Thanks for clarifying that, Mr. Rooney!

Because your initial statement sure did sound like you were giving the message that it was OK for a Steeler to smack around a woman as long as it was for Jesus.


(Alternative message here.)
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Police Domestic Violence Law Passes

If you're wondering if it was worth it to go Downtown and sit through two hours worth of Pittsburgh City Council to witness in person Bill No. 2007-1797 pass unanimously, in a word:


YES!

HUGE THANKS to all involved!
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Let's Stand Together Tuesday Against Domestic Violence!

From the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette:

City Council voted Wednesday to advance an ordinance for dealing with abuse by police, although it is not clear yet what the new law will end up saying about taking service weapons away from accused officers. Only a strong law on the books will tell officers in no uncertain terms that their jobs will be in jeopardy if they can't keep their hands to themselves.

If a police officer can't control his temper with his family members (or even with a partner in this case), the public has to wonder how it would be treated by such an officer out in the street. It's time for council to pass a law that shows no tolerance for such behavior.

Pittsburgh City Council will take their final vote this Tuesday.

It's been a long time coming.

Kudos to all involved, especially the many women who took numerous days off work to come down to City Council and all the lobbying they did to bring this to pass.

And, here's where we ask you to attend one more meeting. From Gloria:

After five months of hard work by so many, we would like to mark the date and invite you to gather with us, prior to Council's meeting, to stand together in unanimous support of the ordinance and to underscore that we will remain vigilant – there is more to be done.

Please plan to join us & feel free to invite your friends and colleagues:

DETAILS

Date: Tuesday, Dec. 4, 2007
Time: 9:40 a.m.
(Council's meeting starts at 10 a.m., it'd be great if you could stay to witness the vote too.)
Location: Pittsburgh City Council Chambers, City-County Building, 414 Grant Street, Pittsburgh, PA 15219 (Corner of Grant & Forbes, 5th Floor)

Please let me know if you will attend.

Thank you,
Gloria
gtforouzan@gmail.com

(Gloria's also posted some great resources for victims of police officer domestic violence at The Pittsburgh Women's Blogging Society.)

It's appropriate that this vote is taking place during the "16 Days of Action Against Gender Violence" which started on November 25, the International Day Against Violence Against Women.


(You don't have to speak Spanish to get this.)
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There ought to be a law . . .

From Gloria at The Pittsburgh Women's Blogging Society:

Source: WPXI – Rick Earle story, he’s doing a follow up.

The details I have:

Pgh. Police Ofcr. Bradley Walker was arrested – 2 counts of assault. Spent night in All. County jail. Is now out, without bail, back on active duty with NO restrictions – yes, that means he still has his gun.

With all of the media attention, council hearings, public outcry & demand for redress over the last 6 months, this is how the police brass reacts to Walker’s situation?

Council will deliberate the new ordinance, which merges Shields/Peduto’s work with that of the Admin. & Police Dept., on Weds., November 28th.

The police cannot not be allowed to police themselves.

And, under the guidelines of the International Association of Chiefs of Police this officer would not be permitted to carry a gun.
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Police & Domestic Violence Ordinance

I'm hearing conflicting reports whether or not the Pittsburgh City Council will hold a preliminary vote today at the 1:00 PM standing committee meeting on the Police Domestic Violence Ordinance.

Anyone know for certain if it will be postponed again?

Vote postponed again on Police & Domestic Violence?

It looks like the Pittsburgh City Council vote on the Police Domestic Violence ordinance which was supposed to take place today may be put on hold again.

From what we hear, the Pittsburgh Police Bureau has come up with a revised version of policies that they've written that they want to become the new ordinance however, only they have an electronic version at this point (no google document for you).

I wish I could write my own rules for my job -- don't we all?

We trust Doug Shields and Bill Peduto to stay on top of this (not to give away the store to the cops), but we'd certainly like to see more support from the rest of Council.

You can see more of what may actually come up before Council this week at Peduto's blog here and here.
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Pgh Public Works employee hired despite having raped a 12 year-old girl

From kdka.com:

Bernard Pendleton is a truck driver for the City Public Works Department. He's a Democratic Committeeman. He's also a convicted felon.

Court documents show that in 1987 Pendleton approached a 12-year-old girl at a bus stop, asked her if she wanted to go smoke marijuana, then took her to a house and raped her, threatening, "If you tell somebody, you know what is going to happen."

[snip]

Public Works Director Guy Costa is one of several city leaders who approved the hiring of Pendleton because of his Democratic Party affiliation. They never saw his criminal file - didn't know he raped a 12-year-old. But they did know he was a felon. Right on his job application he admits to pleading guilty to statutory rape and illegal gun possession.

