PGHIMC - Pittsburgh Independent Media Center

Police Raid Street Medic House
by From a Medic Tuesday, Feb. 24, 2004 at 8:18 AM

First-hand account of a police raid on the home of Pittsburgh street medics - more details forthcoming.

On Sunday, 22 February (2004) at 10:00 PM my neighbor R. called Centro,
where I was looking after the frostbite on an older man's feet. He said
that lots of police cars were clustered around my house. I talked to Z.
and a friend of his, and we walked up the street to see what was
happening.

At Mohawk St, I cut through the woods to get a better view, while Z. and
his friend continued up the street. I watched police shine their
flashlights on 55f Beelen St.(my house) and 55r Beelen St.(my neighbor
N.'s house). I think there were 10 squad cars, one undercover or
detective car, and one paddy wagon on Beelen St. One of the squad cars
had its flashers on.

As I watched, the police struck the hasp of the lock on 55r until it
broke, then they entered.

At this point, I decided to return to Centro to ask for more help. As I
backtracked through the woods, an officer shined his light in my
direction. He was joined by another, and by the spotlights from a squad
car and the paddy wagon. I waited until they lost interest, then
returned to Centro.

Many of my friends had heard what was going on, and were calling for
information. While I answered the phone, Z. walked up the street again
with another friend, A.

At about 10:30 PM, the police left, and my roommate Jim arrived at
Centro. He reported that he had been held in handcuffs in the squad car
while they searched our houses, and that he had seen no search warrant.

A. and I walked up the street to 55 and saw that stuff had been rummaged
through and that the hasp on 55r's lock had been broken. I took a
photograph of the hasp. Also missing were an old broken shotgun and a
newly purchased claw hammer.

I called the ACLU, Pulp magazine, and my friends, to tell them all what
had happened. Z. and Jim got the numbers on some of the cars. Z. and C.
were told the operation was in response to a report that we were
practicing a "satanic bloodbath ritual" and "mutilating dogs." The day
of the incident I had mounted the legs from a roadkill deer on our door
and hung a banner that said "the end," our house's nickname.

On Monday 23 February, several squad cars came by over the course of the
day. The first (1:57 PM / car 3232 / Officer Nichols or Nicholas) came
to run my ID, the rest seemed to be sightseers. At 3:35 PM two officers
drove up in squad car 3223, and the driver said, "You guys getting a lot
of notoriety up here. Guess you had a shotgun or something in an
all-black neighborhood. You make enemies up here, you get shot full of
holes real quick." After thoroughly looking over the house, they
departed.

Later (around 5:30 PM), I walked down to Centro to make some food. When
I got back home at about 6:30, a cabinet-sized radio of mine was gone. A
yellow "Pittsburgh Department of Environmental Services" raincoat lay
near where the radio had been.

xx

add your comments