So why am I writing about Pittsburgh on July 4th? We visited there a month ago... duh. The week of Memorial Day also coincided with the Jewish holiday of Shavuot. We drove to Pittsburgh to the sabbath my rabbi who now lives out there before heading to a suburb of Cleveland for a couple of days to see wifey's brother, sister-in-law, niece, and nephew. For Shavuot we went to friends in another suburb before seeing family again and the second sabbath. The suburbs were clear of graffiti in the areas we were in and we did not spend enough time in Cleveland itself to see a lot and/or research how to clean it up.
So Pittsburgh. Well... Pittsburgh played an important role in the American Revolution... kind of. George Washington started... kind of... the French and Indian War/Seven Years War near Pittsburgh. That was the last major war before the Revolution. And the Pitts were not exactly in favor of British heavy-handeness against the colonies. Yes I am copying and pasting from Wikipedia. Yes I am giving credit to them. No this is not an academic assignment.
"Deputy governor of colonial Virginia Robert Dinwiddie was ordered by the British government to guard the British territorial claims, including theOhio River basin. In late 1753, Dinwiddie ordered Washington to deliver a letter asking the French to vacate the Ohio Valley; he was eager to prove himself as the new adjutant general of the militia, appointed by the Lieutenant Governor himself only a year before. During his trip, Washington met with Tanacharison (also called "Half-King") and other Iroquois chiefs allied with England at Logstown to secure their support in case of a military conflict with the French. He delivered the letter to local French commander Jacques Legardeur de Saint-Pierre, who politely refused to leave. Washington kept a diary during his expedition which was printed by William Hunter on Dinwiddie's order and which made Washington's name recognizable in Virginia. This increased popularity helped him to obtain a commission to raise a company of 100 men and start his military career.
Dinwiddie sent Washington back to the Ohio Country to safeguard an Ohio Company's construction of a fort at present-day Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Before he reached the area, a French force drove out colonial traders and began construction of Fort Duquesne. A small detachment of French troops led by Joseph Coulon de Jumonville was discovered by Tanacharison and a few warriors east of present-day Uniontown, Pennsylvania. On May 28, 1754, Washington and some of his militia unit, aided by their Mingo allies, ambushed the French in what has come to be called the Battle of Jumonville Glen. Exactly what happened during and after the battle is a matter of contention, but several primary accounts agree that the battle lasted about 15 minutes, that Jumonville was killed, and that most of his party were either killed or taken prisoner. It is not completely clear whether Jumonville died at the hands of Tanacharison in cold blood, or was somehow shot by an onlooker with a musket as he sat with Washington, or by another means. Following the battle, Washington was given the epithet Town Destroyer by Tanacharison.
The French responded by attacking and capturing Washington at Fort Necessity in July 1754.[36] They allowed him to return with his troops to Virginia. Historian Joseph Ellis concludes that the episode demonstrated Washington's bravery, initiative, inexperience, and impetuosity.[37] Upon his return to Virginia, Washington refused to accept a demotion to the rank of captain, and resigned his commission.[38] Washington's expedition into the Ohio Country had international consequences; the French accused Washington of assassinating Jumonville, who they claimed was on a diplomatic mission.[37] Both France and Great Britain were ready to fight for control of the region and both sent troops to North America in 1755; war was formally declared in 1756." https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/George_Washington#French_and_Indian_War
Further from Wikipedia:
"In 1749, French soldiers from Quebec launched an expedition to the forks to unite Canada with French Louisiana via the rivers.[22] During 1753–54, the British hastily built Fort Prince George before a larger French force drove them off. The French built Fort Duquesne based on LaSalle's 1669 claims. The French and Indian War, the North American front of the Seven Years' War, began with the future Pittsburgh as its center. British General Edward Braddock was dispatched with Major George Washington as his aide to take Fort Duquesne. The British and colonial force were defeated at Braddock's Field. General John Forbes finally took the forks in 1758. Forbes began construction on Fort Pitt, named after William Pitt the Elder while the settlement was named "Pittsborough"." https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pittsburgh#History
And William Pitt the Elder was apparently popular in America and his coat of arms is the basis for the coat of arms of the City of Pittsburgh.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/William_Pitt,_1st_Earl_of_Chatham#American_War_of_Independence
Wifey and I went to the Mueseum of the American Revolution yesterday, July 3. There was a display of William Pitt the Younger (Pittsburgh's namesake's son) who called for the British to end the war against the rebels.
"With the Whigs, Pitt denounced the continuation of the American War of Independence, as his father strongly had. Instead he proposed that the prime minister, Lord North, make peace with the rebellious American colonies." (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/William_Pitt_the_Younger#Early_political_career)
Anyway, here are some musings on MyBurgh - Pittsburgh 311 app and graffiti follow-up. When using the app, the address is automatically supposed to display. Unfortunately it was a little off and unlike Philly 311, you can't manually change it. I had to put notes in the requests what the better address was. The actual inputting of information is more user-friendly though; they do not ask for paint color, surface type, etc. They are a bit slower than Philly 311/CLIP in actual cleaning, but in theory they may do a little investigation. And like Philly 311, they have difficulty in cleaning US Postal Service property - see below. They have some different messages that they post on requests. See below again. The messages seem a bit more personal that Philly 311.
Given to supervisor for review and assignment.
This has been documented prior
This is has been documented in the past.
Photographed and documented
This has been previously documented. and sent on. Thank you
Completed by 3rd Division.
Given to Graffiti Foreman
These box's are moved from site to site. And the graffiti appears to be old. This has been documented, and will be dealt with (referring to a mail relay box)
This has been documented
This has been documented. Thank you.
Below are the requests for the remaining days in May as well as what I reported in my days in Squirrel Hill, Pittsburgh.
Monday May 22
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| 5th and Washington |
Tuesday May 23
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| West Philly on Walnut. Had a car service appointment in Drexel Hill and this was the best route. |
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| 16th and South |
Wednesday May 24
A nice walk down up and down 18th got some graffiti and stickers.
Thursday May 25
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| 4th and Washington |
Friday May 26
Before leaving for the week, I got one last graffiti report behind IHOP near Monster Pets.
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We came back to Pittsburgh to spend shabbas with my rabbi there. Graffiti I reported six months ago via MyBurgh on mailboxes was still there (other stuff got cleaned). It looks like they send the police to investigate graffiti and like Philly, won't clean USPS property. They do let the USPS know about it at least.
Sunday May 28 - Pittsburgh - Squirrel Hill
I reported a bunch more on the way to and from synagogue in the morning.
Sunday June 4
Driving back from Cleveland we made another stop in Pittsburgh for lunch.
