June 10, 2020 - Pittsburgh City Paper

INSIDE: OVER A WEEK OF BLACK LIVES MATTER DEMONSTRATIONS EXPOSE PITTSBURGH POLICE’S WEAKNESS IN CONFRONTING ORGANIC PROTESTS FREE EVERY WEDNESDAY PITTSBURGH’S ALTERNATIVE FOR NEWS, ARTS + ENTERTAINMENT SINCE 1991

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“Meeting a large group with military force, even even if just ready to use, it raises the tension.”

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BY JARED WICKERHAM

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JUNE 10-17, 2020 VOLUME 29 + ISSUE 24 Editor-In-Chief LISA CUNNINGHAM Director of Advertising JASMINE HUGHES Director of Operations KEVIN SHEPHERD Managing Editor ALEX GORDON News Editor RYAN DETO Senior Writer AMANDA WALTZ Staff Writers HANNAH LYNN, JORDAN SNOWDEN Photographer/Videographer JARED WICKERHAM Digital Media Manager JOSH OSWALD Editorial Designer ABBIE ADAMS Graphic Designers JOSIE NORTON, JEFF SCHRECKENGOST Events and Sponsorship Manager BLAKE LEWIS Senior Account Executive KAITLIN OLIVER Sales Representative ZACK DURKIN Operations Coordinator MAGGIE WEAVER Events and Marketing Coordinator BRYER BLUMENSCHEIN Business Manager JUSTIN MATASE Circulation Manager JEFF ENGBARTH Featured Contributors REGE BEHE, LYNN CULLEN, TERENEH IDIA, CHARLES ROSENBLUM, JESSIE SAGE Intern JULIA MARUCA National Advertising Representative VMG ADVERTISING 1.888.278.9866 OR 1.212.475.2529 Publisher EAGLE MEDIA CORP.

Re-Del Greer, who graduated virtually from Perry High School, is congratulated

by George Floyd protesters in front of Target in East Liberty on Mon., June 1.

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COVER PHOTO: JARED WICKERHAM READ THE STORY ON PAGE 4

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Pittsburgh police near the intersection of Centre and Negley avenues following a protest in East Liberty on Mon., June 1.

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CP PHOTOS: JARED WICKERHAM

A protest and vigil in honor of George Floyd around the East Liberty Presbyterian Church in East Liberty on Wed., June 3

THE BIG STORY

POLICE WATCH

Over a week of Black Lives Matter action expose Pittsburgh Police’s weakness in confronting organic protests

BY RYAN DETO // RYANDETO@PGHCITYPAPER.COM

T

HERE HAVE NOW been more than a dozen protests across the Pittsburgh region for George Floyd, a Black man killed by Minneapolis Police, and Breonna Taylor, a Black woman killed by Louisville police.

The protests are condemning police brutality against Black people; the tens of thousands of Pittsburghers who have marched are calling for swift and decisive reforms to police departments.

The vast majority of the protests have concluded without incident or serious confrontation with police.

But there has been a lot of confusion around what happened during protests that took place on May 30 and June 1, both of which ended in confrontations with police and police firing tear gas and sponge rounds or rubber bullets.

Many reports have largely relied on information solely from police. And considering that police admitted they were wrong when initially saying tear gas wasn’t used during the protest on June 1, Pittsburgh City Paper is attempting to document what happened

on May 30 and June 1 through its own reporting, videos on social media, and other reports from journalists on the ground during these events.

University of Pittsburgh criminology professor and national policing expert David Harris also provided insight after CP informed him in detail of both what has been reported and what CP witnessed on both May 30 and June 1.

Here is what is known from the protest and events following on May 30: MORE THAN 3,000 people marched for about two hours Downtown to PPG Paints Arena without incident.

Shortly after they arrived outside the arena, a 20-yearold white Shaler man allegedly damaged an empty police vehicle, spray-painting it and smashing its windows. Shortly after, more young men, both white and Black, continued to damage the vehicle with blunt instruments like baseball bats. Then, several police officers arrived on horseback and surrounded the vehicle, causing the crowd to recede. Some protesters

threw a few water bottles at the officers, hitting at least one in the back. The police officers then rode away from the car toward Downtown.

After mounted officers left, more damage was done to the empty vehicle and then it was set on fire. Calls began for the protest to disperse from some apparent protest organizers.

At this point, the vast majority of the crowd left.

However, about 200 people remained and began demonstrating on Washington Place in front of several police officers, who had already lined up, in riot gear such as face shields, helmets, and batons. Protesters kneeled en masse, and then were instructed to disperse.

Then, one or two tear-gas canisters were fired in front of protesters. Many retreated, but then shortly returned. At that point, police broke their line and retreated from the scene entirely. One empty undercover police vehicle was left behind. A small group of protesters then smashed it and set it on fire.

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PITTSBURGH CITY PAPER JUNE 10-17, 2020

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POLICE WATCH, CONTINUED FROM PG. 5

CP PHOTO: RYAN DETO

One or two tear gas canisters fired in front of protestesr on Sat., May 30.

AFTER THIS, MORE protesters dispersed and left the scene, but a group of about 100 remained and marched back Downtown. WESA reported that “store windows were shattered along Smithfield Street, and some looting was reported” and that “police used tear gas and rubber bullets to disperse crowds, as demonstrators again used signage to erect barricades.”

Pittsburgh Mayor Peduto tweeted at the time that “those vandalizing Downtown ... will be arrested” and protesters who continued Downtown had “turned on the very mission, and more importantly — the people, you supposedly marched for two hours ago.”

Other than this WESA report, the details of what happened Downtown on Saturday after the cars were set on fire are largely unreported. Forty-three

people were arrested on May 30, but some participants have since shared on social media that they don’t believe the force against them was warranted, as they were not participating in property destruction or looting. Public Defender Lisa Middleman has been compiling first-hand accounts and videos of what happened that night to help people in court. On June 8, Allegheny County District Attorney Stephen Zappala dropped the charges of 39 people that were arrested for charges stemming from actions on May 30.

