Jeb Bush gets rude welcome
Police disperse angry protesters in Downtown T-station
Saturday, October 07, 2006
By Ervin Dyer, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
Florida Gov. Jeb Bush, in town for a fund-raiser for Sen. Rick
Santorum, had a close encounter with a large group of anti-Republican
protesters as he was making his way to the Duquesne Club, Downtown.
It was about 4:15 yesterday when Mr. Bush met up with the protesters
near the corner of Liberty and Sixth avenues. The protesters were
marching to join other pickets already gathered in front of the
exclusive club, a little more than a block away at 325 Sixth Ave.
Protesters said Gov. Bush blew them a kiss, acknowledging the crowd of
about 30 chanting pickets that was made up of United Steelworkers and
members of Uprise Counter Recruitment, a tour traveling through 22
cities to support anti-war efforts.
The protesters came closer.
"Jeb, go home," they shouted.
Mr. Bush, accompanied by a security guard and a female aide, made a
slow retreat toward the T-station at Wood Street.
"He was quickly getting out of the way and not wanting to engage us,"
said Jon Vandenburgh, one of the protesters, who also is a researcher
for the United Steelworkers.
Once in the subway station, Mr. Bush scurried to the escalators and
descended to the mezzanine level, Mr. Vandenburgh said.
By now, Mr. Bush was cornered. He was surrounded by signs that said
"Pittsburgh is a Santorum Free Zone," "Honk if you're sick of Rick,"
and a crowd growing increasingly louder, according to Mr. Vandenburgh.
"We don't want you here," protesters chanted.
Port Authority spokesman Bob Grove said six or seven officers
responded to the scene to control the crowds.
He said Mr. Bush had been walking in the area near the T-station and
the incident happened spontaneously when about 50 pickets "tailed him
and stayed with him and went into the Wood Street station."
About 75 protesters remained on the street, said Mr. Grove.
He said the crowd was asked repeatedly to disperse.
Mr. Grove said a Port Authority canine unit was called in to help with
crowd control. Two officers used their tasers to stun two protesters
who "were asked to leave, but did not go," Mr. Grove said.
The tasers he said were empty of the cartridges that supply a more
powerful charge.
"It was a very tense situation. They were very close to the governor
and shouting on top of him."
As a precaution, the governor was ushered into a T-station supply
closet and stayed there until the crowd left.
No arrests were made and no citations were issued, Mr. Grove said. Mr.
Bush was not injured.
The two men who were tasered were shaken and left the protest, said
David Meieran, with the Thomas Merton Center and one of the protesters
with Uprise Counter Recruitment.
Mr. Meieran said the Port Authority officers were fairly aggressive
and pushed them aside.
Pittsburgh police said they monitored the protest in front of the
Duquesne Club, which they called peaceful, but did not respond to the
incident in the T-station.
The entire incident lasted about 5 minutes. After calm was restored,
the smaller group of protesters inside the T-station made their way
back to the Duquesne Club where they staked out the front of the
building and an alley entrance.
Mr. Vandenburgh and Mr. Meieran said they later saw Mr. Bush escorted
to the Duquesne Club, which he entered through a back door at about 5
p.m.
A spokeswoman for Mr. Bush said she was unaware of the incident last
night and had no immediate comment.
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