protest

Protest in East Liberty stops traffic

chathamcommunique

On Tuesday, November 11, traffic was brought to a halt in the East Liberty area of Pittsburgh when a group of demonstrators marched in protest of police actions.

The protest, which occurred exactly two years after Leon Ford was shot and paralyzed by Pittsburgh Police in a traffic stop in 2012, was meant to draw attention and awareness to the issue.

They were also protesting the fact that they officer responsible for the shooting is still on the street.

The group chanted, “Who do we support? Leon Ford,” and demanded to see Pittsburgh’s Chief of Police.

Ford was shot four times after fleeing from Police during a traffic stop. Police later said that they feared for their lives, causing them to open fire.

Ford was eventually found not guilty of the two counts of aggravated assault against Officer David Derbish, the officer who shot him.

The jury, however, was deadlocked on the other charges, which included resisting arrest, escape, and reckless endangerment.

The protest lasted a little over an hour, at which point the group of about 20 demonstrators peacefully dispersed, after being asked to by a police lieutenant.

They did, however, succeed in bringing traffic in East Liberty to a standstill for the duration of the protest, during the height of rush hour.

This event comes after a nationwide wave of backlash against police actions, most notably the protests in Ferguson, Missouri, which stemmed from the August 9 shooting of 18-year-old Michael Brown

The hope, according to the protestors, is to open a dialogue that will eventually improve the relationship between the police force and the community.

“Save Chatham” group organizes protest

chathamcommunique

An unusual sight greeted Chatham University students on Wednesday, April 23, as a group of about 15 Chatham students and alumnae protested, in continued efforts to halt Chatham’s possible coed future.

Cars honked at the group, which stood on 5th Avenue at the bottom of Woodland Road after being kicked off of campus by the administration.

Armed with signs and banners showing support for the women’s college, the participants showed clear dedication to their cause, despite the unseasonably cold weather.

The protest was organized through the “Save Chatham” Facebook page, which had over 1000 members within a day of the coed announcement being made, and currently has over 2000”, explained Kelly McKown, Class of 2002. ‘The ultimate goal of the page is to protect the [Chatham] college for women forever, but the reason we are out here today is to [convince the board members to] delay the vote for at least a year.”

She, and the rest of the protesters, want the board to work with them to look at financial options, think about the impact that going coed could have on the University, and put in the work that they “haven’t put in so far.” “The alumnae have been the backbone of this institution,” said McKown, “and to dismiss them and kick them off of campus shows a huge lack of respect.”

The administration, according to Christina Griffin, Class of 2007, told them to leave because the school was “private property” and they did not want protestors. They were told that they could protest on May 1st (the day of the vote), but Griffin did not feel that they could organize another protest in such a short time span.

Despite the setback, the protesters were still determined, and when asked why she felt so passionate about the topic, Jessica McMeyer, Class of 2000, said, “coming to Chatham gave me gifts far beyond an education. It normalized women in positions of leadership.” She then went on to explain that she drove here from Chicago with her father–who originally did not even want her to go to Chatham–in order to attend the protest.

In addition to Chicago, there were also protestors from Atlanta and Kentucky, as well as local alumnae, and current students.

The was also a wide age range among the group, which Nancy Chubb, Class of 1973, joked about. According to her, if Chatham went coed, the world would be loosing something special and unique. “I love Chatham. I love the spirit of Chatham, and I think going coed would destroy its soul,” she said. However, she seemed optimistic about their efforts, saying, “We can turn this around–I know we can–with the right passion and effort.”

Chatham alumnae and students protest going coed

chathamcommunique

On the morning of Wednesday, April 23, Chatham alumnae and a few current students took to the intersection of 5th Avenue and Woodland Road to protest the vote that could turn Chatham College for Women into a coeducational undergraduate institution.

“Ideally, we’d like them to throw [the idea] away in the trash where it belongs,” said Sarah Ford, class of 2008.

Ford wants for current Chatham students to look at the Save Chatham website and Facebook page.

“I don’t want students to be apathetic,” she said.  “There are other options other than going coed.”

The women wore the signature Chatham purple and held signs with phrases like, “Save Chatham for Women Forever,” “Rachel would weep,” and “Will work for single-gender Chatham College for Women.”  The women cheered when their messages raised supportive horn-honks from passing drivers.

For one protester who wished to remain nameless, said the protest is essentially about “being truthful.”

“I’m here because I feel like the administration hasn’t disclosed enough information or answered the questions that have been posed,” she said.

The protest began with about eight protesters on Woodland Road in front of the Mellon Building. According to Ashley Bittner, a junior in Chatham’s Environmental Science program, the protesters were just arriving when Chatham police arrived and asked the protesters to move before police were forced to arrest them.

According to Bittner, police said alumnae and students were not allowed to have protest signs on private property and that they were allowed to practice free speech, just not on Chatham’s campus.

According to Chatham Police Chief Donald Aubrecht, Pennsylvania Law states that picketers must be off the property of the institution against which they are protesting. As a former Homestead police officer, he thinks back to strikes by the workers of Homestead Steel, all of which had to occur off of Homestead Steel Works’ property.

“You don’t ever want to disrupt the operations of a business or the school,” he said.  “We always want to let [people] exercise their right to voice their opinion, but in an appropriate manner.”

Protesters were still going strong as of 11:30 am. They were even planning on staying long enough to have a candlelight vigil in support of Chatham’s single-sex education.

“I’m here because I love Chatham College for Women,” said Maureen Sampson, class of 2009.  “Single-sex education is not appropriate for everyone, but for some it changes lives, and I’m one of those women.”