Human Dignity

City Council Testimony, November 4, 2010

On October 29, 2010 – a date which will live in shame – the University of Pittsburgh once again launched its fireworks for its Homecoming Week at Mazeroski Field. The community of Panther Hollow took a stand against this fireworks display and we honor and respect ourselves for doing so. Metaphorically speaking, we have moved a mountain and that mountain will eventually crumble. We feel confident that we will win in our efforts to create a new consciousness in the administration of the University of Pittsburgh.

It is a pity that the University focused this year only on the legality of the fireworks display and never talked about the real issue: the morality of their decision.

The University said that their only responsibility was in making an application, and that the real responsibility rested with the good people at the city’s fire and safety departments. By claiming that the final decision was not theirs, the University has attempted to cast off blame and avoid accountability.

In the same line of thought, Pitt officials have also not taken responsibility for the ghetto-like conditions in our University/residential neighborhood, and they have passed on their shame to individuals of the City Council, of the mayor’s office and of the state legislature, all of whom are powerless to take any meaningful action to end this problem. They too are victims of this University.

Even the powerful entity of the media has accepted the shame – they are paralyzed by fear and are wary of making any in-depth and on-going investigations of this University.

But who in the University is instilling all of this fear into so many people? Is it the 4,000 faculty members? Is it the 6,000 staff members? No one from either party has come forward publicly to support our community on this issue. The same holds true for all of them. Both the faculty and staff are fearful victims of the University administration.

In my opinion, the perpetrators are only a handful of administration officials, less than the number of the City Council. They are the ones who are instilling fear and dominating so many others.

In the near future, one by one, these administrators will leave their positions. What is more important is ensuring that the many people who have been victims of this administration will change their consciousness. Otherwise, they will attract the same kind of leadership that will bring more pain and suffering to far too many people.

The community of Panther Hollow has taken a stand. We have told Pitt administrators that they cannot take away our dignity, diminish our intensity, shackle our freedom, or break our spirit. They will never silence the voice of our soul.

We hope that others will do the same

Carlino Giampolo