User:Cornellrockey/Pittsburgh Organizing Group

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Pittsburgh Organizing Group—often referred to as POG ^[1]; is a Pittsburgh based progressive organization concerned with peace, social and economic justice, and environmental issues locally, nationally, and internationally^[2] Active since 2002, POG has been responsible for the most persistent local protests against the Iraq War over the past four years^[3]. They have organized protests, pickets, vigils, direct actions, street theatre, concerts, teach-ins, conferences ^[4], and rallies over their 4 year history. Some of its events have been overtly confrontational and disruptive. More than 122 people have been arrested at POG organized direct actions^[5] and some events have involved direct confrontation with the police.^[6]

1 Politics and tactics
2 Founding and major protest actions
3 References
4 Notes
5 External links

[edit] Politics and tactics

POG is a non-hierarchical organization which utilizes consensus decision making processes. Since its founding POG has stated support for affinity groups and the utilization of a diversity of tactics to push for social change. The membership is youth based.^[2]

POG has organized many of the largest and most prominent protests in Pittsburgh over the last five years. These have included support for employees in labor disputes,^[7] opposition to institutions profiting from or involved in war related activities, trips to participate in regional and national demonstrations against the government and meetings of multilateral institutions.

One of the distinctive features of POG has been the variety of its tactics and the regularity of its actions during long term campaigns. In 2003 it organized the largest anti-war protest in Pittsburgh in at least 30 years.^[8] In 2004 it organized the first black bloc in Pittsburgh to protest a visit by President Bush.^[9] In 2006 it called for a march to shutdown the military recruiting station in Oakland.^[10] In 2007 it organized a blockade of the National Robotics Engineering Center.^[11]

[edit] Founding and major protest actions

According to the group POG was founded in June of 2002 and its first two projects were organizing a group to go to Washington, D.C. for the 2002 annual meeting of the IMF and World Bank and creating a local Independent Media Center (IMC) in Pittsburgh.

On September 1, 2002 POG held its first public event, a teach-in in preparation for the fall meetings of IMF and World Bank in DC. Its first major action was a trip to Washington, D.C. for the 2002 annual meeting of the IMF and World Bank where POG blocked Constitution Ave^[12] as its contribution to a planned Peoples Strike, an attempt by the DC Anti-Capitalist Convergence to shut down Washington DC. The arrest of 300 protesters in Pershing Park, of which 65 were from Pittsburgh, has resulted in a class action lawsuit still under litigation^[12].

In the lead-up to the war with Iraq, POG joined with the Thomas Merton Center to organize a “regional convergence against war” on Jan 24-26.^[13] The convergence included three days of protests, forums, teach-ins, and civil disobedience. 2,500 people marched in a POG protest on Jan 25, marking the largest anti-war protest in Pittsburgh in over 30 years .^[14]

In April 2005, POG began a campaign to counter military recruitment in Pittsburgh when they blocked off an Army Reserves recruiting table in Carnegie Mellon University's student union for 45 minutes during the lunchtime rush.^[15]

On August 20, 2005 100 protesters marched down Forbes Avenue chanting “shut it down, no recruiters in our town” on their way to the military recruitment center in Oakland ^[16]. The protest ended with 6 arrests and controversy over the actions of demonstrators and the Pittsburgh police ^[16].. Protesters blocked the door of the recruitment center to make a speech and taped a sign over it, reading “No Lies Told Today, Recruitment Center Has Been Shut Down.” ^[16]. While filming the sign a Fox cameraman reported his camera was struck by a protester who police subsequently attempted to arrest. ^[16]. A melee ensued during the arrest and De’anna Caligiuri was pinned to the ground for interfering in the arrest. While Caligiuri was being restrained on the ground by two police officers, officer Samuel Muoio walked over and used a taser gun on her. ^[16]. Other incidents of controversy arose over an incident where a police dog bit a 68-year-old participant while she stood with her back to the animal, and police used pepper spray in the vicinity of small children. ^[16]. Pittsburgh Police Chief Robert W. McNeilly Jr issued a statement stating that “during this un-permitted march, warnings to stop blocking sidewalks and “keep moving … were ignored.” ^[16]. Controversy over the police handling of the protest led to hearings before Pittsburgh City Council, calls for a moratorium on the use of tasers at protests by activist groups,^[17] and criticism of police conduct by local politicians and the editorial board of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette.

On March 2, 2007 POG blockaded the National Robotics Engineering Center (NREC), a venture of Carnegie Mellon University (CMU) that receives tens of millions of dollars from the Pentagon and has become a world leader in warfare robotics.^[18] Protesters blocked access to the center with tripods, lockboxes, and U-locks, resulting in 14 arrests^[19]