A Bit Of... (Special Braddock Edition)

(In lieu of the normal arts blogging I'm posting my photographs of yesterday's protest in Braddock, Pa. For this purpose the pictures are minimally, if at all, edited.)

This evening the 104 year-old Braddock Hospital will close. It will not close because it's unneeded but because the local healthcare near-monopoly, the "non-profit" University of Pittsburgh Medical Center, has decided that its non-profit profits can be better served by building and operating facilities in Palermo, Dublin, and of all places, a soon-to-be-built and largely-redundant facility in Monroeville, Pa. About 200 people came out on one of the coldest days of the winter.

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Acting as master of ceremonies, acclaimed filmmaker and lifelong
Braddock resident Tony Buba (IMDB) observes the crowd.



An accurate sentiment.


What's a protest without an accordion?

"Andrew Carnegie was a jagoff..."







Patriot



UPMC CEO and president Jeffrey Romoff receives a salary of $4,448,181 plus benefits,
significantly higher than the industry average. Not bad for the chief of a "non-profit".



Indeed



The imposing mayor of Braddock, John Fetterman (interview on YouTube).

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More pictures here and here.

Resources:

Save Braddock Hospital!
Facebook
Twitter

Media Coverage:

Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
Pittsburgh Tribune Review
WPXI-TV (video)
WTAE-TV
01.26.10 CNN interview with Mayor Fetterman

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