittsburgh in front of the ICE our children rise up in the name of our own dignity (Immigration and Customs Enforcement) building and freedom. located on the South Side. After spending 10 months incarcerated, after be“First off, I’d like to thank all of the organizers ing separated from my family, after being put in and activists who have made this march possible in prison and deported unjustly, I, Martin Esquivel, order to be loud about our fight for the rights of ALL have never lost hope. And that is because of my
The NewPeople Editorial Collective is Looking for New Members! We are looking for volunteers to join The Editorial Collective! Writers, Editors, Photographers, and Web Editors all welcome! Contact fatema@thomasmertoncenter.org for more details! 8 - NEWPEOPLE
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family. And I will fight with and for my family, both with my entire Pittsburgh family and my wife and children. I am thirsty for justice because what I have learned is that this system only causes suffering in the lives of people of color, and specifically Latino people. Our government does not care about whether or not someone “qualifies” for deportation. They break and bend their own laws and protocols in order to keep us apart and divided. And we as a peaceful and strong community must fight for respect for our people. Thank you for your continued support and attention. May God bless you. Sincerely, Martin Esquivel Hernandez” —————————————————————
Tell your representative to vote against antiimmigrant legislation and urge them to make a public statement condemning such legislation.
Call Your Representatives TODAY! Rep Dom Costa…….. Rep Tony DeLuca….. Rep Joe Markosek…. Rep Harry Readshaw…. Rep Bill Kortz……….
(412) 361-2040 (412) 793-2448 (412) 856-8284 (412) 881-4208 (412) 886-2870
MAY DAY MARCH
Marchers proceed down East Carson Street during the May Day March. Photo by Neil Cosgrove.
Christina Castillo reads a letter from Martin Esquivel-Hernandez, deported to Mexico in February. Photo by Neil Cosgrove.
Following photos were taken by Ike Gittlen of USW Local 3657
On May 1st this year, 250 people braved the storm (and the tornado warning) to join the Thomas Merton Center, Casa San Jose, Labor Council for Latin American Advancement, along with unions and community groups in the May Day March for Worker and Immigrant Rights. We met at 3:00 pm at Hot Metal Street and S Water Street just in time for the skies to open up and unleash a torrential downpour. The march included stops at the Immigration & Customs Enforcement office on the Southside where we heard a message from Martin Esquivel-Hernandez, recently deported after being held in a for-profit prison for nine months waiting to return to his family, and we remembered last year when he was able to march with us. We continued to march on in the rain down East Carson Street in the Southside and concluded with a celebration at the Pittsburgh Federation of Teachers Union Hall. The fight continues! After the march over a hundred people committed to taking action in their community for the fight for immigrant justice. We know we can only dismantle the mass deportation machine by addressing racism, worker exploitation and the over policing of black and brown communities. We remain committed to supporting this work long-term.
June 2017
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Taking Progressive Steps Single Payer Health Care: The Time Has Come By Molly Rush
Federal and state legislation on Single Payer Health Care has been introduced annually for over ten years. It has not been on the public radar and has been largely ignored by most politicians. Given the political power of the health industry to block any single payer “Medicare for All” bill, backed up by the myth that it wouldn’t work: [“look at Canada”], politicians succeeded for many years in keeping it off the table. But the times, they are a-changing. First Bernie Sanders’ campaign for single payer drew wide popular support. “It is clear that it is the only solution.” This year, public furor over the atrocious RyanTrump bill sunk it without even a vote in the Congress. After much talk of “repeal and replace,” moving on from Obamacare is turning out to be more difficult than Republicans thought. Barack Obama’s first choice had been single-payer, but he thought, perhaps rightly, that the country wasn’t ready for it. But the growing cost of insurance and prescriptions, with high deductibles and co-payments, have fueled the frustration and anger over ‘profits before people’ policies. The idea that everyone has a right to good health care is now widely seen as just plain common sense. Consider what two very conservative prominent columnists had to say: GEORGE WILL suggests that America’s health care reality means that not only is Obamacare “unrepealable,” but that we are on the way to a single-payer system. “Barack Obama said as a candidate that he would prefer a single payer but couldn’t get there. As President when they were going through the Obamacare agonies, he said look upon [it] as a starter home…the essence of Obamacare is the ex-
pansion of Medicaid. “Who has benefited from that? Probably, disproportionately, white working class males. Trump voters. “It’s about time that Conservatives come to the realization that those who benefit most from the progressive policies enacted by Progressives are people in the Red states. Ironically, if Trump, Ryan and their Republican cohort were successful in… instituting their draconian health care policies, their constituents would bear the brunt of the pain.”
DONALD TRUMP And what about Trump? I know you have to take his word with a cup of salt, but he did say, and it’s been reported, that “Single-payer works fine in Scotland.” And when he met with the Australian Prime Minister he told him that “Your system works better than ours.”
LEGISLATION FEDERAL: H.R. 676 Single-Payer Medicarefor-All, introduced in the U.S. House of Representatives 1/24/17. Over seventy Representatives support the bill, CHARLES KRAUTHAMMER “Obamacare may turn out to be unworkable, including Pennsylvania Reps. Robert A. Brady PAindeed doomed, but it is having a profound effect on 01, Matthew Cartwright PA-17, Michael F. Doyle the zeitgeist: it is universalizing the idea of univer- PA-14, and Dwight Evans PA-02. Let them know sal coverage. Acceptance of its major premise—that you support them. no one be denied health care—is more widespread CONTACT your representatives and than ever. Even House Speaker Paul Ryan avers that urge them to support HR676. ‘our goal is to give every American access to qual Speak up at town meetings. ity, affordable health care.’ Write letters to the editor. “A broad national consensus is developing that Share on social media. health care is indeed a right. This is historically Talk to your neighbors and friends, many new. And it carries immense implications for the of whom have medical needs and/or lack future. It suggests that we may be heading inexoradecent coverage. bly to a government-run, single payer system... Check out www.PNHP.org [Physicians “As Obamacare continues to unravel, it won’t for a National Health Program] take much for Democrats to abandon that Rube PENNSYLVANI Goldberg wreckage and go for the simplicity and Rep. Pamela A. DeLissio is prime sponsor in universality of Medicare-for-all…Republicans will have one last chance to try to convince the country the PA House of Representatives. Her phone # 215482-8726 to remain with a market-based system… HealthCare4AllPA is a statewide organization “Don’t be surprised, however, if, in the end, sinthat works for single payer health care. The Western gle-payer wins out…It wouldn’t be terribly surprisPA group meets on the third Monday at 6:30-8:00 ing if Donald Trump…pulls the greatest 180 since pm at the Squirrel Hill Library, Forbes & Murray. Disraeli dished the Whigs in 1867….and joins the single-payer side…That would be an American KraMolly Rush is a TMC board member and memkatoa.” ber of the NewPeople Editorial Collective.
