A-Infos (en) US, Another Month in the life of Pittsburgh Organizing Group

Due to the positive reaction we received to a recent report covering a month in 
the life of POG we decided to publish a second monthly report with the hope it 
might also be useful to activists in other cities. This month was like most 
others; pickets, protests, retreats, workshops, stories in the corporate media, 
court appearances, oh my. --- April 26: Workshop on resisting the G8 in 
Germany--- The second in a two-part series on the G8 and those resisting. The 
first part of the series was Globalization and Its Discontents: An Overview of 
the Global Economic Framework which explained the G8 within the context of a 
global economic framework that serves the interest of a few through the 
oppression and exploitation of the rest of us and the land and world we inhabit.

This was followed by The Showdown: Confront the G8 and Globalization in 
Heiligendam, which described the groups organizing on the ground to resist the 
G8, and what types of tactics and actions are scheduled/expected, the enhanced 
police powers and means of repression. It also covered the logistical 
information for folks considering going (keep in mind that our knowledge is 
limited) such as the recommended places to fly into, ways to avoid taking 
unnecessary risks to ensure you make it to the action, and the various 
convergence spaces that have been established for folks to stay at.

----April 29: Pogluck to get people involved----

On a nice warm Sunday around 25 people gathered in a local park to find out 
whether POG is right for them As a way of helping new people get involved in 
organizing, POG occasionally holds potlucks. We invite people who wish to get 
involved to come talk to us, get to know us, and hang out and have fun. For the 
first hour a couple members of POG gave an overview/orientation to new people. 
This covered how the group works, what we do, tactical and ideological 
tendencies within the group, how to get more involved, and left ample space for 
questions. After that other members of POG showed up to socialize. We’ve found 
this combination of a structured explanation and discussion space, followed by 
a general period of socializing and relaxation, best accomplishes the multiple 
goals inherent in these types of events.

---- Thursday, May 3, Court appearance for 13 arrestees from the POG-organized 
shutdown of NREC on March 2 ----

On May 3 13 activists arrested during the successful March 2nd blockade of 
Carnegie Mellon University’s (CMU) National Robotics Engineering Center went to 
court. The DA agreed to drop all three charges- possession of the instruments 
of a crime with criminal intent, failure to disperse, and obstructing of a 
public highway- if people committed to 25 hours of community service. The 
agreement was accepted and the judge went so far as to commend the arrestees 
for doing their part to end the war. The March 2 action was, by all accounts, 
one of the most successful and well planned anti-war events in Pittsburgh’s 
history. In response to a public call to blockade CMU’s National Robotics 
Engineering Center, which develops robotics for the U.S. Army and Marines, 
multiple affinity groups barricaded the entrances to the facility using 
lock-boxes, u-locks and a tripod. We would like to thank all those who provided 
support during and after the action. Being able to pay our lawyers for their 
good work is nice, as is knowing there is a supportive and caring community of 
activists in this city and around the world.

City Paper, our local alternative weekly, ran a story on the resolution
http://www.pittsburghcitypaper.ws/gyrobase/Content?oid=oid%3A30197

For more details, photos, and media coverage about the March 2 action check 
out: www.organizepittsburgh.org/m2


----May 5: Counter-Recruitment Picket in Oakland----

After another cold Pittsburgh winter, the beginning of May finally saw 
temperatures rising, flowers popping up, and leaves beginning to return to the 
trees. It saw life renewing itself and resistance in the air.
With POG's counter recruitment campaign having entered its third year, our 
resolution was as strong as ever during another picket at the military 
recruitment center in Oakland. About 40 activists showed up to again challenge 
a local institution supporting and facilitating the wars in Iraq and 
Afghanistan while infiltrating our lives with the culture of militarism. 
Undetered by recent attacks on on our rights, our bodies, our minds, and our 
freedom we went out to protest. At least in Pittsburgh recently, repression has 
strengthened our resolve and our numbers. Every arrest, every attack, and every 
aggressive cop seems to have reminded us, our supporters, and everyone who see 
them that we cannot remain motionless while this world and its war machine 
(from far away armies to police in our communities) rumbles on. The station 
again closed during the protest and we handed out hundreds of flyers while 
engaging in a lot of personal conversations with passerby. Hundreds of 
Christian youth were next to us waiting in line to eat following some sort of 
revival and surprisingly a number of good conversations occurred. Following the 
conclusion of POG’s event some attendees walked to CMU to confront its military 
ties and were apparently involved in some altercations. As a policy we do not 
generally comment on events or actions we do not organize. This is in keeping 
with our statement of solidarity towards the movement that both precludes us 
from denouncing other demonstrators and focuses us on talking about our tactics 
and strategies http://organizepittsburgh.org/index.php?page=statements/solidarity

----May 5: Sacco & Spaghetti Benefit ----

In the first six months of 2007 POG organized 12 protest actions and a slew of 
other actions and events. In the course of our actions 17 arrests were made in 
four months. This means we need money to cover those legal costs. And that 
means holding FUNdraisers!