According to Harris, the events of May 30 are two-sided. On one side, he says police, at least initially, were fairly restrained.

“They didn’t arrest anyone, and in fact they pulled back,” said Harris when told

about the events that occurred before and immediately after the two empty police vehicles were set on fire.

However, even before the second car was set ablaze, the police tactic of forming a line in riot gear and deploying tear gas can only contribute to the tension, not de-escalate the situation.

“Meeting with a large group with military force, even if just ready to use, it raises the tension,” says Harris.

On May 30, Pittsburgh officials and police said the destruction, looting, and chaos of the protest was caused by people who didn’t live in the Pittsburgh area and even claimed it was anarchists who “hijacked” the message of the peaceful protest. Records showed that all people arrested on May 30 were from the greater Pittsburgh area.

Eventually, police blamed the first instigator, Brian Bartels, a Shaler man who allegedly damaged the first police vehicle, with provoking the events that they say led to more damage across Downtown.

“I’m willing to bet my check that there’s a lot of people who are anarchists, who, they’re not here to protest what happened, they’re not here to protest what happened, they’re here to take advantage of situations and throw it their way and bring other people into the mix and cause damage and cause injury,” Pittsburgh Police Chief Scott Schubert said to KDKA. Bartels was charged with inciting a riot, among other charges. In his federal criminal complaint, Bartels admitted to wanting to cause destruction and told investigators “that he considers himself to be far ‘left,’ and that he had become CONTINUES ON PG. 8

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SWAT officers near the intersection of Centre and Negley avenues following a protest in East Liberty on Mon., June 1.

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fed up with incidents involving police mistreatment of citizens.”

Harris says these destructive actions can sometimes take away from the message of a protest. “When property damage happens or someone is hurt, it distracts and allows some people to say, ‘We just can’t have this kind of lawlessness,’” says Harris.

However, Harris also understands that protests have also been about confronting oppressors directly. And considering that the protests that have been ongoing for over a week are about police brutality, protesters have the opportunity to confront police every time they march.

“Sometimes people want to make that point,” says Harris. “If you are able to do that and not feel stifled and still be able to make your point, there are pluses to it as well.”

On June 7, about 500 marchers made this point, as they marched past police and state troopers lad in riot gear shouting, “I don’t see no riot here, why are you in riot gear?”

THE EVENTS that transpired on June 1

conforms more to that narrative.

At around 7 p.m. on June 1, about 100 protesters were met by police officers in East Liberty. The marchers had continued on after a larger protest, with about 1,000 attendees, had concluded without incident outside of Target, and organizers had told people to go home.

The group of protesters, however, started to march down Centre Avenue, holding their signs and chanting. When they reached close to Negley Avenue, Pittsburgh Police had formed a line, clad in riot gear.

After being told multiple times that they were part of an unlawful assembly, police apparently fired a sponge round or rubber bullet, which struck a protestor in the knee, according to videos on social media. A short time later, a loud bang was heard and a tear gas canister was fired into the crowd, at which time some protesters threw water bottles at police, but most of them dispersed. Loud bangs of what appear to be more tear gas and sponge rounds continued to be fired.

All of this happened more than an hour before Pittsburgh’s officially declared curfew of 8:30 p.m.

The police, which had already formed a line, continued to advance. According to videos on social media, police appeared to have pepper sprayed two women who were on their knees. Sources on the ground during the conflict say the two women were trying to get the police’s attention because a protester apparently needed medical attention in a nearby parking garage.

After leaving Centre Avenue, some protesters treated their faces with milk and other liquids to counter the effects of the tear gas.

In a tweet, Pittsburgh Public Safety Department says that a “small group broke off from peaceful march [and] broke windows and threw items at police at Centre and Negley. Officers issued several orders to disperse. Group ignored.

Police used smoke and then gas to disperse group.”

According to CP photographer Jared Wickerham, who was on scene for the

duration of the march and confrontation, the broken window damage was carried out by a lone actor with a monkey wrench, and was told to stop by several of the protesters marching down Centre Avenue. The lone actor broke the glass door to Villa sneaker shop, close to the corner of Penn and Centre, and after being told to stop, then smashed a window at Dollar Bank next door.

Protesters also deny throwing rocks, and said the police fired rubber bullets and tear gas before any water bottles were thrown. Videos on social media also show this, and Wickerham confirmed these sequences of events, as did reporting from Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reporter Andrew Goldstein.

That night, police officials defended their account that force was necessary, claiming water bottles and rocks were thrown at them. Initially Mayor Peduto backed up the police account of events, but later admitted the police reports were wrong, and announced independent investigations of the events on June 1.

“We used the best available information in order to be able to present what our findings were. And they were wrong,” said Peduto on June 4. “And that’s why we’re at the point of an OMI investigation.”

Harris acknowledges there could have been mistakes made in communication between police and city officials, and notes that police often have “more information than the rest of us do.” But he says that confronting protesters and police appearing in militarized gear can up the ante to a level that is counterproductive to dispersing a crowd, especially one that is largely peaceful.

“The general rule is that when you resort to higher levels of force, it simply ratchets things up, it does not quiet things down,” says Harris. “The closer you get to showing up that you are ready for armed conflict, when it isn’t really at that stage, the more tension becomes inflamed, and the greater the chance that things can go wrong.”

Harris also understands that these current protests might be relatively new ground for police attempting to crowd-control and to escort large masses.

The protest on May 30 was Pittsburgh’s largest protest in some time, more than 3,000 people, and it was a direct action against police brutality, not a topic unrelated to police.