"We felt it was good for us to hire him as a truck driver," Costa said.

Griffin: "So it's okay then? On his record he says, 'I have been convicted rape.' That doesn't come across anybody's desk?"

Costa: "Based on the information we had at the time we felt that he was the best candidate."

(Apparently, however, there is no truth to the rumor that Public Works will be handing out Aqua Dots to city children for the holidays.)

May we add that this type of thing is exactly why we need ordinances and not just departmental polices when it comes to hiring and promotions practices in this city?

While we are gratified to learn that women's and DV groups are continuing to meet with police and city officials this week over police policies on officers with domestic violence histories, we cannot allow the police bureau to simply institute their own guidelines.

There must be laws in place when it comes to the safety of women and children in our city.
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Council votes two week hold on Bill No. 2007-1797 (Police & Domestic Violence)

Shields, Peduto and Koch voted NO on the hold.

Once again, City Council gives Mayor Opie Ravenstahl what he wants: hold this off until after the election.

Still no written policy from the Police (they assure us Council will see something "in a week").

We've been waiting for action since June.

No Halloween jokes here -- just disgust.

Halloween Edition

1) I know it must be Halloween because I received something in my mailbox designed to curl my hair (too late -- already done) and cover me in goosebumps. Yes, I got the most recent Ravenstahl mailer -- the one that has the big picture of GW on it beside a photo of Mark DeSantis. On the back it reads: "Say no to George W. Bush, Say no to Republican Mark DeSantis." OHMYGOD, Karl Rove will appear under my bed at midnight on election day if I vote for DeSantis! SAVE US ALL!!!!

2) FEMA is looking into Lil Mayor Luke's joyriding in a Homeland Security SUV. Very scary . . . for Lukey!

AND, TRULY FRIGHTENING:

3) Looks like Interim Mayor Luke Ravenstahl may get his wish and have a vote on City Council Bill No. 2007-1797 (Police and Domestic violence) postponed until after the election.

It's no secret that Ravenstahl does not support this bill or that the FOP opposes it and has LIED about what passage of it will do. They are claiming that Council does not have the authority to pass it (BULL!) and that that commanders who accidentally violated an ordinance could be subject to criminal charges (MORE BULL).

What I find more frightening is that only Doug Shields and Bill Peduto (the two cosponsors) have so far come out in favor of the bill (though Twanda Carlisle may be leaning in its favor).

If you haven't yet, email your councilor RIGHT NOW and ask them to support Bill No. 2007-1797 and the four amendments.

The police cannot and should not police themselves as they want.

(Also, check out Behind the Blue Wall a blog that tracks domestic violence issues with police nationally.)

UPDATE: Click here for something m,ore fun than scary.
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Mayor Ravenstahl blames women's groups for delays in action on a domestic-violence police policy

Good Lord! Once again, it isn't Lukey's fault -- it's "been taken out of his hands."

From this week's City Paper:

And critics, certainly, are frustrated by that defense. It is similar to Ravenstahl's explanation earlier this year for why he promoted three police officers who had faced allegations of domestic abuse. The allegations against one officer, then-sergeant George Trosky, were well publicized, and Ravenstahl says he promoted Troksy anyway, based on his overall service. "The other two were issues I was unaware of until afterwards, and I certainly regret that I was unaware of them."

So far, he says, resolving the issue has also been taken out of his hands. In June, Ravenstahl met with anti-abuse advocates and pledged to work with them on a zero-tolerance policy. But while the city has instituted a citywide background check for new hires and promotions, a comprehensive policy has not been released -- because, Ravenstahl says, women's groups haven't met with him since.

"I've been frustrated that our initial meeting [with anti-abuse activists] has never been followed up on," he says. While another meeting is slated the week this issue hits the stands -- and anti-abuse legislation is being debated in city council -- Ravenstahl says activists have "chosen to take the public forum more so than the private one, through city council post-agendas and public hearings. And as a result of those public conversations, we haven't been able to meet privately." The hearings and debates, he says, have "slowed the process down unnecessarily."

"It's been up to the mayor's office to give us scheduling," counters Jeanne Clark, a member of the National Organization of Women who has been among the loudest voices calling for reform. "I can tell you that a member of the mayor's staff directly requested that any public action on this be delayed until after the election, and everyone involved refused. I think the mayor needs to look into the mirror for the scheduling problems."

Chris Potter even posts an audio clip of Mayor Luke Ravenstahl's remarks on this issue.

Correct me if I'm wrong, but didn't Lukey originally meet only with women who he had appointed?