Combating Sexual Violence on Campus By Jacqueline Souza
Why is it that campus rape is so stigmatized when, according to Rape, Abuse & Incest National Network (RAINN), twenty to thirty percent of young women will be raped during her first four years of college? Why don’t we discuss the fact that LGBTQIA and gender nonconforming students are even more likely to be assaulted than their straight, cisgender counterparts? Why do we encourage survivors to come forward with their stories but shame them when they muster the courage to do so? Time and time again, we see students come forward with their personal stories of survival. Should a sexual assault case garner the attention of the mainstream media, we instantly see a debate on the topic of consent push its way to the forefront of discussion, and the survivor’s story and experience are overshadowed by comments that find some way to blame the survivor and alleviate the rapist of all responsibility. We often see student rapists get off with minimal consequences for their horrific behavior, usually due to their socioeconomic status, gender, athletic endeavors, or a combination of the three. In fact, the U.S.’s largest anti-sexual violence nonprofit organization RAINN reports that only onefifth of female college students report their assault to law enforcement officials on-campus or otherwise. In the U.S. overall, it is estimated that only seven out of every one thousand rapists will ever face a felony conviction for their actions. Recently, I sat down with a student who attends the University of Pittsburgh at its Oakland campus. The student experienced sexual assault during fresh10 - NEWPEOPLE
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man year at the university and discussed the ways in which university officials could more effectively reach out to student survivors. “Pitt’s administration should work on actively reaching out to the student body with information on student resources, like the SHARE office and counseling center,” the student mentioned. “Like a lot of survivors, I feared reaching out to these places because I was worried that someone would report my assault without my consent. This was a misconception, and I think that the information can be conveyed to students in a way that leaves us feeling empowered, not intimidated.” The simple fact: administrators are not adequately combatting the culture of sexual violence that plagues college campuses. It is only fair to give credit where credit is due; by law, universities are required to have both mandatory education on college sexual assault and resource offices for survivors, but these two rules only check the necessary boxes. Dartmouth College recently mandated student education at the beginning of each academic year. Across the country, the University of California at Santa Cruz annually dedicates a week of the year to sexual assault awareness and other related issues. Students at the University of Virginia have mandated bystander intervention training, where they learn to get involved and prevent dangerous situations, even if they themselves are not victims. These colleges are doing it right; but there are more progressive ways to combat sexual violence on campus. A few additional ideas: since fraternity men are three times as likely to commit rape than their nonGreek counterparts and perpetrators are overwhelm-
ingly male, have sororities host Greek mixer events and parties, or eliminate fraternity housing altogether, as they are the one of the most common sites of campus rape. Since LGBTQIA students experience sexual violence at increased rates, administrators should ensure that the training curriculum promotes tolerance and clearly outlines relevant resources for those students. To combat sexual assault, we need to destroy the part of our culture that embraces toxic masculinity and excuses sexual assault. Education and awareness can create a lasting impact on campus, but the most effective solutions involve the cooperation and action of both students and administrators. We, as students, need to have the conversation in our own circles. We need to educate one another and call out violent behavior when we see it. We need to listen to survivors and hold rapists accountable, even when they are our classmates, friends, and professors. We must individually address the ways in which we perpetuate rape culture. On each of our campuses across the country, we need to force campus faculties to answer one question: what else will you do to help us? If you are struggling after an assault, call the National Sexual Assault Hotline at 1-800-656-4673. To learn more about resources for survivors, go to www.rainn.org. Jacqueline Souza is a former intern for the New People and currently studies sociology and journalism at the University of Pittsburgh. She is interested in racial justice, social movements, and U.S. politics.