Harris says that the George Floyd protests also appear to be following a slightly different playbook, at least for the

first few days of protesting. He says that the protest playbook for many years, but not necessarily specific to Pittsburgh, was having direct coordination between those running the demonstrations and police.

“This is where we’re gonna lay down and traffic, this is where we are gonna get arrested, that kind of stuff,” says Harris.

He says that style of protest can help to avoid things going sideways, but also notes the U.S. Constitution protects the right to peacefully protest even without coordination. Harris adds, “Maybe we have people who are more angry” about the George Floyd death and the general state of the country right now, and says the Pittsburgh protests “could be more organic” than is typical.

“THE GENERAL RULE IS THAT WHEN YOU RESORT TO HIGHER LEVELS OF FORCE, IT SIMPLY RATCHETS THINGS UP, IT DOES NOT QUIET THINGS DOWN.” For example, a protest organizer during the main march with 1,000 people on June 1 told CP that they were the police liaison for that march. But when that main march broke up and the group of a hundred continued to march down Centre Avenue, police formed the line and told people to disperse over an hour before curfew.

It’s unlikely the people marching down Centre coordinated with police, though they are not required to.

In the end, Harris says that while the protests do appear more organic in nature than usual, and that police confrontation to the protesters can make things more tense, he says, “We are all learning this together” and notes that the police haven’t had a confrontation with protesters since June 1. He’s hopeful those confrontations and use of force won’t continue as the protest continue.

“You want to be careful about trotting out the force when you don’t really have to,” says Harris. “It doesn’t intimidate, it inflames.”

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THANK YOU FOR SUPPORTING LOCAL JOURNALISM Thank you to the following readers who have signed up for Pittsburgh City Paper’s new membership campaign Aaron Aupperlee Aaron Jentzen Abby Cook Abigail Gardner Adam Hart Adam Knoerzer Adam Schweigert Adam Shuck Al Hoff Alan Cox Alec Magnani Alex Blackman Alex McCann Alex Walsh Allen Ellis Allison Rowland Amy Bilkey Amy Montgomery Amy Scanlon AmyJo Sanders Andrea Lynn Andrew Bloomgarden Andrew Brown Andrew Conte Andrew Mulkerin Andrew Seymour Andy Collins Angelos Tzelepis Anna Reilly Anni Sweetser Anthony Roscoe April Gilmore April McCann Arielle Eyers Arlan Hess Ashley Kenawell Barbara Valaw Barbara Weaver Ben Panko Ben Soltesz Benjamin Weaver Bennett Aikin Beth Boroumand Beth Newman Beth Wickerham Bethany Hallam Bill Lazur Brandy Hadden Breanna Jay Brentin Mock Brett Yasko Brian Kell Brian Kelly Brian Lysell Brittany Fagan Caitlin O’Connor Campbell Robertson Cara & Bill Blumenschein Carlin Christy Carol Pickerine Carolyn Regan Carrie Roy Cassia Priebe Cathy Elliott Chad Efaw Charles Anthony Chris Belasco Chris Flyer Chris Gillotti Chris Mueller Chris Potter Chris Watts Christina Barry Christopher Briem Cindy Hudson Clare & Dennis Pawloski Cole Gleason Coleman Lamb Cortney Bouse

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CP PHOTOS: JORDAN SNOWDEN

Masks made available by Workshop PGH

.NEWS.

PROTEST HEALTH

Avoiding COVID-19 during protests — recommendations and what Pittsburghers are doing to help

BY JULIA MARUCA // INFO@PGHCITYPAPER.COM

W

HILE PROTESTS AGAINST police

brutality and racism in the wake of the death of George Floyd continue across the country and here in Pittsburgh, the other big crisis affecting the world hasn’t gone away.

Transmission of COVID-19 remains a concern, even though Allegheny County moved into the “green” phase of Pennsylvania’s reopen plan on June 5.

Crowding together in a large group, shouting messages, being pushed into close proximity by police or physical barriers, or having to wash tear gas from your eyes can all put protesters at risk of contracting COVID-19.

In Minnesota, the state where George Floyd died and protests first

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started, the State Department of Health recommended that any person who attends a protest, vigil, or community clean-up get tested for COVID-19 if they can, no later than 5-7 days after the event. Here in Pennsylvania, according to TribLive, State Secretary of Health Dr. Rachel Levine gave similar recommendations, encouraging anyone who develops symptoms after a protest to seek testing.

“Given that we still are in the middle of a global pandemic, we would want everyone to be wearing masks, we would want people to stay six feet or more apart, to not have personal contact with each other, and to use hand sanitizer as much as possible,” Levine said at

a press conference on June 2.

With the increased risk of contracting COVID-19 during mass gatherings, there are steps that demonstrators can take to help avoid exposure, and local Pittsburgh organizations are hoping to help in that cause.

Articles published in national publications like The Conversation, Teen Vogue, and New York Magazine, with advice from physicians and researchers, recommended that protesters wear masks, eye protection, and gloves, and bring hand sanitizer. When possible, protesters should try to socially distance, and avoid shaking hands with or hugging strangers. Some recommend that people who are immunocompro-

mised or who have other underlying health conditions consider staying home to reduce exposure to COVID-19.

After returning home from a march, protesters should wash the clothes or items they brought along in order to avoid transmission.

Pittsburgh City Paper has covered nearly all of the Black Lives Matter protests over the past week, and has seen a vast majority of participants following this guidance and wearing masks.

Individual volunteers and organizations have attempted to mitigate the danger by distributing masks at protests to those who don’t have their own.

Workshop PGH, a Pittsburgh DIY school located on Penn Avenue, is one

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such organization. The workspace has been making masks to donate and give away to the general public on the front window of their building since the end of March.

