Shootings spur YWCA to hold Day of Dialogue

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Shootings spur YWCA to hold Day of Dialogue

Monday, May 15, 2000

By Ervin Dyer, Post-Gazette Staff Writer

Inviting people to come together in conversation in the wake of two shooting rampages that have shaken the community, the YWCA of Greater Pittsburgh has planned a Day of Dialogue for Friday.

The program will be held in 22 churches, schools, hospitals and community centers throughout the region.

"The shootings happened in the midst of a climate that condones separation, supports racism and fosters suspicion of anyone who is different," said Margaret Tyndall, CEO of YWCA of Greater Pittsburgh. She believes getting "the average person" to sit down and discuss the issue of racism will help empower change.

The Day of Dialogue will be similar to the YWCA's Study Circles, small group meetings in which citizens gather to develop action for anti-racism work. The circles, which began two years ago and usually run for five sessions, are organized by the YWCA's Center for Race Relations and Anti-Racism Training in Cranberry.

Center facilitators will initiate discussion at each site during the Day of Dialogue. Recommendations for solutions will be passed on to County Executive Jim Roddey and his task force that will be examining how to stop religious and racially motivated violence.

On April 28, five people were murdered and a sixth person paralyzed during a rampage. The suspect, Richard Baumhammers, 34, of Mt. Lebanon, hated Jews and non-European immigrants. The victims were Chinese, Jewish, Vietnamese, Indian and black. Baumhammers is white.

Ronald Taylor, who is black, is accused of killing three white men and wounding two others in a March 1 shooting rampage in Wilkinsburg.

Following is a list of the sites open to the public. Reservations are not required.

Downtown: YWCA of Greater Pittsburgh, 305 Wood St., 11 a.m.-1 p.m. and 4-6 p.m.

Hill District: Ebenezer Baptist Church, 2001 Wylie Ave., 10 a.m.-noon.

South Side: Goodwill Industries, 2600 E. Carson St., 2:30-4:30 p.m.

North Side: Carnegie Library, Allegheny Center, 5 Allegheny Square, 10 a.m.-noon; Community College of Allegheny County, Student Service Center (Room 310), 808 Ridge Ave., 11:30 a.m. -1:30 p.m.; Women's Enterprise Center, 901 Western Ave., 1:30-3:30 p.m.

Homewood-Brushton: Bethany Baptist Church, 7734 Tioga St., 1-3 p.m.

Oakland: Carnegie Library, 4400 Forbes Ave., 9-11 a.m.; University of Pittsburgh, William Pitt Student Union, 3959 Fifth Ave., noon-2 p.m.; Magee-Womens Hospital, 300 Halket St., Auditorium, 4:30-6:30 p.m.

Shadyside: First Unitarian Church, Ellsworth and Morewood streets, 5-7 p.m.

East: CCAC Boyce Campus (Room W-407), 595 Beatty Road, Monroeville, 11:30 a.m.-1:30 p.m.; Wilkinsburg YWCA, 742 Ross Ave., 1-3 p.m.; Forest Hills Presbyterian Church, 1840 Ardmore Blvd., time to be announced; UPMC Braddock, 400 Holland Ave., Braddock, C-Level auditorium, noon-4 p.m. Lunch included but please call by May 17, at 412-636-5000.

North: CCAC North Campus (Room 3002), 8701 Perry Highway, McCandless, 11:30 a.m.-1:30 p.m.; YWCA Center for Race Relations, 8500 Thompson Run Road, Cranberry, 1-3 p.m.; Calvert Memorial Presbyterian Church, 94 Locust St., Etna, 11 a.m.-1 p.m..

South: Southminster Presbyterian Church, 799 Washington Road, Mt. Lebanon, 1-3 p.m.; SGI-USA Buddhist Center, 2121 Noblestown Road, Green Tree, 6:30-8:30 p.m.; CCAC-South Campus (Building A-Room 409), 1750 Clairton Road, West Mifflin, 11:30 a.m.-1:30 p.m.; Westminster Presbyterian Church, 2040 Washington Road, Upper St. Clair, 1-3 p.m.