Science, Not Silence A Story About The Citizen Science Lab By Bette McDevitt
On a recent Friday, high school students came into a science lab here in Pittsburgh, put on white coats, blue plastic gloves, and protective eyewear to prepare for their weekly experiment. On this day, they are learning about various wavelengths of light, in particular ultraviolet light, invisible to the human eye. When their science teacher, Eric Dunkerley, has gone over the information about the topic, the class will plate cells and expose them to ultraviolet light, for various controlled lengths of time. They will record the results, which will no doubt show the destruction of the cells, comparable to what happens to our skin, no matter the color, when exposed to UV rays. This sounds like an experiment that might take place in any well-funded university lab. What is extraordinary is where it takes place, and who the students are. The class takes place in The Citizen Science Lab, located in the Energy Innovation Center, formerly the Connelly Trade School. The massive building in the Hill District on Bedford Avenue is under renovation, and as if that were not enough, is aiming for LEED Platinum certification, quite a challenge for an old structure listed on the National Register of Historic Places. The lab and other rooms in use are on the side of the building shielded with a new glass
exterior, which brings light into the rooms. The lab is affiliated with the national Citizen Science movement, whose goal is to involve the public in scientific research to power citizen science and speed innovation. In line with this goal, the lab is open to citizens who want to carry out their own experiments The students are from Holy Family Academy, a Catholic high school with students focused on college and career development. “And this is where the magic happens, “said Andre Samuel, PhD, and director of The Citizens Science Lab. “Students learn to use all the equipment found in any traditional research lab. We cover things from microbiology to genetic manipulation to renewable energy.” “It’s rather like the Tech Shop located in East Liberty, “said Carrianne Floss, program coordinator of The Citizen Science Lab. “We have expensive equipment here, that schools and ordinary citizens can’t afford to have, and anyone can come here and do experiments.” And it’s portable. “We go out to many schools that can’t afford transportation costs to come here, and do after school workshops.” Shannon Laffterty, one of several interns from local universities who assist with the programs at the lab, was helping on that day. Her enthusiasm was contagious. She is pursuing a master’s degree at Duquesne University in Education, and the experience in the lab with students has convinced her to pursue a career in science education. On Wednesdays, programs are offered in the lab for home schooled students, and at other times, for private, parochial, charter and public school stu-
dents. All programs are free for Hill District residents, and there is an affordable price for others. When the students have completed their experiments, they like to check in with the creatures who live at the lab, Lucy the Bali Python, Sam, the Greenbottle blue Tarantula, as well as the crickets, beetles, and the Leopard Gecko, Romeo. Neil deGrasse Tyson, Director of the Hayden Planetarium, would like this place, considering he said: “The problem is not scientifically illiterate kids; it is scientifically illiterate adults. Kids are born curious about the natural world. They are always turning over rocks, jumping with two feet into mud puddles and playing with the tablecloth and fine china.” Bette McDevitt is a member of the NewPeople Editorial Collective.
Photos were taken by Bette McDevitt
Pittsburgh’s Thousands-Strong March: Science, not Silent Spring By Mike Schneider
Saturday, April 22, Earth Day: Balmy spring arrived in Pittsburgh right on time for thousands of Pittsburgh citizens (official count, 5,000 plus) to publicly show their support for knowledge. Make Hypotheses Not War. Without Science It's Just Fiction. There Is No Planet B. These were a few of many creative slogans on display at the Cathedral of Learning, Fifth Avenue and Bigelow Boulevard, University of Pittsburgh, 12:00 p.m., for a rally and urban hike around the block. Tens of thousands in hundreds of cities worldwide were also on the streets for this far-out idea: Science (from Latin scientia, knowledge), the English word that, since the Renaissance, has stood for evidence-based study and learning. Ironically, Saturday’s unprecedented event begs a question. How far have we come since the Dark Ages? In the era of Francis Bacon and Galileo, the opponent of scientific knowledge — such as that the Earth revolves around the Sun — was religion. That hasn’t entirely changed, but in 2017 the powerful opponent of knowledge is the executive branch of American government. As speakers noted on Saturday, the Trump administration proposes 31 percent cuts in funding to the Environmental Protection Agency (along with a legislative proposal to eliminate EPA) and 20 percent cuts to the National Institutes of Health. It also promotes the looming threat to existence posed by climate-science denial. At a time when many thinkers (prominently including Noam Chomsky) assert that the issue of climate change is urgent for humanity, the March for Science is, at least, a mildly heartening symptom for our planet. At 1:00 p.m., as the marchers looped back to their starting place; a lineup of speakers took the stage. David Finegold, new president of Chatham University, energized the crowd with a shout-out for Chatham alumna Rachel Carson. One of the most important science communicators in history, Pittsburgh-native Carson awakened the world to the perils of human-wrought environmental degra-
dation. Science, not Silent Spring, noted one of the marchers. Carson’s legacy, in the form of the United States EPA, is now under direct attack. Software engineer and start-up founder Kelauni Cook emphasized science education: “This is not just a march for the recognition of science;” she said, “it has to be a march for equity and access as well.” She gave the example of “black kids in Homewood who are looking at the stars and wondering how they can build a rocket ship out of cardboard boxes to get to the moon.” Science, she stressed, includes the right to imagine. Carnegie Mellon climate scientist Neil Donahue talked about fine-particle emissions: “About 250 people die in Allegheny County every year from fine-particle air pollution,” he said. If you’re going to have a heart attack, there’s a ten-percent chance it will be caused by fine particles, most of which in Allegheny County come from predominantly coal-fired power plants to our west. What climate change means for Pittsburgh, says Donahue, is saving about 200 lives per year, if we could only stop emissions from fossil fuels. This work, he stressed, requires public confidence, and not the current administration’s withdrawal from global cooperative efforts to reduce greenhouse emissions. Pittsburgh’s march began with a University of Pittsburgh town-hall style meeting in early February, organized by two groups, said Pittsburgh March for Science communications director Rebecca Tasker. A student group, Pitt Progressives, joined with a community group called Pittsburgh Progressives. The wider Washington, D.C.-based March for Science initiative came from scientists galvanized by January’s Women’s March. Within the first week of its creation, this movement gained over a million social-media supporters. Twenty years ago, late astrophysicist Carl Sagan published The Demon-Haunted World: Science as a Candle in the Dark. “Sagan understood something,” observed Carnegie Mellon philosopher
Andy Norman, “that most of us only dimly comprehend: Science and reason keep the darkest demons of the human psyche at bay. Just as a lit candle can chase away the darkness, reason and science chase away ignorance, superstition, fear and bigotry.” The flip side, he said, is that when our commitment wavers, the demons close in. “We can’t afford to assume that reason will triumph over unreason.” We must nurture science and skepticism, he said, and fight for a world in which knowledge prevails over ignorance. He emphasized the word Fight. Mike Schneider is a member of the Thomas Merton Center Editorial Collective.
Above: Ed and Donna Brett, and Joe Moffit hold the Thomas Merton Center banner. Photos of the Pittsburgh Climate March on April 29th, from Donna Brett.