Then he was a no show for a City Council public meeting on the issue of his promotions of three police officers with histories of domestic abuse.

And, why did he not show up?

Because he was too busy rubbing shoulders at a $9,000.00 golf outing on UPMC's dime!

He even tried to claim that mayors never attend public hearings in City Council chambers until he was caught red-handed by a video clip of himself as a Councilman bitching about then Mayor Murphy's nonattendance at a public hearing.

He admits in the audio clip that it isn't like he's tried to contact the women's groups and they wouldn't take his calls.

Nope, Lil Mayor Luke just wanted it all hush-hushed until after the election.

And, some folks still question why I'm voting for Republican Mark DeSantis?!?

(Yes, I am quoted liberally throughout this City Paper article. Fire away!)
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Two Big Issues Before Pgh City Council

First up: Back to the issue of city police and domestic violence.

We published a copy of City Council President Doug Shields' bill (No. 2007-1797) on this issue here. Councilman Bill Peduto has been added as a sponsor of that bill, but he's also introduced amendments to it. Gloria Forouzan outlined the changes here as follows:

"...compel the Police Bureau to refer all allegations of domestic violence by officers to the independent Citizen Police Review Board."

"...bar the hiring or promotion of anyone subject to a PFA or criminal domestic violence investigation. "

"...force officers who are subjects of criminal domestic violence investigations or protection from abuse orders to "surrender all firearms, including their primary service weapon, immediately"

While the FOP has argued of the last measure that it "would be tantamount to taking away an officer's livelihood based on a mere accusation" it must be noted that this policy is 1) considered standard practice by the International Association of Chiefs of Police and the U.S. Military and 2) that an intimate partner must convince a judge that there is a threat of eminent danger before a PFA is issued (far from the accusation at the October 18th public hearing that cops will lose their guns over "shouting matches").

Also as was mentioned by Jeanne Clark (Squirrel Hill Now) at that public hearing, it has been 114 days (on 10/18/07) since the Mayor and Police Chief had promoted three officers with histories of domestic abuse and not one concrete step has yet to be taken. She also held up a brochure released by the Mayor's Office on DV that appeared to be printed on an inkjet printer and she said was not widely distributed. She compared it to the large-format, four-color, professionally-printed Redd Up brochure (I will note here that, tellingly, the DV brochure was not plastered with Luke's images).

What also came out at that public hearing was that the police response was to give verbal accounts of new policy changes -- nothing in writing still at this late date!

An initial vote on the bill (and amendments) will be held on Wednesday, October 31st.

(Previous posts on this issue here.)

Second Issue: Gender Equity

City Council President Doug Shields introduced a bill today (No. 2007-1845) that would approve the release of a Request for Proposal (RFP) from the city for a "A Comprehensive Study of Positions within Pittsburgh City Government" (see draft version here and a previous post by Dayvoe on this here).

As stated in the RFP's introduction, the purpose of the study is "to include a focus on the general soundness of the current system and whether the system affords internal fairness and equity, without gender or other bias."

Both Barbara L. Trant, Director of Personnel & Civil Service Commission for the City, and Heather Arnet, Executive Director of the Women and Girls Foundation, spoke to Pittsburgh City Council today about the study.

It must be said that both Councilman Bodack and Councilman Motznik initially expressed doubts about the need for such a study with Bodack saying that he thought that the city's hiring and promotions system allowed "no room to exist" for gender inequities and Motznik saying that he wasn't ware of any problems.

Ms. Arnet said that it was an "economic development" issue as a majority of college graduates are women and that demonstrating that Pittsburgh cares about gender equity in pay is a plus for keeping and attracting female professionals.

Some interesting (or nauseating) facts came out during the discussion:

Nationally, women make 81 cents to the dollar as compared to males. Statewide it's 73 cents while it's only 70 cents in the city of Pittsburgh.

There are 3,440 city employees but, only 923 are female.

Councilwoman Twanda Carlisle was blown away by the last figure and offered to help in any way she could in her last months on Council.

Councilwoman Tonya Payne predicted that the study would also show a big disparity in terms of race regarding both hirings and salaries of City employees.

An initial vote on this bill will also be held on Wednesday, October 31st.

Now here's where YOU come in:

Please lobby City Council on both bills and the Mayor's office on Bill No. 2007-1797.

