A coalition of groups concerned about Port Authority’s plan to use armed police officers for fare enforcement is turning up the heat against the policy.

The coalition began gathering signatures on petitions at light-rail stations Wednesday and posted a petition online to collect more signatures. In addition, there will be a public meeting at 6 p.m. June 15 at 1 Smithfield St., Downtown, for people to air concerns about the policy.

“We are responding to concerns from residents,” said Gabriel McMorland, incoming director of the Thomas Merton Center. The coalition also includes Pittsburghers for Public Transit, Casa San Jose and the Alliance for Police Accountability.

The groups say they fear the system could result in racial profiling, a criminal record for not paying a $2.50 fare and problems including possible deportation for undocumented immigrants. They want nonpayment of fares handled as a civil matter enforced by unarmed fare compliance officers, with unpaid citations turned over to a collection agency.

Article by Ed Blazina in Post Gazette 

PPT had its first monthly meeting the day after the housing victory, and there was a feeling of excitement and pride. Folks involved in different campaigns and causes gathered around the table, and had a conversation about the need for recognizing the intersections of all our identities and standing in solidarity with each others’ fights and struggles. We specifically discussed the relationship between education, women’s rights, and transit.

Reminder: PPT’s monthly meetings are held the second Wednesday of every month at One Smithfield. All are welcome to attend. Take a look at our Transit Bill of Rights!

Please come to show your support for the fund and to share your concerns about the removal of the transit requirement language. Here’s the fb link to the event: https://www.facebook.com/events/1418472964854321/?notif_t=plan_user_invited&notif_id=1482110823346224

Residents in Mifflin Estates addressed the Port Authority Board Meeting on Friday, October 28th, 2016 and delivered powerful testimonies of their experiences and daily struggles with transit in their community. A resident of Garfield, Donna Lee Terry spoke in solidarity with them, drawing parallels between her own experience without weekend service in Garfield (prior to the success of the 89 Garfield campaign) and the experiences of residents in Mifflin Estates. The launch of this campaign was covered by the Post Gazette, the Trib, and The Incline.

Mifflin Estates consists of 201 units of affordable housing off of Camp Hollow Road in West Mifflin, near the Allegheny County Airport. Many folks do not have access to cars and have to walk over a mile on hilly, dangerous roads to get to the nearest bus stop. Recently, one person was seriously injured walking along that road. Residents feel stranded and isolated, and many have trouble getting to work, school, medical appointments and meeting basic daily needs.

This affects folks who are disabled, elderly, and those with young children.

Starr Magwood, a resident and mother of two children, described how difficult it was to enjoy activities with her kids and help them connect with things happening in their community and the world.  

Resident Maria Green said that she goes to daily radiation treatments for breast cancer, and because ACCESS limits riders to one trip a day, she is stranded afterwards in Mifflin Estates and has to depend on others for grocery shopping and getting to work. She moved to West Mifflin from Chicago to be with her grandchildren and has had to take a severe pay-cut because she is not able to work most shifts during the week.

A total of 90 residents have indicated their need for service, through a survey and meetings conducted by Pittsburghers for Public Transit. PPT is supporting this campaign and hopes the Port Authority can allocate current resources to extend service. The Y47, for example, could layover there instead of at CCAC South. PPT also expects that elected officials and supporters work to get more funding for public transit in all communities that need it.

Transit and mobility are basic necessities because without those, residents cannot connect with things they need in their lives. Everyone should be able to have safe, accessible, affordable transit. PPT stands with the residents of Mifflin Estates and other communities that still do not have access to this basic right.

On Tuesday, September 20th, residents from all over the city joined together to participate in a rally for housing as a human right. The rally was co-sponsored by the Northside Coalition for Fair Housing, Homes for All Pittsburgh, Coalition of Organized Residents of East Liberty, the Hill District Consensus Group, and Pittsburghers for Public Transit. Residents called for more equitable development to benefit all, an end to the displacement of families and people living in the city, and quality affordable homes for all people in Pittsburgh.

The rally began at Katz Plaza and ended at Market Square. Residents took to the streets and held major intersections downtown, drawing attention to the urgency and dire need for affordable housing in Pittsburgh.

The action took place the day before a public hearing on the Housing Opportunity Fund legislation before the city council. The legislation would allow for the creation of a housing fund that would provide ten million dollars a year for affordable housing in the city. Over 100 residents were present at the hearing and over 50 of them addressed council, mostly speaking in favor of the legislation. Many noted that while the legislation is far from perfect and a mere drop in the bucket, it is a necessary and important start. Pittsburgh has a deficit of over 20,000 homes, and while rents have been increasing in the past five years, incomes have remained stagnant. Affordable housing units are being torn down to make room for newer and more expensive developments, and lower income residents are being forced out of neighborhoods they’ve lived in for decades.

