- test-neighbhorhood@test.highlandparkpa.com

[Highland Park] Street Trees For Your House For Free!
by Nancy Levine-Arnold 25 Jul '10

25 Jul '10

Dear Neighbors Thanks to the wonderful volunteer efforts of hundreds of Highland Park residents, we have 120 new street trees in our neighborhood and by the fall we hope to have 70 more. We have concentrated on the main streets of Highland Park. For the Spring of 2011, we would like to plant trees on our smaller side streets. If you are interested in a street tree(s) in front of your house, please fill out the attached form and email it back to this email address (if you have an electronic signature) or put it in the mail slot at 1232 N. Highland Ave. Note-application deadline for the Spring planting is August 20th. Since this tree planting will involve many blocks, we will need much help. We hope you will consider volunteering for one or more of the following: 1. Make your entire block beautiful by being a "block tree captain". This will largely involve asking your neighbors to sign a tree request form for their homes 2. Donate about 5 hours of your time for general organizing of this planting. 3. If you are a Highland Park Tree Tender and have not been involved with any of the previous plantings, please respond to this email to identify yourself. If you would like more information about these planting go to: http://www.paconserve.org/216 Remember that money does grow on Trees: -They increase your property values -They decrease your energy bills by shading your house in the summer and block cold winds in the winter -They decrease your taxes by helping to manage storm water Sincerely, The 2011 Spring Tree Planting Team -- JUST SAY NO TO CYPRESS MULCH Bald Cypress grows mainly southern swamps. It does not regenerate rapidly and is vital to the swamp ecosystem. It is a waste of a good and magnificent tree to grind it up and throw it on your garden. Also, it does not even make very good mulch. For more information and alternative mulches, go to: www.saveourcypress.org

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[Highland Park] free plants
by Christine Gardner 25 Jul '10

25 Jul '10

Hi all, I've started thinning out my garden. Free to good home: approximately 25 tall (between 3-5 feet) yellow Asiatic lilies. Email if interested. Thanks, Chris crsg(a)verizon.net

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[Highland Park] Kirkland Dogfood: Lamb, Rice and Veg formula
by Crystal Doll 25 Jul '10

25 Jul '10

Folks, We have had to switch dog food for our golden doodle, Katie, and have 23 lbs of dry dog food available to give away. The bag has been opened and the food is fine; Katie just happens to be sensitive to something in this formula. Please let me know if you are interested via this list serve. We would donate it to the Animal Rescue League but they only take sealed bags. We live right here in Highland Park on the corner of N. Negley & Callowhill. I hate to see it go to waste. -- Have a happy day! Crystal

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[Highland Park] Boys polo shirts, size medium
by Mary Louise Ray 24 Jul '10

24 Jul '10

I have navy blue and red short-sleeve polo shirts, size medium, free to whomever claims them. My sons have grown out of them, but they are in good condition. Made by various manufacturers (Target "Cherokee" brand, a few Izod, I think). Also, three pairs of boys jeans, size 12 and 12H. All from Target, I believe. Email me if you want them. --mlr

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[Highland Park] Fw: Historical Society Membership Special
by Al Mann 24 Jul '10

24 Jul '10

Historical Society Membership Special Take advantage of a special opportunity to join the East End/East Liberty Historical Society: Dues are only $10 for the balance of 2010, for which you will receive the latest of our quarterly publications. This bulletin, written by Highland Park resident Pat Miller, tells the story of the Bigelow mansion, a prominent landmark on North Highland Avenue. Did you know that Edward Bigelow was the father of Pittsburgh's city parks? As a member of our beautiful, unique community, you will want to have a copy of this very attractive, informative bulletin. Contact me at alfred.mann(a)verizon.net or 412-661-5947. -- Al Mann -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- No virus found in this incoming message. Checked by AVG - www.avg.com Version: 9.0.830 / Virus Database: 271.1.1/2987 - Release Date: 07/07/10 02:36:00 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- No virus found in this incoming message. Checked by AVG - www.avg.com Version: 9.0.830 / Virus Database: 271.1.1/2987 - Release Date: 07/07/10 02:36:00

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[Highland Park] Gold Leaf Frame
by Rob Brandegee 24 Jul '10

24 Jul '10

Hi Highland Park I'm looking for a large gold leaf frame if anyone has one they would like to sell. Please contact me on my cell 412-901-6819 Thanks Stay cool!

