Student starts Facebook group to help with repairs

‘ ‘ ‘ Some students burned couches. Others tore down parking signs and bus shelters. ‘ ‘ ‘ ‘… ‘ ‘ ‘ Some students burned couches. Others tore down parking signs and bus shelters. ‘ ‘ ‘ ‘ ‘ ‘ And now there are those who are setting out to fix the damage. ‘ ‘ ‘ ‘ ‘ ‘ This past weekend, Pitt student Marc Schutzbank created a Facebook group called, ‘I Rioted Peacefully.’ [Editors’ note: Marc Schutzbank is a writer for The Pitt News.] The group, which has accumulated nearly 220 members in its few days of existence, encourages people to donate money to the ‘Fix Riot Damage Fund’ to show that Pitt students care about cleaning up the University. ‘ ‘ ‘ ‘ ‘ ‘ Schutzbank is still hashing out the logistics of the fund with Student Life. In the meantime, he said, students who want to contribute money can join the Facebook group and contact him for more information. ‘ ‘ ‘ ‘ ‘ ‘ Schutzbank said he has already collected $56 and hopes to raise thousands more. ‘ ‘ ‘ ‘ ‘ ‘ He said he started the group to emphasize that not all Pitt students caused destruction during the post-Super Bowl rioting. ‘ ‘ ‘ ‘ ‘ ‘ ‘I was pretty embarrassed,’ said Schutzbank of the damage. ‘I don’t think that most students are like that. This is an instance of one tiny thing that affects your reputation. Negative things speak louder than positive things.’ ‘ ‘ ‘ ‘ ‘ ‘ Maria Kane, a Pitt sophomore who joined the Facebook group, said she heard Schutzbank give a speech during their last Pathfinder meeting where he talked about showing Chancellor Mark Nordenberg, the Student Government Board and the rest of Pitt that some students are embarrassed by the damage rioters did to University property. ‘ ‘ ‘ ‘ ‘ ‘ ‘He told us that if we could get at least half of the students at Pitt to donate $1, then that’s 8,500 people saying we respect our campus and also $8,500 that can help rebuild what was destroyed,’ said Kane. ‘ ‘ ‘ ‘ ‘ ‘ Schutzbank said he was nervous to give the speech because he wasn’t sure how people would respond. ‘ ‘ ‘ ‘ ‘ ‘ ‘But, people rushed to be a part of this,’ he said, ‘because this is a way for them to say what they think.’ ‘ ‘ ‘ ‘ ‘ ‘ ‘ ‘ ‘ Rob Sutkowski, a Pitt junior, ran down Forbes Avenue toward the Cathedral of Learning chanting, ‘Here We Go, Steelers’ after the Super Bowl ended. He said he thought things went too far when people started climbing up light poles and destroying property. ‘ ‘ ‘ ‘ ‘ ‘ These images are what stands out in people’s minds when they watch the riot footage, he said. ‘ ‘ ‘ ‘ ‘ ‘ ‘Most of my friends from different colleges who had heard about it told me their reactions, and I felt that many people may have had the misconception that all the rioters were involved in the damaging acts that took place,’ he said. ‘ ‘ ‘ ‘ ‘ ‘ So he joined the Facebook group. ‘ ‘ ‘ ‘ ‘ ‘ Pitt sophomore Amanda Washington said that she joined the group because she thought that it was a step in the right direction. ‘ ‘ ‘ ‘ ‘ ‘ ‘I feel that sometimes the people of Oakland have this negative connotation of University students as being these drunken, uncontrollable, destructive people, especially after hometown wins. However, there are several [students] who just want to run down the street yelling ‘- and even those who don’t care about sports,’ she said.