June 2017
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Speak Out for Fairness How Have You Used Your Rights Today? For me, recent events echo not only the Watergate investigation, but also a brief but pivotal period in Turkey. In the fall of 2015, my husband and I celebrated my retirement from teaching English as a Second Language in Pittsburgh Public Schools with a two-month trip to Turkey, visiting lots of tourist spots and also catching up with some of the Turkish families we’d come to know. I volunteered for three weeks in an Istanbul middle school alongside a Turkish friend who teaches English to 8th graders. Do any of these descriptions of Turkish President Erdogan seem eerily familiar? “Tough talk, aggressive action and grandiose swagger are his hallmarks … but he does have a vulnerability: a thin skin. He cannot abide criticism.” He has built a gaudy 1000+ room palace said to exceed the opulence of King Louis XIV. He has used violence and the fear of violence to restrict freedoms of speech and of the press. Erdogan called for a new election to be held November 1, 2015, following the loss of a majority of parliamentary seats in June. Even as an outsider we could feel the energy and anticipation as soon as we arrived in September. Mid-trip we stayed in Ulus, an old quarter of the capital, Ankara. On the morning of October 10, the day of the bombing that killed 103, I grabbed a taxi to try to find (typical tourist) more comfortable shoes. Along the main road I started seeing people, mostly young but all ages, walking with signs and banners rolled up. Within a few blocks, shopkeepers were outside their doors peering down the street. Just as we reached a park, the driver abruptly took a sharp right turn. I later realized that this was the
final turn before reaching the bombing site. No emergency workers were yet there and people continued streaming down toward the rally, unaware of what was ahead. An acrid odor hung in the air, but I was still clueless. From an email home to my family: “The massacre... sad sad sad. Turkey is in a three-day mourning period now. The government stance is that it was ISIS. The people we've talked to think it is more likely that some shadow operatives connected to the current president are the culprits. Theories abound. Impossible to figure out who could profit from this. . . . Turkey has made so much progress in so many areas, but most news accounts - English editions of local papers - indicate that this tragedy is further fragmenting the country. Neither of us feels unsafe, but we both feel sad, wondering if Turkey will be able to withstand regional and internal threats to continue to make economic and social progress.” Jim and I became aware that a crackdown on journalists had greatly escalated in the lead-up to the election. Defamation and insulting the president are both criminal offenses. While we were there, a 14-year-old was jailed on charges of “insulting” Erdogan by ripping down a torn election poster to sell as scrap. Six broadcast channels were shut down following a raid on their stations. The offices of the Hürriyet newspaper were attacked twice by pro-AKP (Erdogan’s Party) protestors and the editor was attacked outside his home. Following the Ankara bombing, there was an immediate ban on reporting about the investigation of the bombing. Fear of reprisal or arrest is said to have led to self-
By Mary King
censorship. That October, thousands of Turkish and international journalists held a rally decrying the growing restrictions on the press, citing increased harassment, intimidation and retaliatory violence. On election eve in Istanbul a huge parade and rally was held. The crowds, representing all the major parties, were excited, many waving Ataturk and Turkish flags. A student I was tutoring invited me to her school to observe the election the next day. Single paper ballots marked with an X were held up, one at a time, for all to see and then a recorder marked the official tally. The government had declared three days of holidays for voting and turnout was 85% of registered voters. All the major polls were wrong and the results were described as “shocking.” Erdogan won and has recently consolidated additional power through a referendum. Since returning to Pittsburgh we hear bits and pieces from Turkey. About the dean of a department who no longer has any professors because all nine had been fired. Of a physician who lost his job with no explanation and then learned his passport had been invalidated. I worry about our protecting and using our own rights - freedom of expression and freedom of the press. Things can change very quickly. Mary King loves retirement, freelance editing, visiting family, and using her freedom of expression as a member of the Pittsburgh Raging Grannies.
Speak Out! Protect over 55,000 Vulnerable Haitians in the U.S.! By Joyce Rothermel
In late May, the Temporary Protected Status (TPS) for Haitians in the U.S. was extended 6 months by the Department of Homeland Security. Special immigrant status for Haitians was put in place in 2010 to provide protection following the terrible earthquake that killed hundreds of thousands of people and displaced over a million more. TPS has allowed over 55,000 Haitians to rebuild their lives, to work and to safely raise a family here, while sending funds home to support loved ones in Haiti. The recovery in Haiti has been painfully slow.
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Money pledged to rebuild homes has not been fulfilled in some cases. Last fall’s catastrophic Hurricane Matthew presented another setback. Tens of thousands of homes and schools were destroyed, along with agricultural crops and livestock, resulting in widespread food insecurity. The cholera epidemic, already the worst in the world, has intensified. In the face of these calamities, the economy in Haiti remains unstable. In December 2016, former Secretary of State John Kerry recommended that TPS be extended due to continued instability in Haiti. However, in what seems to be a drastic departure from this prior recommendation, the acting director of the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS), James McCament, recently stated he believed that circumstances in Haiti have improved and do not warrant the full extension of TPS. On the campaign trail last September, Donald Trump visited Little Haiti in Miami, Florida and vowed to be a champion for the Haitian-American community. The U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) is recommending that the United States end TPS for Haitians alto-
gether by January 2018. If TPS does expire, Haiti will not be able to support 50,000 dislocated Haitians and communities across the U.S., including Disney World and Little Haiti in Florida, would suffer from the loss of many prominent and active community members. As Marleine Bastien, executive director of Haitian Women of Miami, explained when interviewed by Amy Goodman last month, “…these people are really living in fear of deportation, because they have their families to consider, they have their businesses to consider, there are their homes, you know, to consider. So, it is really creating and wreaking havoc in thousands of families in this country.” To let TPS for Haiti expire, or to end it altogether, would mean turning our backs on the vulnerable Haitians whom we pledged to welcome, and would place considerable burdens on the country as it struggles to recover from multiple natural disasters. TPS was created to provide protection in the United States to those for whom it is unsafe to return home – precisely the conditions Haiti continues to face. TPS must be extended for at least another 18 months. To do otherwise would undermine the reason it was originally created.TPS represents the best of our American values of hospitality, generosity, and compassion. Raise your voice now by telling Congress and the Department of Homeland Security to extend Temporary Protected Status (TPS) for Haiti! Call the U.S. Capitol Switchboard at (202)224-3121 today. Joyce Rothermel is convener of the Pittsburgh Haiti Solidarity Committee.