Again, I turn to one of Gloria's posts at The Pittsburgh Women's Blogging Society, this time for contact info:

Mayor's Office
Phone: 412-255-2626, Fax: 412-255-2687

Len Bodack, Jr.
len.bodack@city.pittsburgh.pa.us , Telephone: 412-255-2140, Fax: 412-255-2419

Twanda Carlisle
twanda.carlisle@city.pittsburgh.pa.us , Telephone: 412-255-2137, Fax: 412-255-8658

Dan Deasy
dan.deasy@city.pittsburgh.pa.us , Telephone: 412-255-8963, Fax: 412-255-2821

Darlene Harris
darlene.harris@city.pittsburgh.pa.us , Telephone: 412-255-2135, Fax: 412-255-2129

Jeff Koch
jeffrey.koch@city.pittsburgh.pa.us , Telephone: 412-255-2130, Fax: 412-255-8950

Jim Motznik
james.motznik@city.pittsburgh.pa.us , Telephone: 412-255-2131, Fax: 412-255-2821

Tonya Payne
tonya.payne@city.pittsburgh.pa.us , Telephone: 412-255-2134, Fax: 412-255-2821

Bill Peduto
bill.peduto@city.pittsburgh.pa.us , Telephone: 412-255-2133, Fax: 412-255-2821

Doug Shields
doug.shields@city.pittsburgh.pa.us , Phone: 412-255-8965, Fax: 412-255-2821

You can also join others in lobbying Council members in person on both pieces of legislation on Tuesday, October 30th at City Council at 9:00 AM.

UPDATE: Post-Gazette article: "Dispute over police with PFAs heats up"

We hear tell that in today's City Paper the Mayor more or less blames foot-dragging on the DV issue on the women themselves. We'll be picking up our copy soon.
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Public Hearing Tomorrow on Pittsburgh Police & Domestic Violence Bill

WHAT: Public Hearing - Bill No. 2007-1797
WHEN: Thursday, October 18, 2007, 9:30 A.M.
WHERE: Pittsburgh City Council Chambers, City-County Building, 414 Grant Street, Pittsburgh, PA 15219 (Corner of Grant & Forbes, 5th Floor)

There will be a public hearing tomorrow in Pittsburgh City Council Chambers on Bill No. 2007-1797 introduced by Council President Doug Shields on September 25, 2007.

The bill was created to address the concerns originally caused by the promotion of three police officers with a history of domestic violence allegations on June 18.

The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette identified 35 officers who have had protection-from-abuse orders taken out on them since 1992.

The full text of the bill can be found at:
http://docs.google.com/Doc?id=dfjzkfgh_0d5cr7v

Several women's and domestic violence groups (including Jeanne Clark of the National Organization for Women) were instrumental in making sure that the issue of police with domestic violence histories was addressed.

However, Bill No. 2007-1797 has been met with some criticism.

As is to be expected, the police union is not happy with it:

Pittsburgh's police union charged yesterday that a proposed ordinance to address officer-involved domestic violence amounts to "police bashing" and "overkill."

Meanwhile, not a few charge that the bill does not go far enough. From a September 26th P-G article:

But Elizabeth Pittinger, executive director of the Citizen Police Review Board, said she found Mr. Shields' bill lacking.

An effective ordinance "has to be more explicit in its expectation of employee conduct, and it has to be more explicit in the consequences," Ms. Pittinger said.

Also lacking, she said, was language dealing with officers who are subjects of protection orders but have not been charged with crimes

Gloria Forouzan, founder of Run, Baby, Run, is also quoted in that article, but you can read an extended version of her objections here at The Pittsburgh Women's Blogging Society (including this gem: "The ordinance assures us that the Police Bureau's brass will “strongly consider” not hiring people with abusive/violent tendencies. Wow, that's really reassuring. Are they kidding?").

Additionally, a Post-Gazette editorial from the beginning of this month stated that the ordinance was a good start but "needs more work."

Doug Shields has said that he considers the bill to be a first step and that there will be additional legislation.

In other words: there's still loads to discuss on this issue which is why I urge all who can to attend the meeting tomorrow.

And, if there's any question that domestic violence is violence -- is a crime and not just a family matter -- please take a look at the following remarkable and gut-wrenching 20/20 report which has as its centerpiece a video of an abuser who was crazy enough to have his 13 year-old son videotape him emotionally and then physically abusing his wife:



UPDATE: You can call the City Clerk to testify at tomorrow's hearing at 412-255-2138. You can still speak for one minute (only) even if you don't sign up, but you'll be at the end of the line.

Week Without Violence

For more info and all the events scheduled click here.

