Occupy Pittsburgh marches, briefly occupies Target
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Nearly 100 supporters of Occupy Pittsburgh entered a Target store in East Liberty Saturday afternoon to protest the company's policy of of hiring part-time instead of full-time workers, staying about 10 minutes before dispersing. Police were on the scene but there were no arrests.
The "flash mob" materialized after a rally at the Kingsley Center on East Liberty Boulevard earlier in the day, where speakers inveighed against corporate influence on government.
The march and protests come as BNY Mellon says it has asked Occupy Pittsburgh protesters to leave by Sunday at noon from Mellon Green, a privately owned park at Sixth and Grant streets, where members of the group have been camping since Oct. 15.
Occupants were served with notices from the financial company that they must remove their tents, other structures and personal items, citing concerns about "all aspects of personal safety. These concerns are heightened by reported incidents of hypothermia and the use of propane heaters, gasoline powered generators and other flammable devices in the confined spaces of tents."
After Sunday, "overnight camping and the presence of any structures, camping equipment and stored personal items will be prohibited and considered an unlawful trespass, which we will seek to remedy by filing for injunctive relief with the court on Monday," said the notice, which was distributed to occupiers on Friday night. Notices were also posted on stakes at the four corners of the property, but had disappeared by this morning.
One Occupy Pittsburgh organizer, Helen Gerhardt, 45, of Point Breeze, said that no generators or other flammable devices are on the site.
She said that some occupiers would practice civil disobedience if attempts were made to remove them, but noted that the group believes they are within their legal rights to stay there.
Ron Gruendl, a spokesman for BNY Mellon, said, "Our support for free speech has never wavered. As we repair our property and close the park for the winter, we hope the city will make sure there is always public space available in Pittsburgh for peaceful assembly."
First Published December 10, 2011 12:00 am
