Pittsburgh Organizing Group protests Oakland bar’s special

Chants of “Immigrants are welcome here, we say no to racist beer,” rang outside the Garage… Chants of “Immigrants are welcome here, we say no to racist beer,” rang outside the Garage Door Saloon last night.

Fifty protesters lined up at 9 p.m. to protest the bar’s “Wetback Wednesday” special, which offers $5 Coronas from 9 p.m. to 11 p.m. and 75-cent tacos all day.

The special ran earlier in the year, but recently someone stole the sign from outside the bar’s window.

Now, the advertised Wednesday special is for tacos and Yuengling pitchers, but the Pittsburgh Organizing Group said they still had good reason to gather.

Patrick Brady, a member of the self-described anarchist organization, said the group was there to protest the bar and it’s owner. “And we’re protesting them because they’ve been running a relatively offensive racist special,” he said.

The owner was not at the bar or available for comment.

Brady also said the POG received an anonymous e-mail threatening the group’s members with violence should they show up to picket.

Brady and a police officer argued early on about where the group was allowed to assemble and how loud it could be, but slowly the protestors gathered in a clump in front of the bar.

Police said that safety was the main concern, and about six officers and a police dog stood on an opposite corner of the street.

The protesters booed people who entered the bar and cheered a group that decided not to enter, though that group was turned away because they had German passports.

Inside the bar, cheers met everyone who entered despite the harassment.

Raymond Westrick was inside watching the Penguins hockey game with his friends.

“There’s real racism out there, this is just a joke,” he said, referring to the demonstration.

His friend, Richard Plant, said they were just normal guys out for a drink.

“I’m of Italian descent,” he said. “My family came off the boat, and I don’t take offense to anything like [the bar special].

“They’re not accomplishing anything by [protesting].”