YWCA Week Without Violence October 14 - 20, 2007 This is an annual event sponsored by the YWMC. The objective: "focus attention on practical, sustainable non-violent alternatives." Each day of The Week Without Violence focuses on a different violence-related theme. Some of the events this week include: Wednesday, October 17: Confronting Violence Against Women 12:00 noon Allegheny County Courthouse, 436 Grant Street, between Forbes and Fifth AvenuesWalk and public assembly in collaboration with the National Council of Jewish Women at the Allegheny County Courthouse courtyard. Silent Witness figures of those who died of violence in the past year will be present as local officials discuss their actions to address violence. Friday, October 19: Eliminating Racism and Hate Crime Noon – 2:00 p.m. YWCA Greater Pittsburgh, 305 Wood Street, downtown. Luncheon Seminar on violence in the workplace for Human Resource professionals and United Way campaign companies.

Competing Events

While the Post-Gazette hosts their mayoral candidates' forum tonight:

Pittsburgh Mayoral Candidates' Forum
WHAT: Post-Gazette Mayoral Candidates' Forum
WHEN: Tuesday, Oct. 9, from 7 to 8:30 p.m
WHERE: Senator John Heinz History Center, Strip District. Please call 412-263-1541 to register.
MORE INFO: (Will Mark DeSantis be required to leave again while Lukey is speaking? See for yourself! I can't -- I'll be working.) More at http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/07261/818520-192.stm

The Citizen Police Review Board will be hosting the following:

Politics, Policing and Public Perception
WHAT: Politics, Policing and Public Perception
WHEN: Tuesday, Oct. 9, 6:00 PM - 9:00 PM
WHERE: Duquesne University, Duquesne Union -- Rm. 613
MORE INFO: For more info call 412-765-8023 http://www.city.pittsburgh.pa.us/cprb
http://www.myspace.com/citizenpolicereviewboard

Not competing (because they rescheduled so as not to conflict with the mayoral candidates' forum):

Neighborhood Self Determination and the "One Hill" Controversy
WHAT: A Discussion and Analysis of the Community Benefits Agreement Movement presented by the University of Pittsburgh, Department of Africana Studies
WHEN: Wednesday, Oct. 10, 6:30 PM (seating begins at 6:00 PM)
WHERE: Frick Fine Arts Building, 650 Schenley Drive on Pitt's campus (can be found in Oakland, across from the Carnegie Library, just off of Forbes Ave.)
MORE INFO: More info can be found at the blog of Dr. Goddess.

UPDATE: I forgot about one more competing event tonight:

Governor Edward G. Rendell's The Tour to Insure
WHAT: Governor Rendell's Town Hall Meeting about Pennsylvanians living without health insurance.
WHEN: Tuesday, Oct. 9, 6:00 PM
WHERE: FrickHill House Association's Kaufman Auditorium, 1835 Centre Ave, Pittsburgh, 15219
MORE INFO: For more information, contact the Governor's Office of Health Care Reform at 412-565-5700.

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A Matter of Principle: A 2PJ Editorial

The Pittsburgh Bureau of Police should be congratulated on their out-of-the-box thinking and their adherence to higher principles

While local newspapers like the Post-Gazette and others continue to rag on the Pittsburgh Bureau of Police regarding officers with histories of domestic abuse, we here at 2 Political Junkies believe that it's high time for someone to stand up and defend the top brass in the department.

The P-G bemoans the bureau's "mostly hands-off policy" when it comes to police officers who are accused of domestic violence including those who have had petitions for protection-from-abuse orders (PFAs) taken out against them.

Apparently the P-G thinks that it's just fine and dandy for our own city to merely ape the behaviors of other police bureaus in some sort of blind allegiance to "best practices" completely discounting the fact that Pittsburgh is a unique city with its own distinctive customs and history.

The P-G cites so called "experts" who recommend "a range of approaches by departments, including temporarily putting alleged abusers on desk duty, taking away their guns or forbidding contact with their accusers."

They quote some guy from Newark who is "surprised" that our top brass aren't more "proactive" when it comes to handling officers accused of domestic violence.

But, we must ask what is wrong with reinventing the wheel?

Just because the International Association of Chiefs of Police says that police applicants and officers up for promotion should have a "clean record" with "no arrests, suspended sentences, diversion programs, convictions or protection from abuse orders related to child abuse, sexual assault, stalking or domestic violence" doesn't mean that we have to slavishly follow such a policy here in the good ol' Burgh.

What are we talking about anyway?

Bruises fade, broken bones mend, hair ripped out at the roots grows back.

Why would we want to handcuff our top brass and our mayor from being able to choose those officers who they obviously believe are the best suited for the job over officers who don't happen to have any history of, say, punching their teenage daughter in the stomach or breaking their wife's nose?

Let's be frank here: it would seem that there are those out their who are in favor of the pussification of our police.

If you call 911 don't you want to know that an officer will respond who is man enough to beat a woman or child down?

