community-based, non-corporate, participatory media
Bechtel Action
by TakeWrning
Thursday, Jun. 12, 2003 at 8:57 AM
petie67@hotmail.com
Photos from the Bechtel action in West Mifflin.
Photos from the Bechtel action in West Mifflin.
bechtel
by TakeWrning
Thursday, Jun. 12, 2003 at 8:57 AM
petie67@hotmail.com
bechtel
by TakeWrning
Thursday, Jun. 12, 2003 at 8:57 AM
petie67@hotmail.com
bechtel
by TakeWrning
Thursday, Jun. 12, 2003 at 8:57 AM
petie67@hotmail.com
bechtel
by TakeWrning
Thursday, Jun. 12, 2003 at 8:57 AM
petie67@hotmail.com
bechtel
by TakeWrning
Thursday, Jun. 12, 2003 at 8:57 AM
petie67@hotmail.com
bechtel
by TakeWrning
Thursday, Jun. 12, 2003 at 8:57 AM
petie67@hotmail.com
bechtel
by TakeWrning
Thursday, Jun. 12, 2003 at 8:57 AM
petie67@hotmail.com
bechtel
by TakeWrning
Thursday, Jun. 12, 2003 at 8:57 AM
petie67@hotmail.com
bechtel
by TakeWrning
Thursday, Jun. 12, 2003 at 8:57 AM
petie67@hotmail.com
Story?
by Dan P.
Thursday, Jun. 12, 2003 at 10:25 AM
I had to google to find out about Bechtel- they have a "post war" (really, during-occupation) contract in Iraq, and as such people are mobilizing against them. Is there a West Mifflin connection? Where'd you guys go? How did people respond?
How long did it lasted- did police show up? Photos are nice, but a story is still needed :) And sorry if I'm missing the story explaining it all somewhere on indymedia, but I can't seem to find it...
The Deal
by TakeWrning
Thursday, Jun. 12, 2003 at 12:19 PM
petie67@hotmail.com
hum, I was hoping that someone else was going to post the story, but here it goes...
Thursday, May 5th, POG sought out to act against Bechtel. The act was held in correlation with actagainstwar.org 's campaign to:
"Stop Bechtel's war profiteering. Stop the Bush Administration from taking money from our schools and communities to subsidize Bechtel - leaving desperate human needs unmet in Iraq and the U.S. Lend your voice and activism to on-going community struggles against Bechtel. "
A few members of Pog put on their coveralls labeled "Biohazard" with the Bechtel logo on the back and headed to Century III Mall to create public awareness on Bechtel's record of environmental, health and saftely infractions and war connections.
Bechtel's contract includes rebuilding the drinking and wastewater systems in Iraq. After privatizing the water systems in Cochabamba, Bolivia, a Bechtel subsidiary made the price of water so expensive that many, particularly the poorest users, could no longer afford it. More specific information can be found at http://www.corpwatch.org and http://www.actagainstwar.org . As the group was suiting up, the orange flashing lights of the mall security confronting them. The 2 'officers' askedvthe group what they were trying to do and told them that "you can't weara mask in the mall" and "costumes are not allowed in the mall" and if they went in that they would call the cops and the group would be "in a world of shit."
So POG gave the officer a flyer and left the mall area. They weren't about to give up though. With Bechtel's main nuclear facility in their community, the people of West Miflin deserved the knowledge of the corporations wrongdoings. So POG proceeded to the nearest strip mall. In the Shop'n'Save parking lot, the group handed out flyers for about 10 minutes until the manager asked them to leave the area. To avoid the police, they dispersed throughout the parking area. Move flyers were handed out and people in general seemed pretty inquisitive and receptive to the action. An employee of a craft store even came over to the group to get flyers. Overall, the action was nice for the Pittsburgh Organizational Group.
http://www.organizepittsburgh.org
the handout
by David
Thursday, Jun. 12, 2003 at 2:10 PM
here are low-res jpgs of the handout. hi-res pdf's and other info will soon be posted to pog's website
back
by david
Thursday, Jun. 12, 2003 at 2:12 PM
masks in malls
by Saleh
Thursday, Jun. 12, 2003 at 5:44 PM
salehw@yahoo.com
Hi - in 2001 (post-9/11) a bunch of CMU grad art students dressed up in biohazard suits with masks and went to the Monroeville mall to see how people would react (more as an art project). The police first freaked out and checked them out to see if they were terrorists (from what I understand), and then kicked them out for the same "masks" reason - I think it's bogus, they're trying to apply the canard that you can't wear masks in public into saying you can't wear masks at the mall.
Malls as a public place
by Dan P.
Friday, Jun. 13, 2003 at 11:50 AM
Well, Saleh, I think this is a sticky issue.
You can't wear masks in public, due to laws that were established (if I recall correctly) to limit the KKK. Regardless of whether or not we agree to this, it's in place so that's something we unfortunately have to live with. As for whether this applies to the mall, it really comes down to whether a mall is considered public (as it's open to everyone) or isn't considered public (as it's private property).