On May 5, 1920, anarchist immigrants Nicola Sacco and Bartolomeo Vanzetti were 
arrested and accused of murder and robbery. A year later, after an unfair 
trial, they were found guilty and sentenced to death. After seven years in 
prison fighting their conviction and their sentence, Sacco and Vanzetti were 
executed. On the 87th anniversary of their arrests, May 5, 2007, POG held a 
dinner and screened a movie about the infamous pair. Sacco and Spaghetti!

While arrests and repression are inevitable when challenging the state it’s 
possible to take steps to mitigate the negative impact on organizing. Money is 
necessary to keep projects sustainable and to get and keep out comrades out of 
jail. Holding fundraisers is a way for the larger community to show support for 
those facing repression and helps to create a climate of mutual-aid and solidarity.


--May 7/15 Workshop on the History and Tactics of the Global Justice Movement--

This two part workshop covered historical roots of the global justice movement 
and the economic/political conditions in which it formed. The major focus was 
on comparing and contrasting the strategic frameworks utilized for major summit 
protests in the US and Canada between 1999-2002 with a specific focus on; 
Seattle WTO in 1999, DC IMF-WB in 2000, Quebec City FTAA in 2001, and DC IMF-WB 
Peoples Strike in 2002. Far too often our movements fail to internalize the 
lessons of past events, or worse fail victim to our own historical revisionism. 
Looking at what worked and what didn’t can help us discern the key factors 
necessary to achieve strategic victories in the streets. The anti-war movement 
has galvanized a new group of activists and its important to bring this group 
together with those who became active in the post Seattle era. With major 
events like the 2008 RNC protests approaching it might be an opportune time to 
look back a little as we prepare the way forward.


----May 20 Making new signs and visuals---

One of the effects of holding so many protests is we go through a lot of 
visuals. Signs get stolen, damaged, or just plain worn out. Over the last year 
we've been making an effort to increase the quality and quantity of our protest 
visuals. On May 20 POG had a day of painting, cutting, drawing, and general 
artistic experimentation.


----POG Retreat----

As a group POG generally meets every two weeks. These meetings usually deal 
with logistical details of upcoming events, report backs, and the planning of 
small scale protests, actions, and educational events. We quickly found this 
wasn’t enough for us and so for the last couple years we’ve held semi-regular 
retreats. For 3 days we meet outside the city to engage in longer term 
strategic planning and discussion. Retreats are important for us because they 
provide a venue for longer term planning. With so much happening in the world 
and in our movements it’s easy to get caught up in the hectic nature of it all. 
Without looking at the long term we risk jumping from event to event without 
considering how they all fit together and how we can maximize our 
effectiveness. While its stressful to deal with the logistics of bringing so 
many people together it serves an important role in our work.


----This Month and Every Month----
Overall the month, much like last, has been fairly representative of what our 
group is up to on an ongoing basis. We had a slightly greater focus on 
non-protest events than usual and our retreat consumed a lot of resources. We 
also held two general meetings. Having refocused our campaigns and talked 
strategy we’re looking forward a summer and fall of resistance.

For more information on POG see: www.organizepittsburgh.org or contact us at 
pog@mutualaid.org

What’s coming up for POG:

Friday May 25 Prison Letter Writing, 7pm at the Thomas Merton Center

June 6 G8 Solidarity Counter Military Recruitment Picket 5:30-8pm at Oakland 
Station, 3712 Forbes Ave

Sunday, July 1, "Annual Anarchist Picnic," 1-6pm at the Andersen Shelter in 
Schenley Park, organized by anarchist members of POG. This is our fourth annual 
anarchist picnic and the largest explicitly anarchist event that takes place in 
Pittsburgh.
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* An antiauthoritarian anticapitalist initiative
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