PGHIMC - Pittsburgh Independent Media Center

Moratorium Now! Demonstration Downtown
by Danny P Thursday, Mar. 04, 2004 at 6:17 PM
dannyp@indypgh.org

Between 20-30 people gathered Thursday outside of the Pittsburgh State Office Building to demonstrate against the death penalty.

"Ed Rendell, you can't hide, you are planning homicide!"

This and other cheers were heard by a committeed crowd of between 20-30 protesters on Thursday afternoon from 4-5pm. The demonstration, which included groups such as Pittsburgh Abolitionists United Against the Death Penalty (PAUADP), Sisters of St. Joesph, sent a clear message about the nature of the death penalty, especially as applied in the United States.

Literature was distributed authored by these groups as well as Amnesty International that explained how capital punishment in Pennsylvania is excessive, racist, class-biased, and imposed on innocents. Petitions were distributed calling for a moratorium against the Death Penalty, as part of a larger campaign organized by Amnesty International.

"5-6-7-8, stop the killing by the state!"

As signs informed generally receptive passerby, 70% of the people facing execution in Pennsylvania are people of color, and 90% are too poor to afford their own lawyer. Other literature argued against capital punishment by comparing the United States with the other countries that continue to use capital punishment, such as China, Cuba, North Korea, Vietnam, Afghanistan, Iraq, Iran, and other "Third World Countries."

Five legal observers from the ACLU were nearby to make sure that the protesters did not have their rights violated. Thankfully, the protesters did not have to endure any police violence, and the demonstration ended without incident.

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