On Wednesday, June 6, Pittsburgh City Councilman Bill Peduto held a press conference where he publicly stated that the Pittsburgh Organizing Group (POG) organized a string of recent vandalism incidents in the East End. The Pittsburgh Organizing Group did not organize the vandalism and our group had no involvement in any part of these actions. In order to make this point clear and respond to the reckless and unsubstantiated charges against us, we issued a widely circulated statement (www.organizepittsburgh.org).

Over the following days, more activists and progressives in the city joined us in condemning Peduto's comments by contacting his office and asking for a retraction. Peduto ignored all attempts at dialogue but he did find time to give a series of interviews to the corporate press. As late as Tuesday he went on the radio (93.7 FM) to further denounce us.

Later that day -- six days after his initial press conference, and following dozens of attempts to contact him -- Bill Peduto finally found time to talk to a POG member about his comments. In the days ahead he's promised to respond to at least some of the people who have called him. We wish we could report to you that Peduto has apologized or retracted his statements but this isn't the case. Sadly, he continues to hold a number of incorrect beliefs about what POG is and the make-up and activity of local activist movements.

In the one personal conversation Peduto had with a POG member, it seems he is starting to backtrack on one thing: he has changed his position from stating that POG organized the vandalism to claiming that, all along, his statement has been that he thought it was "POG members" or "someone who has gone to POG actions." As we have explained to Peduto, given this change in wording, it is quite false and defamatory to name POG as responsible for an action he admits may be the work of someone who has simply attended one of our events. Even if someone who has organized with us or attended one of our events is proven to be responsible for incidents of vandalism, it would not change the fact that the group, POG, did not organize the actions, had no part in them and is not responsible for them. POG would bear no culpability, nor would any other local radical group the individuals were part of. Peduto continues to cite, as evidence of our guilt, that the suspects were young, wore black clothing, rode bikes, that circle A graffiti was painted at the scene, and that previous vandalism incidents have occurred at POG events. How people dress, the mode of transportation they utilize and their age is immaterial to the issues at hand because literally hundreds of people in the East End fit these descriptions. Peduto also continues to believe, incorrectly, that POG is the only local organization with anarchist tendencies or membership. Additionally, Peduto seems to believe that POG is synonymous with an anarchist symbol. Suffice to say that the circle A is widely known throughout popular culture, to the point that stores such as Hot Topic sell shirts emblazoned with the symbol. Lastly, POG is not and has never been representative of the local anarchist community and the anarchist members of our group (not all POG members are anarchists) make up a small fraction of the movement in Pittsburgh.

It is insulting to the good work of the many other anarchists in this city to negate their activities simply due to the fact they don't fit into a politician's incorrect understanding of what an anarchist is and what local anarchists do. We hope that Councilman Peduto will reflect on some of these issues in the time ahead and make an effort to educate himself on the work and beliefs of many of his constituents.

The whole ordeal seems like a dirty attempt by Peduto to set the groundwork for higher political aspirations. He seems to be attempting to play to all sides. Peduto's trying to get the credit among Shadyside business owners for being "tough" on criminals, naming (erroneously) the culprits behind these actions, garnering significant news coverage in the process, then ignoring the outcry from the progressive community until it all dies down to a point he can become more conciliatory. We hope that his attempts to schmooze law enforcement and business owners at the expense of local movements for peace and justice don't pay off in the end.

The truth is, many peace and justice activists in Pittsburgh will remember how this played out, and who was impacted by it, long after the news coverage ends. A lot of local activists were hurt by what happened in a multitude of ways by Peduto's political grandstanding. People were smeared unjustly without evidence, without an equal opportunity to respond to the charges against them, and without being asked about the accusations. People who sought to make things right, through phone calls and e-mails to their elected officials, were dismissed and publicly accused of all being POG members who were "threatening" Mr. Peduto, simply because they contacted him. Our groups' ability to defend itself from possible government repression was jeopardized.

We would like to take this opportunity to thank everyone who has defended us and worked to ensure these efforts to slander us were unsuccessful. It is a sign of hope that so many people -- some unlikely allies! -- were willing to judge this situation on the merit of the facts, rather than resort to stereotypes and assumptions, see through Peduto's political games, and come to our aid. We will remember that. We care deeply about the issues we work on and we are not immune to mistakes or falling into the trap of believing that our views make us better than others. There are large and important differences within our movements on questions of strategy and tactics, yet we also have much in common. Perhaps what some of us will take most from this experience is a renewed appreciation for the commonality which exists within local progressive movements and the work we must do to reach out more successfully to people we feel are natural allies (especially those outside the political establishment.)

Baring any significant developments in this situation, this will be our final statement on this matter, regardless of any additional news stories or commentary by Councilman Peduto. We hope our position on these matters has been satisfactorily clear and transparent throughout the ordeal. Our entire group is united around the desire to get back to organizing. This fall will see a resurgence of anti-war activity and we hope to surpass our recent March 2 action by holding even more effective and inclusive actions against militarism. If you have any questions do not hesitate to contact us. Thank you for your time.

For peace and social justice through solidarity and resistance,
Pittsburgh Organizing Group

See follow-up statement from June 9