Downtown: Presenting the "People's Indictment".

This afternoon, four "counts" of criminal activity were ceremonially alleged against city police officers who in early 2010 were involved in an altercation with Homewood teenager Jordan Miles -- counts consisting of Racial Profiling, Assault and Battery, False Arrest and Perjury. We begin in this video at the presentment of the nonlegal Perjury indictment by event organizer Brandi Fisher:



For material related to that which Rev. Thornton alludes above regarding the role of the church, see also this essay by Tracy M. Jennings.

Here is East Allegheny's own Paradise Gray:



And at about 1:15 below comes pastor Fred Dukes, uncle of the alleged victim:



The remainder is being added to the blog's YouTube channel.

And for our Next Trick: The Green Tower

This is going to get G20-ish in a big hurry.

(Minus almost all of the protests I am sure.)

The PNC Financial Services website for the Tower at PNC Plaza is here.

Excerpts:

To define what is beyond LEED Platinum, PNC's project team has three aspirational goals:

• Community Builder: Support Pittsburgh's existing infrastructure, spur further development and business growth downtown and positively accentuate the skyline as a symbol of PNC's commitment to the city's sustainable future.
• Workplace Innovator: Attract tomorrow's leaders to Pittsburgh by utilizing innovative space planning and building systems that promote collaboration and productivity, and set the bar for a healthy indoor environment.
• Climate Responder: Tuned to Pittsburgh's climate by aggressively pursuing strategies and technologies that minimize resource use and maximize renewable energy opportunities.

PNC's design team is currently considering the following technologies:

• Fuel cells, solar panels, geothermal systems and other alternative power generation sources that will significantly reduce carbon emissions
• Optimally oriented building facades, operable windows, occupancy-based heating and cooling systems and other state of the art energy reduction technologies.
• Rain water collection, water reuse and retention systems that prevent wastewater release into Pittsburgh’s three rivers when sewers are at capacity

Shovels in the ground:

Design Phase Began – April 2011
Construction Begins – Spring 2012
Open for Business – Summer 2015

No. Forty stories tall, ultra-green skyscrapers do not happen every day.

Figure this should hit the Planning Commission towards the end of the year.

I'm mostly excited about this as an environmental / technological / municipal-ergonomics Manhattan Project, or moon shot. That and like, way more Primanti's sandwiches sold.

ENTER THE APOSTOLOPOULOSES!!

... with a $5 million opening offer for the Civic Arena, embargoed for now in its specifics.

"If the area needs major economic development, that's what should go there," [Steve] Apostolopoulos said. (Trib, Bill Vidonic)

Still searching for a website for Triple Properties, Inc. Here is an entry for company patriarch Andreas. Here is the source of the photo from the Tornoto Star. Here is the current site for the Pontiac Silverdome, which sold for $583,000. Hard to Google anything comprehensive about the tale of Detroit's Tiger Stadium after Mike Illich moved the team from Corktown to Downtown, the city sat on it for 7 years at a cost of $4 million, and what now sits there since they demolished it in '09. However this guy seems to want to pay for our thing and not demolish it right away.

Steve Apostolopoulos of Toronto, president of the developer's sports division, said the company is interested only in the arena, not the land around it. (ibid)

And hmm, to do what with it? Tractor pulls and lacrosse? Same thing eventually as the Penguins? No regal public thoroughfare, no colossal mural depicting the history of urban redevelopment? Guess we'll have to wait and see.

SPECIAL TO THE APOSTOLOPOULOSES: Thanks for engaging with Pittsburgh 'n'at, eh!

Unsolicited Bit of Advice: Movements Grow

Two weekends ago:

About 90 demonstrators gathered Saturday at Pittsburgh police headquarters to repeat demands that... (P-G, Ryan Brown)

This last weekend:

The second of three planned weekend protests seeking “Justice for Jordan Miles” was held Saturday at the Strip District building housing the city’s Office of Municipal Investigations.

About 90 protesters decried OMI’s probe... (P-G, Michael A. Fuoco)

That's not going to do it.

Inside with some element of surprise, possibly -- but not outside and not with advance notice. Outside and anticipated, one will require at least 250. The next and final "emergency protest" of the trilogy is Saturday the 28th at 1:00, outside the Courthouse on Grant St. We should soon see whether or not this is an issue that is going to continue to produce consternation.

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