On December 8th Mayor Ravenstahl summarily removed civilians from the Police Oral Review Board, despite the promise he made to us after more than a year of working together on this. We need to flood his office with calls letting him know that we strongly disagree with that decision and that we want him to meet with PIIN immediately. The more people he hears from, the stronger our message will be.  It’s up to us to hold him accountable!

Click here for background and talking points!

Rev. Chad Collins of Valley View Presbyterian Church and co-chair of the PIIN Gun Violence Task Force addressing the media at the PIIN press conference opposing the city’s decision to remove community participation on the police oral exam panels – Friday, December 9, 2011. Also present (from left to right): Bob Maddock, Vic Walczak of the ACLU, PIIN President Rev. Richard Freeman, Greg Patrick, members of Bidwell Church, Rev. Dave McFarland, other community members, Rev. Glenn G. Grayson, Rev. John Welch, Blanche Bennett, Rev. Mike Stanton, and Marlene Milik.

United States Representative Mike Doyle couldn’t join PIIN for our public meeting this year. But he sent a message for us:

Ana Garcia-Ashley, Executive Director of Gamaliel, Rep. Luis Gutierrez (D-ILL) and others were arrested this week in a protest outside the White House.  Rep. Gutierrez, PIINs guest at a special town hall on immigration just last month is the leading voice in Congress for immigration reform.

Read Garcia-Ashley’s statement here.

Read the stories:

Chicago Sun Times

Washington Times

Huffington Post

CNN

The Guardian

 November 3, 2011

Join us for Better Together the 2011  Pittsburgh Interfaith Impact Network Public Action Meeting!

November 3rd, 2011 from 7:00-8:30 (doors at 6:15)

Rodef Shalom in Oakland

4905 5th Avenue, Pittsburgh, PA 15213

Join as many as 1,000 PIIN members, supporters and partner organizations as we secure commitments from public officials on critical regional issues.

This event is High Energy, Full of Enthusiasm, and Always Moving! We will get excited to tackle tough issues in the coming year and get commitments from officials and elected leaders to help us achieve our goals!

Be sure to arrive before 7, the event starts with a procession of congregations and organizations with their banners.

PIIN’s action list, and the ones on which they will ask public officials for commitments to make changes on include 5 crucial issues:

• increase jobs and improve the economy by pledging that a percentage of jobs in transportation infrastructure repair go to community members and training is provided
• provide funding for mass transit for all and to grow mass transit rather than cutting it
• take measures to educate all of our children in the Pittsburgh Public Schools,
• fight gun violence by using a law already on the books and provide information on where guns are coming from
• protect the civil rights of immigrants. 

 UPDATE! Announcing some of the 2011 officials who will be participating:

• Candidate for County Executive, Rich Fitzgerald,

• Chief of Police, Nate Harper,

• U.S. Attorney David Hickton,

• Superintendent of Pittsburgh Public Schools, Linda Lane

will be attending along with other officials and elected representatives.

For more information call PIIN at 412-621-9230 or RSVP on our facebook page.

Concerns over transit cuts loom large in 2010

City Councilman Peduto pledges support

Vice President Thonrton Closes with Spirit

Rep. Luis Gutierrez, the leading voice for Immigration Reform, joined us for a town hall meeting in the Hill District on June 16th. We heard from many PIIN members and allies who have experienced problems thanks to our broken immigration system and from Congressman Doyle before Rep. Gutierrez took the stage and talked about the need for immigration reform.

Read about it here.

City Council finally passed the Clean Air Act on June after several years of work by PIIN and allied groups through Pittsburgh UNITED. The act is the third in a series that ensures that publicly funded development in the City of Pittsburgh brings benefits back to the community including Prevailing Wage Jobs, Clean Water, and Clean Air.  The Clean Air Act specifically requires construction equipment, which contributes a significant amount of diesel particulate matter to our air, be retrofit to reduce these deadly emissions.

Read about it in the Post Gazette

PIIN led a march and protest of nearly 200 people calling for tighter gun laws to get illegal guns off the streets as the National Rifle Association came to Pittsburgh on May 1st. We called upon the National Rifle Association, which is holding its convention here this weekend, to open a dialogue about ways to keep guns out of the hands of criminals, terrorists and the mentally ill.

Read the coverage:

Post Gazette story

Post gazette video

Post Gazette Editorial

Tribune Review Sunday Story 

Tribune Review Saturday online story

WPXI

KDKA

KDKA Video

WTAE

City Paper

WDUQ

RUSTBELT RADIO (advanced)