Dissenting Voices Osama Alomar: City of Asylum Resident Writer By Mike Schneider Historic Missile Launched from the depths of history, a missile of unknown origin exploded in the present. The enormous explosion resulted in terrible loss of life and property. Shrapnel sprayed the recent past and the near future alike, leaving many dead and wounded. In the tornado of terror that spun everyone in its vortex, many thought the flames of World War III had been ignited. People rushed out to buy reserves of food and water, and took refuge in bomb shelters and basements. Scholars and historians immediately began in-depth investigations to discover the deadly historical faults from which this disaster had resulted, and the era in which they originated. Until now their research has yielded no results. Millions of humans remain in hiding in shelters and basements, awaiting further notice. “Historic Missile” by Osama Alomar, translated by the author and C.J. Collins, from Fullblood Arabian, published by New Directions Publishing Corp., copyright © 2014 by Osama Alomar. Translation copyright © 2014 by C.J. Collins and Osama Alomar. Used by permission of Denise Shannon Literary Agency, Inc.
Osama Alomar, current resident writer, Pittsburgh City of Asylum. Photo courtesy of Pittsburgh City of Asylum, by Renee Rosensteel.
Osama Alomar writes bullets. He aims them at the dictator inside the mind. To hit the target they must pierce many layers of confusion. Even as Alomar’s native land, Syria, suffers unspeakable devastation, it’s not Bashar al-Assad or other brutal dictators of history as much as the dictator inside us that Alomar targets. His weapon is his pen (and keyboard). His “bullets” are a cross between poetry and prose called in Arabic al-qisa al-qasira jiddan, which comes across in English as “very short stories.” See, for example, “Historic Missile.” (on the left) What he means by “the dictator inside” gains clarity within the historical context of revolutions gone awry. Alomar remembers the idealism of pre-civil war Syrian liberal society: “But little by little the revolution against tyranny and oppression became something else… The tyrant who had been sleeping in the depths of the ordinary citizen began to wake up, baring his fangs. The country entered through the widest gate the hell of sectarian and civil war. The nation’s severed limbs were mixed up with the severed limbs and heads of its humans. . . . When the situation had gone so far down the road of destructive chaos and insanity, I came to understand that the enslavement of humans to deadly and destructive notions and ideas is far more dangerous than the enslavement of humans to other humans, and the road to the paradise of freedom and human dignity is spread with tongues of hell.” (from “Love Letter,” Sampsonia Way, May 1, 2017.) On April 27, at Alphabet City on North Avenue, Alomar — current resident writer at Pittsburgh’s City of Asylum — read from his new collection, The Teeth of the Comb (New Directions, 2017). It’s his second in English, after Fullblood Arabian (New Directions, 2013), both translated in close collaboration with Christian Collins, who met Alomar in 2006 at a Damascus literary salon. By then, Alomar, born in 1968, had es-
tablished himself as a writer in Syria, despite censorship, by publishing in Lebanon. In 2008, before civil war broke out but “fault lines were evident,” he emigrated to join his brother and mother in Chicago. “Before I left,” he says (in an interview with Caitlyn Christensen in Sampsonia Way magazine), “nobody could speak freely. Nobody could even think, say or protest anything.” In Chicago, Alomar soon found he could no longer live as a full-time writer and turned to cab-driving — seven days a week, 10 to 12 hours a day, in order to feed, clothe and house himself. Collins on several occasions met with Alomar in the cab’s front seat to work on translations. “I’m the worst cabdriver in the world,” says Alomar. City of Asylum enabled the Syrian exile to revive his dream of living as a writer. As we go to press, he’s at Yaddo artist retreat in Saratoga Springs, New York, working in a cabin in the woods. From very short stories, he’s shifted to a realistic novel about the Syrian disaster. Relying on metaphor, Alomar’s very short stories tend to be indirect and open to interpretation. With the novel, feeling an urgency to get to the point, he’s turned to a project he left behind when he hastily departed Damascus in 2008 — a love story set within the devastating context of civil war and the international tragedy of Syrian refugees. It’s not a project to be rushed, says Alomar — to describe suffering, persecution, torture, the plight of Syrians in search of a safe landing worldwide, if not beyond. “There are Syrians in outer space,” he says, with a turn to his trademark black humor. “Some people care, of course, but some think the Syrian devastation is not their business. Some people,” he cautions, “think Syria is a faraway place.” Mike Schneider is a widely published poet, freelance journalist & member of the TMC Editorial Collective who lives in Pittsburgh's historic South Side.