“I THINK A LOT OF PEOPLE WANT TO HELP BUT DON’T FEEL COMFORTABLE PROTESTING IF THEY’RE HIGH RISK.” “I’m a sewist, we have sewing machines, and a lot of our customers sew, so we kind of dove in pretty quickly trying to make masks to donate,” says Kelly Malone, owner of Workshop PGH. “Every mask we sell, we always make one or two that we give out for free. We put out what we could make, but we also put out kits of all the materials so that people could make their own masks, and taped them to our window.”

Malone and a volunteer took a box of around 300 masks, as well as bottles of water and Gatorade, to distribute at the protest in East Liberty. She also taped some masks along the fence across from the Target and on posts.

“Once we knew this protest was going to be in our neighborhood and nearby, we wanted to help,” says Malone. “So we quickly got support on every level, of people making masks and giving them to us to distribute, dropping stuff off, and giving us materials.”

Since June 1, as the demonstrations have continued, several local storefronts across the city have brought out water bottles and sports drinks as protesters march by. On June 2, Uruk Hookah Lounge in the South Side provided bottled water to marchers.

Malone plans to continue putting up masks and water bottles when she learns of protests in the area.

“I think a lot of people want to help but don’t feel comfortable protesting if they’re high risk,” she said. “I’ve been concerned, and we have a voice and a lot of followers, and I think we have a lot of people who follow us and want to help but don’t know how.”

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PITTSBURGH CITY PAPER JUNE 10-17, 2020

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.RESTAURANT REVIEW.

TAKEOUT REVIEW: SOUL & SEA

BY MAGGIE WEAVER MWEAVER@PGHCITYPAPER.COM

T

HOUGH MANY PARTS of the food

industry have changed in the last three months, one thing has remained the same: the fried lobster tail is still a must-have when dining at Soul & Sea. Brittany Houser, co-owner of the three-year-old soul and seafood restaurant, introduced me to the dish the first time I visited their new eatery in the South Side. It was the breading that impressed me: a light, peppery mix that miraculously doesn’t overwhelm the delicate lobster meat.

Houser and her husband (who own the restaurants together) opened the first location of Soul & Sea in 2017, inside a Penn Hills strip mall. In 2019, the pair brought their dishes — said to be as “good as grandma’s” — to East Carson Street.

The menu is split between soul food and seafood. Soul is a mix of classic dishes like pork chops, wings, and a variety of sides. Sea hits with dishes expected from a seaside restaurant: crab legs, lobster tail, and shrimp. The two come together on salads, loaded fries (stacked high with crab, shrimp, peppers, onions, and sauce), and lobster mac ‘n’ cheese.

Houser’s fried wings have been a consistent favorite for me, breaded with a mix similar to the lobster tail. It hits the same, with a peppery jolt at the beginning of each bite, and doesn’t hold grease as is typical of fried foods, which keeps the wings from feeling too heavy.

CP PHOTO: MAGGIE WEAVER

Crab, shrimp and grits, wings, mac ‘n’ cheese, greens, and green beans from Soul & Sea

SOUL & SEA 10718 Frankstown Road, Penn Hills; 1728 E. Carson St., South Side

Crab legs, a crowd favorite, carry glowing reviews by fans for good reason: The legs are expertly cooked, wellspiced, and very tasty. Shrimp and grits are hearty; the lid of a takeout container can barely shut in the mountain of grain topped by a row of pink shrimp.

Cheese is a necessary add-on here to provide another kick of flavor through the mild grits.

For sides, there’s a cheesy mac, deliciously salty green beans, pasta salad, and more. Houser’s greens have remained

a prized component of every meal I’ve eaten at Soul & Sea. She prepares delicate and tender kale greens, finishing them with a light kick of spice.

What really makes the menu stand out are Houser’s specialties, like the lobster tail. The two house pastas — The Don and The Timmy, both dedicated to friends who helped the restaurant get on its feet — are bathed in delicious and surprisingly light, cream-based sauces.

A current dessert offering, a scooter crunch cake, stacks layers of fluffy, strawberry cake and cheesecake and makes for a blissful end to any meal.

Daily specials, anything from stuffed salmon to make-your-own-stir-fry, are not to be missed.

Follow staff writer Maggie Weaver on Twitter @magweav

As marches for Black Lives Matter and protests against police brutality continue in Pittsburgh and across the nation, it can seem difficult to find a way to support the community. Eating from a Black-owned and operated local restaurant like Soul & Sea, now and through the future, is one of the many ways to back Black businesses around you.

If you’re looking for a full list of Blackowned restaurants in Pittsburgh, there are a variety of resources to use. Alexis Johnson, a reporter for the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, compiled a full list earlier this year that is consistently updated to reflect COVID-19 restrictions. On social media, look to accounts like Black Owned PGH (@blackowned.pgh on Instagram) for guidance on who to follow, where to shop, and what to eat.

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.FOR THE WEEK OF JUNE 11

FREE WILL ASTROLOGY

BY ROB BREZSNY // INFO@PGHCITYPAPER.COM

GEMINI (May 21-June 20): According to novelist Octavia E. Butler, “Positive obsession is about not being able to stop just because you’re afraid and full of doubts.” That’s what I wish for you in the coming weeks, Gemini: positive obsession. It’s also what I expect! My analysis of the astrological omens suggests that you will have the pluck and craftiness necessary to veer away from murky, disturbing versions of obsession. Instead, you’ll embrace the exhilarating kind of obsession that buoys your spirit in moments of uncertainty. I foresee you making progress on your most important labor of love.

CANCER (June 21-July 22): William Thomson, also known as Lord Kelvin (1824-1907), was a Cancerian physicist and mathematician who contributed to the understanding of thermodynamics and other areas of scientific and engineering knowledge. Despite his considerable intelligence, however, he was myopic about the possibility that humans might one day fly through the air while seated inside of machines. In a 1902 interview — a year before the Wright Brothers’ breakthrough experiment — he declared, “No aeroplane will ever be successful.” I suspect you could be on the verge of passing through a Lord Kelvin phase, Cancerian. You may at times be highly insightful and at other times curiously mistaken.