Don't you want junior officers to be able to know that it takes a real man to achieve a promotion within the department? Don't they need role models? Don't they need to understand that the top brass will change or break any silly rules about rank to promote officers out of order to get the very best men as lieutenants and commanders?

What about the principle of innocent until proven guilty? What exactly is the problem with swearing in a recruit last month who has already had two PFAs out against him? Don't all recruits have an absolute right to become police officers as long as they've never been actually convicted of an assault or murder? I mean, you wouldn't try to deny Britney Spears or Michael Jackson the right to baby-sit your kids when they've never been convicted of abuse in a court of law, would you? It's only small minds and conventional thinkers who have some sort of sick need to obsess over every little pimple and hiccup on an officer's record and deny them their right to walk around amongst the public with a loaded weapon.

And what about the so-called "victims?" We've seen time and again that when push comes to shove, these women and children will back down and drop charges against their loved ones when they are confronted with the power and might of the system, as well they should.

While we do not necessarily advocate punishing these women and children outright for their whining complaints, we do think that they could benefit by following the example of the following women in this hard hitting reality check of a fair and balanced news report on domestic violence:

Pittsburghers, please, ignore the nay-sayers.

Do not condemn our police chief and mayor to live in fear of being stalked by any past or future consent decrees or any questioning on their priorities and good judgment. They must remain free to operate on the principle that caving to women's and victims' rights groups and a biased MSM will only make them appear weak and womanly -- and that's not the sort of thing that we want from our leaders in a town "made of steel, made of stone".

Pgh. City Council Hearing on Police Promotions & Domestic Violence

WHAT: Post Agenda Hearing on Police & Domestic Violence (Followup to the Public Hearing held in June)
WHEN: Monday, September 10, 2007, 1:30 PM
WHERE: Pittsburgh City Council Chambers, City-County Building, 414 Grant Street, Pittsburgh, PA 15219 (Corner of Grant & Forbes, 5th Floor)

From the official media advisory:

At the specific request of the National Organization for Women (NOW) and other women's rights organizations, the Post Agenda Hearing before Pittsburgh City Council on domestic violence and the police has been set for Monday, September 10, 2007 at 1:30 PM in Pittsburgh City Council Chambers, Fifth Floor, City-County Building, 414 Grant St. in Pittsburgh.

"Thanks to an extraordinary commitment from Council President Doug Shields and his staff, as well as volunteers and staff from throughout the women's rights community, this post agenda hearing will provide the best guidance available to create new policies for the police and the city of Pittsburgh to eliminate the scourge of domestic violence," said Jeanne K.C. Clark of the Squirrel Hill Chapter of the National Organization for Women (NOW).

"Pittsburghers – both women and men – were outraged when three of the four recent police promotions went to officers with histories of domestic violence," continued Clark. "But the official police response that this was a private matter, and that these officers were only human, was even worse, showing the ignorance of the police leadership on the often fatal issue of domestic violence. It was clear to that serious education and policy changes were necessary to make Pittsburgh a city in which women can feel safe.

"Hundreds of hours of planning and discussion have gone into creating the agenda for this hearing, and nationally respected leaders will be testifying on the issues of domestic violence generally, and how police should be recruited, trained and supervised," continued Clark. "None of this would have been possible without the support and work of Council President Shields and his staff. And this is just the beginning – after the hearing, we expect to offer specific policy changes to prevent any recurrence of the promotions, and to move Pittsburgh's government into the forefront of enlightened polices on domestic violence."

The public is urged to attend the hearing on Monday. As a post agenda hearing, there will be no provision for citizens to testify, but there will be an opportunity for Pittsburghers to communicate their concerns to their elected officials.

I've heard that there are currently some 30 Pittsburgh police officers who have PFA's out against them that we know of. I say "that we know of" because unlike many other cities, Pittsburgh does not do random checks of court records to know if a police officer has a domestic violence problem. This despite the fact that a 1996 federal law prohibits individuals -- including police officers -- from owning or using a firearm if they have been convicted of a misdemeanor domestic violence offense.

Moreover, Pittsburgh does not distinguish between domestic violence and other violent crimes in their record keeping so no one can even say how big a problem this is in our city.

Our, um, "inattentiveness" to this problem not only hurts the citizens of Pittsburgh, it also hurts the good police officers and detectives who are passed over for promotions which go to police who don't deserve them.

And, while it's terrifying for any woman to have an abusive partner, imagine how much more terrifying it is for a woman who's partner is allowed to carry a weapon and knows where the women's shelters are and that the woman would have to report the crime to their partner's buddies and coworkers.