The Plot to Scapegoat Russia: New Book by Dan Kovalik By Joyce Rothermel
Dan Kovalik, Thomas Merton Center member, international human rights instructor at the University of Pittsburgh Law School, and labor and human rights attorney has just written a new book, The Plot to Scapegoat Russia: How the CIA and the Deep State Have Conspired to Vilify Putin. Released Book Cover of New Book by Dan this month by Kovalik. Cover Design by Brian PeterSkyhorse Publishson; Photos from AP Images ing. Despite its provocative title, it is a plea to make peace with Russia. Dan believes that this is a plea which must be heard now, when the US is in the midst of a dangerous, new Cold War – one which is being pushed the most, not by the Republicans, but by the Democrats
and many of their liberal supporters. The book grew out of an article he wrote published in The Huffington Post, February, 15, 2017 entitled, “Listen Liberals: Russia is Not Our Enemy.” The demand for peace with Russia was a very common one amongst the American left during the first Cold War from the late 1940s until the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991. In fact, the Thomas Merton Center itself was an important voice for such a demand in its early days. It is Dan’s hope that his book will play some role, if even a small role, in reviving this demand among the liberal/left of this country before we hurtle towards a possibly fatal confrontation with Russia. Commenting on the book after reading it, John Marciano, a long-time peace activist, and author of the book entitled, The American War on Vietnam, Crime of Commemoration? says, “Given its title, one might think that The Plot to Scapegoat Russia focuses solely on the growing New Cold War between the US and Russia. Not so. Dan Kovalik has placed his excellent analysis of recent events involving Russia and Vladimir Putin within the context of Washington’s long and sordid history of interventions and aggression throughout the world that have violated the UN Charter, international law, and the US Constitution; its blatant interference in the inter-
nal political life of other nations; and its present support of NATO expansion to the Russian border that has elicited quite reasonable and understandable reactions from Russia. “This historical review is essential to understand how US political and military aggression around the world shapes its relations with Russia. It is nicely complemented by Kovalik’s own personal journey. A young, naïve, and trusting American boy who believed his government promoted democracy and freedom around the world, became a human rights activist and lawyer who traveled to some of the places where the US has brought death and misery to millions, for example, Colombia, Honduras, and Nicaragua. “This book is an essential tool to strengthen the civic and historical literacy that is needed to challenge the propaganda about Russia and Putin—and US foreign policy in general—flowing from Washington and our corporate media.” I invite NewPeople readers to pick up a copy and find out for yourself the insights Dan offers on this critical situation of our time. Dan Kovalik will have a book signing at the South Hills Barnes & Noble on June 10 at 1:00 PM. Joyce Rothermel is chair of the Membership Committee of the Thomas Merton Center. June 2017
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Simple Gifts The Ancients A poem by Mario William Vitale It's my last day with the old giants In mourning I hike the lost trails, sniffing the aroma of the bark, that cinnamon of the forest Under tepees of wood in a membrane of shadows, I stalk the earth, its mammal traces, its elusive tracks, to sit on a fallen log where spiders macramé, moss sloping to my knees unaware of invisibles within, grubbing in their tunnels A lizard taps my foot, responding, I muse to its touch, my thoughts like Indian visions, And when daylight mushrooms into night, and an owl hoots from cedar, I still sit with a lizard on my shoe Huddled with the ancients of the woods.
Mario William Vitale is featured on Writer's Cafe. He has written over 1,000 poems. Such portals of Google, Yahoo & MSN are where he displays his work.
Living Simply
By Bette McDevitt
Some readers may know members of the two Bruderhof communities located in Fayette County near Ohiopyle. In the past, Bruderhof members have participated in, and volunteered with, Merton Center programs. At this time two members of the community are living in Pittsburgh, providing a home base for several young members of their community who are attending local universities. Bruderhof is a German term that translates as Brother’s Place. Founded in Germany, there are fourteen intentional Christian communities spread across the world. They live by some simple rules, stated in their literature; “Like the first Christians described in Acts 2 and 4, we have been called to a way of life in which all are of one heart and soul, no one possesses anything and everything is shared in common.” The commonality is shown clearly in the work they do, in the factory that is part of the Spring Valley Bruderhof. It is a large factory, bright with daylight. Dave, the plant manager who welcomed me with the warmth I would find again and again, explained that this factory focuses on making showering, bathing and toileting equipment for handicapped people. The factory provides work for all members of the community, generates income to cover their needs, and enables them to help others less fortunate. This factory is an integral part of Rifton Equipment, one of three com“Sisters work” shows assembly of Community panies which belong to the Bruderhof. Playthings (play furniture). The others are Community Playthings and Danthonia Designs, and are situated in other communities. At the time I visited, there were around 20 people working. “It is designed that way,” said Kent, another community member. “There are 120 work stations, and in a two-hour evening, the entire community will work together, which is important for all of us. If we were profit driven we could automate or outsource some of the work, but it is important for us all to work together.” “And we are all paid the same amount, which is nothing,” said Marianne, Kent’s wife. “We are not employees. We are brothers and sisters working together.” “Our business is unique,” said Dave, echoing Marianne’s feeling, “in that it is not hierarchal, where the higher up you go, the more important you are. It’s the very opposite of that each of us consider it a tremendous privilege to be working here and to know that each product we send out the door is going to help someone that desperately needs it. “Everything is under one roof. Product design, testing, production and assembly are all inhouse so we have to remain flexible. We learn mostly by rolling up our sleeves and taking up an apprentice program, working under a master. You can get a degree in engineering or account- “Tram production” show asseming, but we also have to learn on the job.” bly of a Rifton Tram. That flexibility was evident in the transition from metal to plastic parts ten years ago. Plastic, being lighter in weight, would work well for the modular designs, with no need for tools to interchange the modular parts. This complex transition was overseen by one member of the community, who had in his past life been an organ repairman. All plastic parts are made at this location and shipped, as needed, to the other factories. The factory has a large number of highly sophisticated machines, made in Europe to create plastic molds and products. One machine recycles the scraps
School pictures. Photos are courtesy of The Bruderhof Community
of plastic and spits out an oatmeal like plastic that is reused in making more parts. In this region of high unemployment, due to the loss of the steel and coal mining industries, the irony is not lost. “We in this country are as smart as the people making this machinery in Europe,” Marianne said, “Why can’t we be doing this?” That’s another story, and one we think about, but it’s enough right now to think about this model where people work together, for the good of all. You can learn more about the Bruderhof, by looking at their website. www.bruderhof.com. Both communities welcome guests for Saturday evening dinner and conversation. They like to know ahead if you are coming, and that can be done on the website. Bette McDevitt is a member of the NewPeople Editorial Collective. 14 - NEWPEOPLE