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[Highland Park] local artisan cheeses from Emerald Valley
by Robert Collins 24 Jul '10

24 Jul '10

Hey, We just hooked up with Emerald Valley of Washington County. They have a very nice selection of hand crafted cheeses. I have started with 5 varieities and will be expanding in the next few weeks. Coming soon, we have local soda made with cane sugar instead of high fructose corn syrup. They should be here sometime next week, Don't forget to stop by for some yummy Evans City corn. Thanks for all the support, Rob Bryant Street Market 5901 Bryant Street Pittsburgh PA 15206 Phone: (412) 661 8720 Hours: Mon-Fri 9 AM to 8 PM Sat-Sun 9 AM to 5 PM

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[Highland Park] Home Security Alarm Company List
by noblechoder＠aol.com 23 Jul '10

23 Jul '10

Would the kind person who compiled responses to request for information on home security alarm companies, please send me a copy of the list. I deleted the list b/c we are happy with our ADT system and a friend is now researching info on adding a home security system. She had a door-to-door salesman come to her house trying to sell her a system. He was a Morman with some company out of Utah. Sounded like a VERY bad idea to me . . .

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[Highland Park] Garage
by Weber, Branden 001S 23 Jul '10

23 Jul '10

Hello Neighbors, I was wondering if anyone had a garage for rent near the 800 block of North Saint Clair Street. I only have a 1 car garage and I need a second garage for a second vehicle. Please call or email if you have one available. 412-720-6792

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[Highland Park] Police report and response to gay bashing incident
by Ali Haimson 23 Jul '10