So I urge you to be humbly confident and confidently humble!

LEO (July 23-Aug. 22):

you understand aspects of your history that have always been mysterious or murky.

SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 22-Dec. 21): According to my analysis of the astrological omens, you’re primed to navigate your way through a sweetly gritty, tenderly transformative, epically meaningful turning point in the history of your relationship with your favorite collaborator or collaborators. If that sounds too intense, you could at least accomplish an interesting, stimulating, educational shift in the way you fit together with your best ally or allies. It’s up to you, Sagittarius. How much love and intimacy and synergy can you handle? I won’t judge you harshly if you’d prefer to seek the milder version of deepening right now. Besides, you’ll probably get a chance to go further later this year.

VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22):

Lucumi is an Afro-American religion with Yoruban roots. Its practitioners worship their ancestors, and seek regular contact and communion with them. According to Lucumi priestess Luisah Teish, “Sometimes the ancestors deem certain information so important that they send it to the subconscious mind without being consciously asked.” It’s my belief that all of us, whether or not we’re members of the Lucumi religion, can be in touch with the spirits of our ancestors if we would like to be — and receive useful guidance and insight from them. The coming weeks will be a time when you Pisceans are especially likely to enjoy this breakthrough. It’s more likely to happen if you have an intention to instigate it, but it may come to pass even if you don’t seek it.

I was hiking under a blue sky in a favorite natural location: the Golden Gate National Recreation Area, just north of San Francisco, where sublime vistas provide views of ocean and mountain. Although I was in a good mood, at one point I spied empty Budweiser cans amidst the wild jewelflowers.

“What kind of nature-hater was so careless as to despoil this wonderland”? I fumed. For a few moments I was consumed with rage and forgot where I was. By the time I recovered my bearings, the bobcat and red-tailed hawk I’d previously been observing had disappeared. That made me sad. My anger was justified but wasteful, irrelevant, and distracting. It caused me to lose touch with some glorious beauty. Don’t be like me in the coming days, Libra. Keep your eyes on the prize.

SCORPIO (Oct. 23-Nov. 21): “I have more memories than if I were a thousand years old,” wrote poet Charles Baudelaire. Was he bragging or complaining? Did the weight of his past feel like a burden or did it exhilarate him and dynamize his creative powers? I’m hoping that in the coming weeks your explorations of your past will feel far more like the latter — a gift and blessing that helps

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Actor Emma Thompson tells us, “I wish I wouldn’t have to say this, but I really like human beings who have suffered.

They’re kinder.” Adding to what she observes, I’ll say that for many people, their suffering has also made them smarter and more soulful and more compassionate. Not always, but often, it’s the pain they’ve suffered that has helped turn them into thoughtful companions who know how to nourish others. I urge you to make a special point to converse with people like this in the near future. In my estimation, you will benefit from intense doses of empathetic nurturing.

AQUARIUS (Jan. 20-Feb. 18):

LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 22):

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CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan. 19):

Author Marianne Williamson tells us, “Spiritual growth involves giving up the stories of your past so the universe can write a new one.” And what exactly does it mean to “give up the stories of your past”? Here’s what I think: 1. Don’t assume that experiences you’ve had before will be repeated in the future. 2. Don’t assume that your ideas about the nature of your destiny will always be true. 3. Even good things that have happened before may be small and limited compared to the good things that could happen for you in the years to come. 4. Fully embrace the truth that the inherent nature of existence is endless transformation — which is why it’s right and natural for you to ceaselessly outgrow the old plot lines of your life story and embrace new ones.

Philosopher and astrologer Marsilio Ficino wrote, “Mortals ask God for good things every day, but they never pray that they may make good use of them.” I hope that in the coming weeks, you Virgos will disprove that cynical view of human beings. As I see it, you will be more likely than usual to actually receive the blessings you ask for. And I hope — in fact, I predict — that when you receive the blessings, you will then aggressively seek the help of God or Life or your deepest wisdom to make good use of them.

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Lake Elsinore is a city in southwestern California. Last spring, torrential rains there caused a “superbloom” of poppies. Millions of the golden-orange wildflowers covered many acres of Walker Canyon. They attracted another outbreak of beauty: thousands of painted lady butterflies, which came to visit. The magnificent explosion was so vast, it was visible from a satellite high above the earth. I wouldn’t be surprised if you’re experiencing a metaphorical superbloom of your own right now, Aquarius. I hope you will find constructive ways to channel that gorgeous fertility.

PISCES (Feb. 19-March 20):

ARIES (March 21-April 19): During her 90 years on the planet, actor and singer Marlene Dietrich reinvented herself numerous times. She had superb insight into the nature of shifting rhythms, and a knack for gauging the right moment to adapt and transform. Good timing, she said, came naturally to people like her, as well as for “aerialists, jugglers, diplomats, publicists, generals, prize-fighters, revolutionists, financiers, and lovers.” I would add one further category to her list: the Aries tribe. Make maximum use of your talent in the coming weeks.

TAURUS (April 20-May 20): Author and theologian Frederick Buechner writes, “There is treasure buried in the field of every one of our days, even the bleakest or dullest, and it is our business to keep our eyes peeled for it.” In alignment with current astrological potentials, Taurus, I’ll name that as your key theme. More than usual, breakthroughs and revelations and catalysts are likely to be available to you in the midst of the daily slog — even when you’re feeling bored.

Make it your business to be on high alert for them.

Go to realastrology.com to check out Rob Brezsny’s expanded weekly audio horoscopes and daily text-message horoscopes.