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Award Winnign Members Working for a Future We Believe In On April 30 over 90 progressive Christians with resource people gathered in Sullivan Hall of St. Mary of the Mount parish to discuss and discern their opportunities and obligations to promote social-justice values in the Pittsburgh area. The workshop “Working for a Future We Believe In” grew out of an earlier, February 19th meeting. The first meeting was organized by a small group of progressive Christians disappointed by the November election results. A few emails and invitations resulted in over a hundred people turning out. Many at the first meeting claimed not to be previously involved in social action, but felt that they had to be involved now. “They were surprised that so many felt the same way,” said Kevin Hayes, one of the organizers. “We challenged the people attending this non-denominational meeting to think, pray and reflect on what we were FOR, what we were really passionate about. Many felt inspired to say the Spirit was active in our midst and a sense
By Jim McCarville
of community was born! The follow up meeting was planned to go into more detail.” The April 30 meeting started with an “Activist Primer” by Stacey Vernallis. After she told us part of her personal story, “Obamacare saved my life,” she then explained internet tools, such as “Countable” to monitor how your representative votes and “Resistbot,” an easy app to contact your representatives. Participants then broke into two smaller, self-selected interactive sessions. The first sessions were issue-defined: immigration/refugees, environment, healthcare, economic disparity, political activism, and interfaith dialogue. This was not to re-invent strategies so much as to connect people with on-going efforts. I participated in the immigration and refugees session. Our group’s interest was to network among ourselves (and with key contacts in their faith communities) to make more welcoming communities, to volunteer with Catholic Charities or
other agencies to mentor refugees, and to help Casa San Jose to find pro bono lawyers to assist immigrants. This session, as well as the North Hills’ regional group, organized Google Groups to stay in touch and facilitate the ability to “Plug-in” to ongoing efforts as they are identified. Other groups discussed ways to participate in efforts related to the environment, healthcare, and other networking efforts. Moving forward, the organizers hope the group will continue as a resource to help members find appropriate outlets for action. Future gatherings are expected to focus on speakers, topics and regional networking opportunities to promote social justice. Anyone wanting to get updates on future activities may contact me at jim.mccarville@gmail.com. Jim McCarville is a member of the Board of the Thomas Merton Center.
Two Merton Center Members Recognized with Jefferson By Joyce Rothermel
This year two of our Merton Center members received local Jefferson Awards for their important work in our community: Theresa Orlando and Fr. Regis Ryan. The annual Jefferson Awards for Public Service are part of a prestigious national recognition system honoring community and public service in America. They are presented on two levels: national and local. The mission of the Jefferson Awards is to encourage and honor individuals for their achievements and contributions through public and community service. Theresa was nominated by Anne Wirth, founder of the Gr. Pittsburgh Interfaith Coalition, a project of the Merton Center. She recognized Theresa’s 22year commitment to the North Hills Anti-Racism Coalition. Theresa founded the Coalition and served in leadership roles throughout its history. Theresa humbly received the recognition, noting the importance of anti-racism work in the current climate where there is so much division among peoples. The Coalition brings people together. “People trying to be good neighbors; reach out; highlight the good; speak up for people when needed,” says Theresa of its work. Upon the occasion of this recognition, Theresa’s 12-year-old grandson noted, “Grandma is like Martin Luther King, only for Muslims.” Theresa traces her convictions back to the Civil Rights movement and a friend she made at the time by the name of Sheila. Involved in Freedom Schools, Sheila became a Catholic, choosing Theresa to be her godmother. At the time, people would not sit next to Sheila in church. Theresa’s landlord was threatened when Sheila would sit on Theresa’s porch in Stowe Township. Now in her 60’s and living in Texas, Sheila shared, “As a young
black woman this woman (Theresa) saved my life. She introduced me to a world of love, grace and compassion. Because of her my whole life is a life of working in service and social justice.” Theresa also believes that the Catholic teachings that came out of Vatican Council II had a big influence on her and her husband, Harry. She believes everything she does is a response to what is expected of God’s children. Vatican II awakened in them a different way of thinking, being and valuing. Theresa became involved in religious education and was able to teach people about the faith, making it more real to her and others. When asked where she finds hope, Theresa explains, “in Kevin McNair, my fellow Jefferson Award winner, the young man awarded the Most Outstanding Volunteer of the Year Award. He is cofounder of 1 Nation Mentoring, whose goal is to help African-American males, who with strong, positive role models in their lives, learn to see greatness in themselves.” Also, when she meets many young people who are attending the Friendship Dinners the Coalition holds. It is also hopeful to her to see people becoming activists in the face of the attacks on civil rights they see happening in US national policies and acted on in our local communities. When asked to give a message to you, our NewPeople readers, Theresa responded, “No matter who you are or where you are, just be kind to others; be a neighbor. Reach out. Say hello to the stranger. We are too isolated. When we are good neighbors and are good to others, it helps them be better. Expect the good; don’t judge. We are all in the same mix.” Theresa believes she is an ordinary person whose actions look extraordinary when they are high-
The Religious Society of Friends (better known as QUAKERS) A Peace & Social Justice Active Spiritual Community invites you to join us Sundays 10:30AM for waiting worship 4836 Ellsworth Ave Pittsburgh, PA 15213 Phone: (412) 683-2669 www.quaker.orgpghpamm/
Picture of Theresa Orlando taken by Kurt Welch of PostGazzette.
lighted. She just does what she believes is the right thing. Fr. Regis Ryan, a priest in the Catholic Diocese of Pittsburgh was honored for his life of service throughout his years of ministry here in the Pittsburgh area, especially his work at the Focus on Renewal Center in McKees Rocks from 1975 to April 2012 and the Sto-Rox Health Center where he continues to serve. He also ministers at St. John of God Parish in McKees Rocks. “The ability to combine the two ministries of parish and communities for over 40 years has been a very special gift and a satisfying life for me,” Fr. Ryan said. His involvements through the years have included the Albert Schweitzer Advisory Board, Area Health Education Center Board, Children’s Cabinet Allegheny County, Community Care Behavioral Health Board, Consumer Health Coalition, Coordinated Care Network, Family Support Policy Board, Healthy Start Board of Directors, McKees Rocks Community Development Corp. Board, National Federation of Priests Councils Board, Operation Valor Arts Board, Association of Pittsburgh Priests Steering Committee, Sto-Rox Plaza and Rx Council. Fr. Ryan encourages future clergy to “get involved in the community beyond the parish. Respect all, especially those with whom you disagree. Be imbued with the spirit of mercy and compassion which Pope Francis reminds us of everyday!” Joyce Rothermel is chair of the Membership Committee of the Thomas Merton Center.