23 Jul '10

Hi all, Regarding the reporting of hate crimes in Pittsburgh, here is what we have learned. I hope that this can be of help to future victims of hate crimes in Pittsburgh. 1. It is important to report these crimes, but this can be difficult and uncomfortable for the victim (based on our experience in Pittsburgh and in Zone 5 in particular). Reporting an incident as a hate crime is a good step to take, but the police does not keep track of hate crime statistics or the frequency of such crimes. 2. The most important step for victims of hate crimes to take is to contact the PA State Human Relations Commission at 717-783-8438 and report the crime to them. This is the agency that keeps track of hate crimes and compiles the statistics regarding hate crimes in PA. You DO NOT need to file a police report in order to call and report an incident to the PA State Human Relations Commission. We got this information from Ted Hoover, who is in charge of the Persad Center's Community Safe Zone Project. If you're interested in more details about Friday night's gay bashing incident and our experience reporting it, please read on for details on the steps that we have made to report this crime and the responses that we received from the police force. On Friday night, while still running to escape his attacker, the victim called 911 and reported the crime. The 911 dispatcher asked the victim to stay where he was, but since the victim felt extremely unsafe in that area and was very close to home, he told the police that he needed to go to his house, and gave the police his address and phone number. When he got home, we immediately started planning the night-time rally that took place that night to raise awareness about the incident. We waited almost an hour for the police to show up, and when they did not, we marched to Negley and Stanton (now as a group of about 25 people) for the rally. The victim had given the police his phone number. Another friend called 911 back about an hour and a half after the 911 call was made to check on the status, and was told that there were three calls ahead of this one that were still pending. After another half hour or so, the police called back the friend who had made the second phone call (not the victim directly, which we found strange) and said that they would come to the victim's house to file the report. At that time, the group immediately walked back to the victim's house (about 3 blocks away). By the time we got there, the police were no longer there. The victim was exhausted and did not attempt to contact the police again that night. On Wednesday, after the victim received a forward of the email that Commander Stangrecki sent to the Highland Park email list, the victim called and left a voicemail message for Commander Stangrecki at Major Crimes. I then drove the victim to the police station on Washington Blvd. to make the official report. We walked into the lobby, which was a very unwelcoming place, and told the officer at the desk behind a thick layer of bulletproof glass that we needed to file a report. She asked what happened, and we realized that to file a report, the victim has to basically yell through the thick glass to the officer on the other side. The officer took down all of the details. Because he wanted to make sure that this was recorded as a hate crime, at the end of the report the victim stated that he would like the report to include the fact that he experienced this as a hate crime and felt that he was attacked because he was gay (and has experienced harassment in the neighborhood countless times before this incident). The officer seemed to think that the victim was asking for her sympathy, and she then replied "That's too bad that you are constantly harassed, you seem like such a nice guy!" We again stated that it was very important for the report to include that this was a hate crime, in order to affect future hate crime legislation. The officer then said, "Okay, I will include it in the report, but I don't see how it will make a difference." She then told us that she has gay friends, even though her husband doesn't like gay people. We found the whole experience to be very uncomfortable and scary, especially the fact that to report a gay bashing, one basically has to "out themselves" by yelling to the officer and whomever else happens to be in the public waiting room that they were attacked because they were gay. Thanks, Ali Haimson On Fri, Jul 23, 2010 at 9:47 AM, Dawn Zachow <dawn.zachow(a)gmail.com> wrote: > This is the second one. > > > ---------- Forwarded message ---------- > From: Brackney, Rashall <Rashall.Brackney(a)city.pittsburgh.pa.us> > Date: Thu, Jul 22, 2010 at 10:20 AM > Subject: RE: [Highland Park] Gay bashing incident on Friday night > To: "Silvestre, Anthony J" <tonys(a)pitt.edu>, neighborhood(a)highlandparkpa.com > > > Hello Everyone, > > > > I realize I am no longer the Commander of Zone 5, however; I am attempting > to track down if a report or a 911 call was made. Please understand that > without a report, or access to the Highland Park list serve, the officers > and the newly assigned Commander will not have working knowledge of the > incident. As for diversity and compassion for any person who is assaulted, > the department has training and enforces it regularly. I have personally > trained the officers in these issues and have volunteered at PERSAD and > headed the security team for “Celebrate Life, Celebrate Art" for the past 14 > years. I know it is easy to feel isolated and afraid if there is a > perceived lack of response, but we are here to help. I know Cmdr. > Stangrecki (Major Crimes) and Cmdr. Barone (CRRU) regularly monitors the > list serve and are willing to help. As always…stay safe! > > > > Cmdr > > > > RaShall M. Brackney, Commander > > City of Pittsburgh, Bureau of Police > > Zone 1 Station > > 1501 Brighton Road > > Pittsburgh, Pa. 15212 > > Office: (412) 323-7200 > > Fax: (412) 323-7249 > > Email: rashall.brackney(a)city.pittsburgh.pa.us > > > > ________________________________ > > From: neighborhood-bounces(a)highlandparkpa.com > [mailto:neighborhood-bounces@highlandparkpa.com] On Behalf Of Silvestre, > Anthony J > Sent: Wednesday, July 21, 2010 7:57 AM > > To: neighborhood(a)highlandparkpa.com > Subject: RE: [Highland Park] Gay bashing incident on Friday night > > > > Neighbors, > > > > I have lived in Highland Park/East Liberty since 1987. I bought here because > I deeply appreciated the diversity in this area. It seemed to me that people > of different races, ethnic groups, professions, and ages lived together in > relative harmony. And so I am deeply disturbed that young men in the > neighborhood feel free enough to attack someone because of their perceptions > of his gender conformity and sexual orientation. How did these teens get > this message? What kind of messages do/did they get at Peabody our > neighborhood schools and churches about respecting all people? If our > neighborhood leaders are not speaking out, what message are we giving our > young people? > > > > The report of lack of police presence after the incident is also disturbing. > Does it reflect disinterest in hate crimes? What kind of training do our > local police have in diversity? How culturally competent are they? > > > > I often see candidates for Mayor, City Council, and County officials at > neighborhood events, at gay bars, and at local churches. Next time I do, I > intend to ask them what they are doing