The audio horoscopes are also available by phone at 1-877-873-4888 or 1-900-950-7700

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13

.PSYCHIC.

CARDS AND COCONUTS

BY AMANDA WALTZ AWALTZ@PGHCITYPAPER.COM

CP PHOTO: JARED WICKERHAM

Leslie McAllister, owner of Juju, a metaphysical lifestyle shop in Point Breeze, shuffles a deck or cards inside of her shop.

P

EOPLE RESORT TO A variety of

methods to find some semblance of order in this chaotic time. For some, occult intervention could be just what they need to feel more in control.

This is the kind of service being offered by mediums and readers of tarot and other divination tools. And readers throughout Pittsburgh are employing various methods to help their clients, including tarot cards, clairvoyance, and, in the case of Dr. Amber Epps of Arts & Crafts: Botanica & Occult Shop, coconuts.

Epps says coconut shell readings answer a client’s question by the way that the shells fall when they are thrown or tossed onto a special board that she uses.

“This particular type of reading also involves initiating a connection with the spiritual world,” says Epps, who co-founded Arts & Crafts with her sister, Pamela Schön, and Elizabeth Kivowitz.

“The spiritual world determines how the shells fall. Once the shells fall and the answer to the question is given, there is often guidance or additional information that comes along with the response.”

But these services are less about predicting the future and more about finding guidance and solace in a time of political and social turmoil, both for readers and the clients.

Even though they closed the Arts &

Crafts shop in late March to comply with COVID-19 shutdowns, Epps and Schön say they do offer consultations over the phone and online. Despite being available beyond in-person consultations, they, along with tarot reader Stephanie Ten Sivak and self-described psychic coach Tamar George, say they have seen a decrease in clients during the pandemic, possibly due to financial difficulties related to unemployment or other issues.

Those who have been reaching out to them are usually looking for a more therapeutic outlet, something Sivak believes is a “wonderful use for tarot or any other spiritual practice.”

“Good therapy encourages you to go inside yourself and question the internal patterns that might be manifesting externally and shaping your life in ways that aren’t working for you,” says Sivak, who has also been teaching low-cost online tarot classes during the pandemic. “And like therapy, a tarot reading is a dialogue between the reader and the client. ‘Let’s sit down and talk, and try to throw judgment and fear out the window.’ I want people to leave my presence feeling better about their situation, whatever it is.”

Used for centuries, tarot involves a deck of cards with various symbols and

imagery. Cards are shuffled and laid out into spreads that can then be used to answer questions. While there are a variety of deck styles readers can use, RiderWaite is the most commonly known.

Leslie McAllister, owner of Juju, a ritual lifestyle and tarot studio in Point Breeze, agrees that what many people view as fortune-telling actually encourages people to work through issues and feel more confident in their decision-making.

what she calls a move from a “fear-based reality (Piscean Age) to a love-based reality (Aquarian Age),” and need insight on what “new directions are possible now.”

Similar to tarot, she says “psychics can gift a probability and help you think things through.”

“We have enough people that are not feeling empowered right now,” she says. “We are each living in a lot of fear and it’s important to give hope that something greater is going on.”

“WE ARE IN A TIME OF GREAT CHANGE RIGHT NOW, MATERIALLY AND SPIRITUALLY.” “What is so empowering about tarot [is] it allows the questioner to feel this sense of confirmation,” says McAllister.

“It’s so nice to hear a stranger say, ‘You’re right.’”

George says many of her regular clients have been “asking about the paradigm shift that has occurred” with

McAllister observes that “a lot of people are starting to realize they’re coming into their own personal power.”

She and her peers have noticed a repetition in drawing cards from tarot’s minor arcana, which represents a royal family, leading McAllister to believe that people feel a desire to “step into CONTINUES ON PG. 16

14

PGHCITYPAPER.COM

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CARDS AND COCONUTS, CONTINUED FROM PG. 14

The 5th Judicial District of T Pennsylvania and Allegheny County Pretrial Services urges you to enjoy your weekend out in Pittsburgh but

make the right choice,

don’t drink & drive.

CP PHOTO: JARED WICKERHAM

Leslie McAllister, owner of Juju

Socially-distancing herself but still broadcasting LIVE every Monday thru Thursday at 10 a.m. at lynncullen.pghcitypaper.com

their sovereignty and grace and be a leader in their community, company, or family,” which is usually symbolized by a queen or king.

She adds that, while devastating, the virus has also provided a sense of “stillness and rest,” allowing people to pause, “step aside from the bullshit,” and figure out ways to restructure a system that has become out of balance.

Suzanne Bishop, an art therapist and spiritual and pastoral counselor who practices under Intuit Now/OMawake LLC, does not recommend using tarot or any other reading as therapy; when appropriate, she will provide her clients with names of licensed counselors and therapists. However, she says that clients have seemed more drawn to the “metaphysics side of life” during the COVID-19 crisis.

“We are in a time of great change right now, materially and spiritually,” says Bishop.

Artist Genevieve Barbee-Turner has turned to tarot in a different way. Though she does casual readings, Barbee-Turner — who works under the name KI11ERPANCAKE — designed and released her own deck, Bridge Witches. She created it in response to what she views as the limited Christian and binary gender imagery in Rider-Waite, as well as its

ARTWORK: GENEVIEVE BARBEE-TURNER

Bridge Witches tarot deck

misogynistic origins, pointing out how Pamela Colman Smith, the JamaicanBritish woman behind the deck’s iconic designs, was never properly compensated or credited for her work.

She describes Bridge Witches as more reflective of the world around her, one that includes LGBTQ and nonbinary people and people of color. She also uses the deck to explore issues currently affecting Pittsburgh, including gentrification, income equality, and homelessness.

Barbee-Turner says one couple used her deck as they were planning their

move to Pittsburgh, as it provided a different perspective on the city that didn’t just focus on “pierogis and football.”