Although the interpretation that malls are public property means we can't wear masks in the mall, it <em>does</em> mean that we can express ourselves freely in appropriate ways in malls. That's overall, good precedent. We probably can't march in the malls because then we aren't there for legitimate reasons, but we can certainly converge on a mall one day wearing anti-war clothing/t-shirts and all do the normal stuff that people do at the malls (but limit the amount of support of evil capitalists, please)
It's an event where, if it reached indymedia, would result in great disruption not because the event was designed to disrupt, as it would be designed to be anything but disruptive,but because the mall owners would go nuts, call police, alert mall security, and otherwise shut things down out of unreasonable fear.
your mask and the law
by Saleh
Friday, Jun. 13, 2003 at 4:47 PM
salehw@yahoo.com
from what I've read it's actually *not* illegal (generally) to wear a mask, it's illegal to wear a mask while committing a crime. However, cops distort what the law really says to defend their intimidation tactics of arresting anyone with a mask. These days tho it's been challenged enough that cops won't arrest people just for wearing a mask, altho they'll try to spread fear by making people think that they will.
An extension of this is when mall cops bother people for wearing masks at malls because of this canard (unfounded idea that wearing a mask in an of itself is illegal), not because of their private-ownership-of-property arguments.
Now that I've found a dictionary
by Dan P.
Saturday, Jun. 14, 2003 at 12:07 AM
Sorry about having you have to clarify that, Saleh. A dictionary lookup of 'canard' has clarified your point, and it's news to me.
In history, I was taught that wearing masks in masks was outlawed in many states because of the KKK.
So, off to google I went, and this is what I found: http://www.freedomforum.org/templates/document.asp?documentID=10992
If the Klan can do it now, we can do it. And I say that we should- and bring copies of the klan precedent in case the cops make a scene (they always do...)
the fact that you can...
by george k
Saturday, Jun. 14, 2003 at 10:18 AM
dodgerambler@yahoo.com
The fact that you may be permitted to wear a mask in a mall is not exorcising good judgement. The police are not harassing you for just wearing a mask. There is a climate of wariness now...and a gas mask ( a symbol of modern-day warfare) provokes an hysterical response. This provocation is akin to "causing a disturbance in a public thoroughfare" which could nearly provoke a riot if you look vaguely Middle Eastern and evoke fears of a terrorist attack.
So put aside your use of a "law" and think about the visceral emotions that can be awakened when you do these things. I have to tell you, for as calm and educated as I am, if you idiots scared my family in a mall with your stunt, I would incite a riot to beat the hell out of you....law or no law, and I would be aquitted for no prior offenses and good behavior. I support free speech, but free speech is limited by the other part of the consitution that says that an individual cannot interfere with others happiness (to paraphrase). Consider that phrase before you get arrested again, or worse.
also
by jay
Saturday, Jun. 14, 2003 at 10:24 AM
there's a huge difference between wearing a mask in public and wearing a mask at a mall (which is privately owned and can throw you out for any reason.) It's like that guy with the tshirt a couple months ago, he was arrested because he refused to leave the mall when asked by the owners, not because he was wearing a tshirt.
Gas masks?
by Dan P.
Saturday, Jun. 14, 2003 at 10:28 PM
I actually wanted to wear Bush masks and walk around telling people things along the lines of "don't worry, we aren't killing women and children in Iraq right now. Everything is okay." I don't think anyone could say that I was inciting a riot or endangering public safety.
Masks and coveralls
by Vance
Saturday, Jun. 14, 2003 at 11:23 PM
While your attire is attention-getting, I think it's the wrong kind of attention. If I were a mall patron and saw someone wearing a mask and coveralls with a bright biohazard symbol, my first reaction would be to put as much distance as possible between myself and that person. It's difficult to get your message across when people won't get near you.
Not to mention that those coveralls get pretty hot in this weather. :-) Might I suggest a t-shirt or somesuch with an anti-Bechtel slogan?
i disagree...
by David
Sunday, Jun. 15, 2003 at 8:26 PM
although one woman quickly ran away from us (dragging her inquisitive teenage daughter), most people responded well to our attire. the costumes drew attention to us crowded parking lots in which we might otherwise go unnoticed. in addition, they aroused most people's natural curiousity ("wtf?!").
Where did you get the costumes?
by Dan P.
Sunday, Jun. 15, 2003 at 11:32 PM
Okay, I'll bite. Where did you get the costumes? Were they made?
What process was used to make them?
It certainly looks nicer than any costume I would have been able to make. What was the cost?
re: where?
by david
Monday, Jun. 16, 2003 at 3:39 PM
the plain white chemical suites & related hats, masks and gloves came from a medical lab. we then stenciled the bechtel logo and the biohazard on them.
wanna come along if & when we do it again?
maska
by schnell
Wednesday, Jun. 18, 2003 at 5:07 AM
any laws against wearing masks in public are generally local laws and prohibit congregating while wearing masks in public. the nyc law that was upheld by a federal judge as applying to a klan rally was a 100+ year old law that had never been enforced previously. no one cared since it was just the klan, about 10 klansmen (and one plant who led them into an ambush!) marched without their masks, greeted by thousands of counterdemonstrators. a few months later the city cops were arresting mayday demonstrators for nothing more than wearing masks. not many people cared cause it was "just anarchists". a good reason to look out for the civil liberties of EVERYONE, eh? anyway it's good to see that the opposite precedent has now been set.
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