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Announcements! Congratulations to TMC Member and Supporter, Rev. John Oesterle on the occasion of his 50th anniversary in the Catholic priesthood: 1967-2017. Fr. Oesterle currently serves as Chaplain at UPMC Mercy Hospital in uptown Pittsburgh. Congratulations Pittsburghers for Public Transit and Residents of Mifflin Estates in West Mifflin winning the battle to extend bus service to their complex on Route 55
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Benefit for PAA Workers 3 -6pmPointBreezewa y 7113 Reynolds St
Volunteer meeting! Helpe us enact our queer agenda89:30pm- The Glitter Box Theatre 460 Melwood Ave
Inspire Speakers Series Presents: Food & Sustainability 4:30-7pm– Hill House Kaufmann Center
Mapping social Movements in Pittsburgh & Beyond 5:30-7:30 pm– PFT 400 10 S 19th St at the River, Pittsbugh
Struggles in Steel: A Story of AfricanAmerican Steelworkers 7 -9:30pm- The Pump House 880 E Waterfront Dr
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From Ferguson to Pittsburgh Juneteenth Celebration 11Sat 9pm- BMP 407 Rochelle Street
Stop the Wars at Home & Abroad: Building a Movement Against War, Injustice & Repression! 3Sun 4pmGreater Richmond Convention Center 403 N 3rd St, Richmond, VA
Teach-in: Building Unity Against Hate 10-1pm- United Steelworkers Building (Stanwix & Blvd of the Allies in Downtown)
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Pittsburgh Pride EQT Equality March! 12-1 pmPPG Paints Arena 1001 Fifth Ave.
Bread of the World Loddy Day Washington, DC
Humanity Day Iftar 6pmIslamic Center of Pittsburgh (Oakland)
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Thomas Merton Center Board Meeting 6:30pm- 5129 Penn Ave
March and Rally Against Fracking Conferences in Pittsburgh-58pm- Station Square 125 S Station Square Dr
Pittsburgh World Refugee Day 2017 11-2pmMarket Square, 210 Forbes Ave (Downtown)
Changemakers 2017 6-9 pm– August Wilson Center 980 Liberty Ave
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Yes, and- the conversation continues 6-10 pm- Boot Concepts 5139 Penn Av
Peace Round Table 10amCommunity of Reconciliation 100 N Bellefield Av (Oakland)
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10 Book Signing 1pm- Barnes and Noble (South Hills) See page 13 Smoke and Mirrors-Penn OUT Loud Art Crawl 3-Sun 12am- GLCC of Pittsburgh 210 Grant St
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March For Immigrant & Worker’s Rights -3-7 pmIntersection of Hot Metal & South Water St
NewPerson Award Event –69 pm– Letter Carriers Hall
Regular Meetings Sundays: Book’Em: Books to Prisoners Project First three Sundays of the month at TMC, 46pm Contact: bookempgh@gmail.com
Mondays: SW Healthcare 4 All PA /PUSH Meeting 3rd Monday, 6:30 —8 pm Squirrel Hill Library Contact: bmason@gmail.com Association of Pittsburgh Priests 2nd Monday, 7—9 pm, Prince of Peace Rectory 162 South 15th, Southside, Pgh. PA 15203 Women’s International League for Peace & Freedom (WILPF) 2nd Monday, 7:00 PM Thomas Merton Center, 5129 Penn Ave Amnesty International #39 2nd Wednesday, 7—9 pm First Unitarian Church, Morewood Ave. 15219
Wednesdays: Darfur Coalition Meeting 1st and 3rd Wednesdays, 5:30 – 7:00 pm, Meeting Room C Carnegie Library, Squirrel Hill 412-784-0256 Pennsylvanians for Alternatives to the Death Penalty (PADP) 1st Wednesdays, 7-8pm, First Unitarian Church, Ellsworth & Morewood Avenues, Shadyside Pittsburghers for Public Transit 2nd Wednesday, 7pm, 1 Smithfield St., lower level
Thursdays: International Socialist Organization Every Thursday, 7:30-9:30 pm at the Thomas Merton Center Global Pittsburgh Happy Hour 1st Thursday, 5:30 to 8 pm, Roland's Seafood Grill, 1904 Penn Ave, Strip District Green Party Meeting 1st Thursday, 7 to 9 pm, 2121 Murray, 2nd floor, Squirrel Hill Black Political Empowerment Project 2nd Thursday, 6 pm: Planning Council Meeting, Hill House, Conference Room B
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Stop the Badness March 5pm- at the Convention Center
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Unblurred Gallery Crawl 1st Friday after 6 pm, Penn Avenue Arts District, 4800-5500 Penn Ave., Friendship and Garfield 15224 Hill District Consensus Group 2nd Friday, 10 am — 12 pm, Elsie Hillman Auditorium, Kaufmann Center 1825 Centre Ave, Pittsburgh, PA 15219 People of Prisoners in Need of Support 3rd Friday, 7:00pm New Hope Methodist Church, 114 W. North Ave, Pittsburgh 15212
Saturdays: Project to End Human Trafficking 2nd Sat., Carlow University, Antonian Room #502 Fight for Lifers West 1st & 3rd Saturday, 1 pm, East Liberty Presbyterian Church Anti-War and Anti-Drone Warfare Coalition 4th Saturday at 11:00 am at TMC, 5129 Penn Ave., Garfield, PA 15224
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Pittsburgh March Against War 1-4pm- in Schenley Plaza (Oakland)
Pittsburgh March Against War Saturday, July 1st 1pm Rally/1:30pm March Schenley Plaza (Oakland) Forbes and Biglow For More information call: 412-361-3022
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