If anyone needs any more convincing on how bad it can get for women when a cop goes bad, I suggest you check out recent stories on a Pennsylvania State trooper who used his position to stalk women or the RI woman who when she reported her own rape to the police had the officer who she was accusing of rape show up to take her report. Perhaps not surprisingly, he left out any mention of himself being the accused rapist in his report.

EVENTS

August 29, 2007 - TODAY!

One Hill CBA Coalition Press Briefing
WHAT: One Hill CBA Coalition Press Briefing
WHEN: Wednesday, August 29, 2007, 10:00 AM
WHERE: Freedom Unlimited, Alma Speed Fox Building, 2201 Wylie Avenue (Corner of Wylie and Kirkpatrick)

"As negotiations approach for the Community Benefit Agreement around arena and Hill development, the One Hill CBA Coalition will conduct a press briefing Today at 10 a.m. The purpose of the briefing will be to share the process by which One Hill reached credibility as the representative for the Hill District in CBA negotiations as well as the process used to come to community consensus regarding community demands."

YDAC Monthly Meeting
WHAT: Young Dems of Allegheny County Meeting
WHEN: Wednesday, August 29, 2007, 6:30 PM
WHERE: Allegheny Democratic Headquarters (810 River Ave, PGH, PA 15212)

"Join us for our monthly meeting. Candidates and Elected Officials are encouraged to attend. If you would like to speak at an upcoming meeting or would like to place a discussion item on our agenda, please fill out and submit this form from our website. We will be voting on changes to our by-laws to allow for the election next month." Visit the Young Democrats of Allegheny County on the Web: http://www.youngdemsallegheny.com

August 29, 2007

Public Hearing on State Act 55
WHAT: Public Hearing on State Act 55 for Non-profits and Tax Exemptions
WHEN: Thursday, August 30, 2007, 9:00 AM - Noon
WHERE: Pittsburgh City Council Chambers, City-County Building, 414 Grant Street, Pittsburgh, PA 15219 (Corner of Grant & Forbes, 5th Floor)

"This coming Thursday, August 30, the Pennsylvania Senate Finance Committee will hold a public hearing to "review" Act 55 of 1997, the Purely Public Charities Act...Act 55 is the law that allows hospitals, health insurers, and universities to avoid property taxation and other civic responsibilities." (More info at The Comet here.)

September 3, 2007

Register Voters on Labor Day
WHAT: Young Dems of Allegheny County (& Other Dems) registering voters
WHEN: Monday, September 3, 2007, 7:30 AM
WHERE: Center Ave and Mario Lemieux Place, Downtown Pittsburgh

"We will be joining other Democrats to help register as many new voters as possible at the Labor Day parade. We will meet at the location of the start of the parade...We will then march the course of the parade and encourge the spectators to make a difference on election day. Sign up here by clicking here!"

September 4 - 6, & 11 - 12, 2007

Pittsburgh Climate Initiative Town-hall Meetings
WHAT: Pittsburgh Climate Initiative Town-hall Meetings
WHEN: September 4 - 6, & 11 - 12, 2007
WHERE: North Side, Squirrel Hill, Greenfield, Downtown, Brookline (Meetings already took place in South Side, Mt. Washington & East End)

From ReformPittsburghNow: "The Pittsburgh Climate Protection Initiative is taking the show on the road. On Tuesday, September 4th, they will be at the Allegheny Unitarian Church and on Wednesday, September 5th, they will be at Wightman School in Squirrel Hill. More meetings are being planned and the details can be found at their website. The goal of these meetings is to hear from you on ways Pittsburgh can be proactive in lessening our emissions." Meeting details can be found here.

September 10, 2007

Pittsburgh City Council Post-Agenda Hearing on Police & Domestic Violence
WHAT: Post-Agenda Hearing on Police & Domestic Violence
WHEN: Monday, September 10, 2007, 1:30 PM (NOTE: meeting was originally set for 1:00 PM)
WHERE: Pittsburgh City Council Chambers, City-County Building, 414 Grant Street, Pittsburgh, PA 15219 (Corner of Grant & Forbes, 5th Floor)

Follow-up meeting to the Public Hearing concerning the Pittsburgh Police Department's policy regarding officers with histories of domestic violence. Please note that the time has changed from 1:00 Pm to 1:30 PM.

September 14 - 16, 2007

Camp Wellstone at Pittsburgh
WHAT: Camp Wellstone
WHEN: Friday - Sunday, September 14 - 16, 2007
WHERE: Pittsburgh, PA

"Camp Wellstone is for anyone who wants to improve their skills to organize and build political power, but is specifically geared towards people running or considering running for office, working on electoral campaigns, or organizing on issues in their communities. To learn more about Camp Wellstone, click here. If you can think of individuals, organizations, or campaigns that could benefit, please encourage them to attend. To register, sign up online here or visit www.wellstone.org ."