Some of the proposed changes to the legislation were the inclusion of tenant protections (including just cause evictions), a provision for mandating periodic health and safety checks (using some of the proposed fifteen percent administration fee), build first policies, full relocation benefits, and more priority given to those earning at or below thirty to fifty percent of area median income. Residents also pointed to the need for affordable housing located near good transit that already exists; several at the hearing spoke about the additional burden placed on those forced into areas where there are transit deserts and no way to meet their daily needs.  

It is clear that there is an affordable housing crisis in the city and something needs to be done immediately. While the legislation may not be perfect, it was clear from the hearing that there is overwhelming support from residents in the city.

To get involved in this campaign contact Molly at (412)216-9659 , email: molly@pittsburghforpublictransit.org

The following video was made by Dean Mougianis. It highlights the importance of public transit and some of the work PPT has done.

“When people work together they have power, and that power can solve problems that seem insurmountable. This is a story about one such problem – inadequate public transportation, and a group of people who are solving that problem one neighborhood at a time.”- Dean

IT’S TIME TO PARTAYYYY!

Please join us on Saturday Oct 8 to celebrate getting increased bus service in Garfield and Penn Hills! After a year long resident-led campaign, the 89 will now run on weekends in Garfield. The 79 will run all day and on weekends along the current P17 route. WE DID IT!

Residents worked hard to advocate for this service, and riders are thrilled to have these much needed connections to jobs, school, shopping, events, medical appointments, places of worship, and more. Thanks to all who helped make this happen!We know more communities still need service, and we look forward to keeping up the fight.

Residents will ride Route 89 from Garfield and Route 79/82 from Penn Hills to attend the celebration at the Kelly Strayhorn Theater lobby. Supporters are invited to join us on the bus or at the theater. We’ll have refreshments, a short film, and featured speakers! 

Garfield riders: meet at 9:20 am at Fern and Mossfield St to take the 89 to East Liberty
Penn Hills riders: meet at 9:10 am at Mark and Calmar to take the 79 (which becomes the 82). Or you can hop on the 79 from the Giant Eagle .
All supporters: please join us at the celebration! you all helped make this possible, and we encourage you to come celebrate with us!

The event is cohosted by Pittsburghers for Public Transit, the Bloomfield Garfield Corporation, the Lincoln Park Community Center, and the Kelly Strayhorn Theater

For more information, contact Pittsburghers for Public Transit:

info@pittsburghforpublictransit.org

412-216-9659

On Saturday, August 19th, the Battle of Homestead Foundation hosted a panel of organizations and individuals working on improving public transit in Pittsburgh. PPT director Molly Nichols and Garfield resident and leader Debra Short both spoke at the panel, as well as Kathryn Schlesinger from the Pittsburgh Community Reinvestment Group and Gerry Strutt, bus driver and member of the Amalgamated Transit Union (ATU) Local 85.

The panel took place at the historic Pump House, the location of the Battle of Homestead Strike in 1892. Union workers at the steel mill bravely attempted to hold back hundreds of Pinkerton guards hired by Frick and Carnegie to break up the strike. After a bloody fight in which seven workers were killed, the National Guard was called in, quelling the protests. This critical moment helped galvanize the Labor Movement in Pittsburgh and nationally.

Transit is deeply connected with many struggles today–labor, environmental, racial, economic, and it was moving to hear this presentation in a building with such a powerful history.

The event began with a video introduction created by Dean Mougianis. which showed the work and successes of PPT’s campaigns over the past year. It highlighted the ways community involvement and activism created direct change and improved the lives of residents. Molly talked about current transit in the region and how it affects low income and especially black and immigrant families. She discussed the importance of having affordable housing near transit lines, laying the framework for the event: access to transit as a human rights and equity issue.

Debra shared her experiences working to mobilize Garfield residents on this issue. She talked about the overwhelmingly positive community response and how quickly people came together. She shared how the efforts of the community paid off, ending encouragingly by saying, “we can do this everywhere.” Gerry added his perspective as a driver, highlighting the intersections between labor and transit, and pointing to the need for interconnected campaigns. Kathryn tied the pieces together and provided a policy and research perspective on the issue with emphasis on creating better connections to current transit service on the busway and the T.

Many members of the audience expressed their support of the work PPT does and shared the importance of accountability in public processes–pointing to the urgent need for increased transit and access to affordable housing in the city.

Please visit Battle of Homestead Foundation for more info: http://battleofhomestead.org/battle.php

PPT video introduction (created by Dean Mougianis):