“My deck is a living document,” says Barbee-Turner, adding that it also covers the influence of tech and gig culture, and millennial burnout.

She agrees that most people don’t think tarot is magic, herself included.

“People come to tarot with weird vague ideas of what tarot cards are,” says Barbee-Turner. “These cards are made in a printing facility that makes games.”

Even when used as a visually pleasing bit of fun, Barbee-Turner believes “entertainment and art have always [and] forever been vehicles for social change,” and is currently working on a “feminist goth tarot deck” that uses horror film imagery as a vehicle to “tell more queer and feminist stories.”

Overall, readers see tarot as a tangible tool that can be used for self-care, comfort, and connection, especially in a time when social distancing, shutdowns, and shelter-in-place orders have kept people physically apart.

“What the virus has taught me … is that there is tremendous loss and grief, and we immediately assume that the future will also be fearful,” says McAllister. “The unknown does not have to be fearful.”

Follow senior writer Amanda Waltz on Twitter @AWaltzCP

16

PGHCITYPAPER.COM

•

THIS WEEK ONLINE AT PGHCITYPAPER.COM

PITTSBURGH POST-GAZETTE REMOVES PROTEST AND POLICE BRUTALITY STORIES FROM WEBSITE FOLLOWING PROTESTS FROM UNION MEMBERS Read our story on dozens of Post-Gazette journalists allegedly ‘conflicted out’ of covering protests and our interview with Alexis Johnson, the reporter barred from protest coverage, who shares gratitude for overwhelming support from allies

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17

.MUSIC.

A LITTLE HELP FROM FRIENDS

BY JORDAN SNOWDEN JSNOWDEN@PGHCITYPAPER.COM

W

HEN DEREK ZANETTI’S dad

died in 2018, he assumed it would be easy to write slow, sad acoustic songs.

“But I couldn’t do it, I couldn’t get myself to write anything sad,” says Zanetti, who releases music under the moniker The Homeless Gospel Choir. “I was like, ‘My dad just died, my mom is sick and in the hospital, my life is going downhill. It should be super easy to write a sad country song.’ But I couldn’t get one note of it out. All I could think about was super loud, crazy, and chaotic noise-punk. And that’s the only thing that I could get to come out.”

Unsure of what to do with the blaring jumble in his head, Zanetti turned to his friend and fellow A-F Records member Matt Miller, of Endless Mike and the Beagle Club.

“When I tried to explain [my situation] to [Miller], he was able to speak the language pretty well,” says Zanetti.

“When we got together, [the album] came together creatively like peas and carrots. I haven’t been able to write a sad song since then.”

The album Zanetti is referring to is This Land Is Your Landfill, released on April 24 on A-F Records in North America. And unlike Zanetti’s previous albums, This Land Is Your Landfill is a boisterous, politically charged, full-band record that captures The Homeless Gospel Choir as the punk rock family it was always meant to be.

“The songs that I made for this record are louder in nature, and I thought it wouldn’t be fair of me to put out a record this way and then play it by myself on an acoustic,” says Zanetti.

Up until This Land Is Your Landfill, The Homeless Gospel Choir was a solo project.

Zanetti wrote, recorded, and performed by himself, making friends in the punk world as he toured — friends who he later called upon to contribute to the album.

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PGHCITYPAPER.COM

CP PHOTOS: JARED WICKERHAM

Derek Zanetti of The Homeless Gospel Choir

Produced by Anti-Flag’s Chris No. 2, the album features a remarkable mix of punk rock collaborators. In addition to Miller, there’s Maura Weaver (Mixtapes, Ogikubo Station) who joins Zanetti during live performances when scheduling allows. Megan Schroer (Boys, Kitty Kat Fan Club) played bass for the record and “sang all the beautiful harmonies you hear,” says Zanetti, as did Steve Soboslai of Punchline.

“The band The Interrupters had a day off in Pittsburgh, they were on tour with Dropkick Murphys and Rancid, I think. And we asked Billy [Kottage] to come play trombone on the album,” says Zanetti. “We hit it off immediately and became great pals.”

There’s also Craig Luckman (Small Pollen, Belly Boys) and Rick Steff (Lucero).

Steff played accordion and organ for the album.

“I thought it would be more difficult than it was to get other people involved,”

says Zanetti. “Everyone I asked to be in the band were my first picks. I showed them the songs that [Miller] and I wrote, and they were all in. I was honestly expecting a little bit more resistance.”

With a caravan of musicians involved, This Land Is Your Landfill bolsters Zanetti’s witty yet unabashedly earnest songwriting with a wall of distorted guitars and pounding drums.

“I think even sad music should be a celebration of some sort, and I couldn’t find a way to celebrate these songs

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“PUNK ROCK HAS GIVEN ME MY FIRST REAL-WORLD EXPERIENCE ABOUT WHAT IT’S LIKE TO BE KIND AND WHAT IT’S LIKE TO DO THINGS WITH A PURPOSE.” until I brought other people along,” Zanetti says. “That’s when I felt that joyous feeling. I felt stronger about the feelings I was having instead of ashamed.”

Along with coming to terms with his emotions, Zanetti learned more about others while creating the album. Growing up, Zanetti was raised in an Evangelical Christian atmosphere in which they weren’t allowed to watch movies or listen to music.

“I never really learned about the outside world, I didn’t know how it all worked,” he says. “Punk rock has given me my first real-world experience about what it’s like to be kind and what it’s like to do things with a purpose. I’ve had a chance to understand how other people operate, live, and function. And through that, I think I’ve grown as a person and I think my songs have grown too.”

Zanetti sees two songs on This Land Is

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Your Landfill, “Lest We Forget” and “Social Real Estate,” as markers of that growth.

“They just sound so different from anything else I’ve ever made,” he says.