September 15, 2007

Forum on Open Government & Pennsylvania Open Records Law Workshop
WHAT: Open Government & Pennsylvania Open Records Law Workshop
WHEN: Saturday, September 15, 2007, 1:00 - 4:00 PM
WHERE: William Pitt Student Union on Pitt's Oakland campus, Pittsburgh PA

"Team 4 Investigative Reporter Jim Parsons and I [Bob Mayo] have been working on a special event and you're invited to join us. We think you'll find it interesting, whether you work in the news media or you're someone who wants to learn more about your rights as a Pennsylvania citizen to access pubic records...The event is co-sponsored by the Pittsburgh Chapter of the Society of Professional Journalists and the Pennsylvania Freedom of Information Coalition." More info at Mayo's blog and you can RSVP at event's website here.
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Make up your mind, Lil Mayor Luke

Should or shouldn't a mayor of the City of Pittsburgh be expected to man up and show up when they're invited to controversial Council meetings?

Apparently Luke Ravenstahl sang a different tune back when he was on City Council:

WTAE Channel 4 Action News reporter Bob Mayo dug through the archives and found that Ravenstahl attacked former mayor Tom Murphy for missing a Council session in 2004.

[snip]

Then-City Councilman Ravenstahl called it "shameful" when Murphy did not come before Council to talk about Ravenstahl's 2004 bill to lower the parking tax.

"These are troubling times for the city of Pittsburgh and for the mayor of the city or somebody to represent his administration not to come to the table on such serious issues is regrettable, shameful," Ravenstahl said in 1994.

Murphy did face off in Council two months later over the money crunch.

At that meeting, Ravenstahl cited Murphy's clashes with state lawmakers and asked Murphy if he'd resign.

"Basically throw yourself out there and say, 'I saved the city,'" Ravenstahl said in 1994. "If they say, 'We're to ask you to step aside.' It's not that I'm asking for that, I'm just wondering."

Murphy told Ravenstahl he'd quit only if people making personality clashes an issue quit too.

"That we would stand together and they would sacrifice their political careers with me, to say for the betterment of this region we would all resign," Murphy said in 2004. "If that would happen, I'd be happy to do it."

Hmmm...Looks like we know where Luke got his "it's political" excuse from: Tom Murphy!

You can read all about it at thepittsburghchannel. It was on today's 6:00 PM news. The newcast mentions that Ravnestahl was "out of town" when they looked for a comment from him.

You'll also want to check out Bob Mayo's blog from today which goes over in loving detail the times that Pittsburgh Mayors have braved public ire at City Council meetings.

I have to say KUDOS to Mr. Mayo. I did a google search last week to try to find examples of Mayors attending past Council hearings and came up with a big NOTHING, so it looks like Mayo did some REAL digging on this one.

Newsmen with podcasts!

Today, Bob Mayo put up "a podcast of my Q&A; with Mayor Ravenstahl on his decision not to rescind the controversial police promotions."

Jon Delano has many new links on his sidebar to video of many candidates in Pittsburgh; both local (DeSantis) and national (Giuliani, Obama and Romney).

(I'm just so sick of this) Ravenstahl Refuses to Rescind Police Promotions

It's not my fault!

I have "zero tolerance" against domestic abuse, well, except for Trosky because "there are good times in careers and bad times in careers."

And, I was "unaware of the allegations of domestic violence against two of three police officers promoted" even though days before my office said that I wouldn't talk about the effects of these promotions on women.

It's just not my fault because as mayor, I only get to approve or disapprove these promotions. It's Nate's fault! He did it! And the rules, yeah, those too!

I am "upset and frustrated" which is why I skipped yesterday's hearing before the public and why my office can't confirm exactly where I was or even if I'll watch the video tape of the hearings.

It's just so unfair that this is happening...to me!

We have a a Mayor who can't do the right thing in the first place and who never accepts any responsibility for his mistakes. The only politician in this country who may be a bigger spoiled brat than Lil Mayor Luke is George W. Bush. I used to think that maybe a silver lining would be that after two more years of Ravenstahl's mistakes and lies and excuses the public would be so fed up that they would elect a decent progressive. But we're no longer talking about sleep-overs to NYC on school nights or Tiger Hunts, we're talking about the safety and the very lives of the women and children of Pittsburgh. DeSantis is looking better by the hour.

It's not my fault!