to increase competency among our > police and other public safety personnel. > > > > Sincerely, > > Tony Silvestre > > > > Professor > > Infectious Diseases and Microbiology > > Graduate School of Public Health > > University of Pittsburgh > > Suite 400 > > 3520 Fifth Avenue > > PIttsburgh, PA 15213 > > ________________________________ > > From: neighborhood-bounces(a)highlandparkpa.com > [mailto:neighborhood-bounces@highlandparkpa.com] On Behalf Of Ali Haimson > > Sent: Monday, July 19, 2010 9:57 AM > To: neighborhood(a)highlandparkpa.com > Subject: [Highland Park] Gay bashing incident on Friday night > > > > Hi all, > > > > Here's some more info about the gay bashing incident on Friday night (this > was written by the man who was attacked): > > > > "While waiting at the Mellon and Stanton bus stop around 10:30 on Friday > night three young men passed him without incident. When the bus didn't > arrive he decided to try another stop at Penn and Negley. To get to the stop > he walked on the opposite side of the street to where he saw the three men > learning against a fence opposite the Union Project. When he turned the > corner to walk down Negley, with his back facing the men, he was attacked > from behind by one of the men with punches to the face and back. He managed > to fight back enough to release himself and run into traffic with hands up > screaming "help." The attacker laughed and the many people around, plus > traffic he ran into, did not respond. " > > > > My friend who was attacked is very visible as a gay person. Based on his > appearance and his walk, he is often harrassed and threatened in our > neighborhood (and of course in other neighborhoods as well). On Friday > night, there were many people at the corner of Negley and Stanton, yet these > men chose the one visibly gay person to attack. Additionally, they did not > take or attempt to take money or anything else from him. My friend feels > very strongly that the attack was motivated by ignorance and hate toward gay > people. > > > > I'd like to attach here Betty Hill's message in response to another recent > gay bashing. We are extremely grateful to Betty for writing this eloquent > piece. It's very relevant to Friday's incident. I'd also like to mention > that the police were called on Friday night, but were unresponsive and did > not show up until about two hours later. > > > > Ali Haimson > > > > *It’s Simple and Complicated to End Hate - A Message from Betty Hill* > > > > This week I learned of another hate crime in the neighborhood- a group of > drag performers were walking between one club and the next, and were taunted > and verbally abused and then physically hit, pushed and kicked by a group of > men coming out of another club. This is the second incident of physical > abuse I’ve heard about in Bloomfield in the past six months. I wonder if > there are more. At Persad, we hear from our consumers from all over Western > Pennsylvania on a regular basis that they have been the victims of > discrimination, intimidation and violence. > > > > Interestingly, there were only six GLBT-related hate crimes reported in > Pennsylvania last year. This lack of reporting makes it look like we don’t > have a hate crime or discrimination problems in our state, but those of us > that know the community know that isn’t true. > > > > So, why do these incidents go unnoticed and unreported? > > > > 1. *We blame the victim*. This dynamic is common to all victim related > crimes. We are so afraid of the vulnerability of random acts of violence > and they make us feel so unsafe that we believe the incident could have > controlled or prevented. “Maybe if the drag performers were not out late > on the street? Did they have to be so obvious with their costumes and cross > dressing – weren’t they asking for it? Were they drinking?” We have to > stop this! There is no reason that GLBT people shouldn’t be able to go > out at night, have fun, and walk the streets in whatever attire they choose > without getting beat up. As long as we blame the victim and fantasize > that we can control the violence that happens, we fail to put the blame > where it belongs - on the person who is violent. > > 2. *We are not safe to be “out”.* In order to report a hate crime, you > have to acknowledge that you are being targeted as a GLBT person (or > perceived to be)….so you have to say that you belong to the group. If > you don’t feel safe to be out and you don’t want others to know that you are > GLBT, you will want to avoid talking about the incident at all. Until we > make members of our community safe and protected to be who they are, we > can’t expect people to report who they are at the time they are feeling the > most vulnerable. > > 3. *We don’t trust the police and the justice system*. I’ve heard so > many victims say that they have had bad experiences with the police and > response systems that they don’t call them when they need them. Sometimes > because of ignorance, sometimes because of attitudes, the system blames the > victim or fails to understand the situation and further victimizes the > victim by arresting them, further abusing them, or just failing to respond. > Our community has some terrific police and some police with bad > attitudes. But we can’t ignore the system that is supposed to protect > us. We must report situations and demand response. And every time we > get an inadequate or discriminating or abusive response, we have to call the > system on it and work to change it so that it works for us! Every time! > > 4. *The police often do not ask and do not encourage hate crime reporting*. > I’m not sure what the problem is here. It does not seem to be on their radar > screen. In the social context of homophobia and transphobia, I think that > some officers don’t think about it. Some may not be trained. Some may have > bad attitudes. We need to demand that the local government response > personnel – police, fire, rescue, etc. -- have training on GLBT diversity > and are sensitive to hate crimes and prepared to protect victims. > > > > > It’s simple and complicated to change the culture and the system. Persad’s > Community Safe Zone project is working to eliminate hate crimes in our > communities. If you are a victim of a hate crime, there are resources to > help you. We want everyone to be safe to walk the streets of any > neighborhood. If you work in one of the response systems – police, rescue, > fire, justice system, etc, and your group needs training, Persad is happy to > provide it. If you want to get involved in changing your neighborhood, we > would like to hear from you. > > > > Betty Hill > > bhill(a)persadcenter.org > > 412-441-9786 x212 > > > > -- > <http://lists.highlandparkpa.com/mailman/listinfo/neighborhood> > > > > -- > dawn m. zachow, msw > write on! llc > program design/proposal development/grant writing > 412.432.9986 > 412.202.3384 (fax) > > Every 35 minutes a woman tests positive for HIV in the U.S. (CDC 2010). > > Please consider the environment before printing this email > > -- > You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups > "Queer Event Listings" group. > To post to this group, send email to queer-event-listings(a)googlegroups.com. > To unsubscribe from this group, send email to > queer-event-listings+unsubscribe(a)googlegroups.com. > For more options, visit this group at > http://groups.google.com/group/queer-event-listings?hl=en. >

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