“I was able to summon bravely to create something bold and unique like nothing I’ve ever heard before. Hopefully, the art that we create refers back to something that lives inside of our hearts. Hopefully, whenever other people hear the music or songs, something resonates out of their hearts that causes them to see the world differently, or to see their neighbor differently, or to consume things differently. Hopefully, This Land Is Your Landfill a conversation starter.

“Hopefully as we all continue to move on and meet new people, those experiences can change us for the better, and we can learn what it’s like to be somebody different from ourselves and show compassion, and mercy, and kindness towards people different from you.”

•

Follow staff writer Jordan Snowden on Twitter @snowden_jordan PITTSBURGH CITY PAPER JUNE 10-17, 2020

19

CP PHOTOS: JARED WICKERHAM

Black Lives Matter mural under the Fort Duquesne Bridge

20

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BACK BY POPULAR DEMAND

.ART.

MURAL MOVEMENT Black Pittsburgh artists respond to graffiti protest mural produced by white team

BY AMANDA WALTZ // AWALTZ@PGHCITYPAPER.COM

A

NYONE TRAVELING on the 10th

Street Bypass or Fort Duquesne Boulevard, past the Fort Duquesne Bridge, will now be met with a powerful statement: a mural declaring Black Lives Matter, writ large across a 750-foot-long section of wall along the Allegheny River. But despite supporting the message, which was put up in response to days of protests incited

by George Floyd, a Black Minnesota man killed in police custody, some local arts groups and activists are upset that the work was painted by white artists without any apparent involvement from the Black community.

The mural was created on Saturday by a team of yet-unidentified white graffiti artists disguised as a construction crew, who painted over a work by artist Kim Beck commissioned by the environmental nonprofit Riverlife in 2015.

Since it appeared, users on social media have applauded the piece, with some begging Pittsburgh Mayor Bill Peduto not to take it down, despite it being an unsanctioned work on public property (the site is owned by the City of Pittsburgh and PennDOT). Even Beck gave the work her seal of approval in a Facebook message, calling it a “beautiful declarative poem” and thanking the artists and activists who made it happen.

Sallyann Kluz, director for the Office of Public Art (OPA) of the Greater Pittsburgh Arts Council, says she agrees with the message, but disagrees with how it came about, given that it was “designed and implemented by white artists that didn’t engage Black activists and artists in the conversation.” Also damaging, she says, is how the work’s origins look given the city’s history of harshly prosecuting graffiti artists.

“It is incredibly telling that a group of white artists were able to dress as a construction team and do this without getting any attention from police,” says Kluz.

This is echoed by BOOM Concepts co-founder and Black arts activist DS Kinsel, who sees clear bias in how the mural was allowed to be produced without consequence.

“It’s confusing that in a city that touts graffiti-busting — and Downtown specifically, where they publish the amount of graffiti they have buffed in their annual report — how white dudes making art alongside a highway underpass dressed in ‘construction uniforms’ weren’t harassed or stopped by the cops,” says Kinsel.

Kinsel points out how some assumed the mural was the work of Camerin “Camo” Nesbit, a Black Pittsburgh-based mural artist who produces work under Camo Customz.

“BLACK PEOPLE DON’T NEED MEMORIALS, THEY NEED EQUITY IN ALL ASPECTS OF LIFE IN THIS COUNTRY.” Nesbit is also part of the charitable art collective Wicked Pittsburgh, which includes Max Gonzales, a graffiti street artist once dubbed “Pittsburgh’s Most Wanted Artist” by the Pittsburgh Bureau of Police Graffiti Squad. He was arrested in February 2016 and charged with $114,000 worth of property damage.

While local police seem tough on graffiti, Nesbit says “the city basically hates graffiti art, but loves its white sprayers.”

Despite his success, which includes mural projects in Pittsburgh and beyond, Nesbit says it’s especially difficult for Black artists to secure coveted public art opportunities in the city, as white artists tend to have more connections and support, giving them an “unfair advantage.”

Even when Black artists have been given public art projects, their work has been met with resistance. This was the case in 2018 when prominent local artist Alisha B. Wormsley saw her East Liberty billboard work, There Are Black People In The Future, removed. Presented as part of The Last Billboard project created by Carnegie Mellon professor Jon Rubin in 2013, There Are Black People In The Future was taken down after the company

that owns the building over which it was displayed claimed the work violated a lease agreement, and that people found it “offensive and divisive.”

The removal resulted in backlash from community leaders and others who saw it as an attempt to silence Black voices, especially since previous artists in The Last Billboard project had never experienced any problems.

Wormsley says that the ability of the artists to put up the Black Lives Matter mural is a “reflection of white privilege,” where white artists get away with more, and are given more access to space, funding, and other resources.

“I’m sure these projects are done with the intention of supporting the Black community,” says Wormsley. “But it is reflexive of the insidious nature of structural racism. This is what we are trying to address. Black people don’t need memorials, they need equity in all aspects of life in this country, including platforms and avenues to present their own vision and liberation.”

Kluz calls the Black Lives Matter mural “antithetical” to OPA’s community engagement practices, which includes connecting local Black artists with commissions and residencies in the public realm. OPA has also facilitated projects with Wormsley related to the There Are Black People In The Future controversy.

Overall, Kluz believes white artists and community members need to step aside and allow Black artists to lead any public art directly related to Black issues.

“There are opportunities that should be going to Black artists,” says Kluz.

“That’s really the critical thing to come out of this.”

Kluz confirms that the OPA has been in touch with Nesbit and several other Black artists in Pittsburgh about the mural situation, and is offering support for a public art reform project they are planning, as well as any future efforts.

While still in development, Nesbit says the public art reform project will kick off on Wednesday at the mural site.

“I feel the segregation in Pittsburgh’s art world can be bridged with moments like this,” says Nesbit.

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