Yesterday evening two African-American women were assaulted at an Exxon gas station at the corner of Brighton Rd. and Marshall Ave. on the North side sparking outrage and protest from many throughout the Pittsburgh region.
While PIIN believes in the right of peaceful nonviolent protest in the fight for justice let us be mindful about who and what we are protesting for and against. We must be extra careful to not paint all of our immigrant sisters and brothers with a broad brush. What happened to the young ladies at the Exxon Gas Station was an act of violence and hate, the perpetrators of the violence seen in the video circulating must be held accountable and brought to justice.
In understanding what took place we must echo the words of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. who said, “Now, we got to get this thing right. What is needed is a realization that power without love is reckless and abusive, and that love without power is sentimental and anemic. Power at its best is love, implementing the demands of justice, and justice at its best is love correcting everything that stands against love. And this is what we must see as we move on… hate is too great a burden to bear.”

At PIIN, it is our firm belief that we are strongest when we are standing shoulder to shoulder, confronting the critical issues that plague our society, and working diligently for a better tomorrow. We cannot and will not stay silent when injustices occur. We stand with those who are protesting against the violent attacks that occurred yesterday at the gas station however, we also stand with our immigrant sisters and brothers and those of different faiths who believe in justice and condemn the acts of violence that occurred.