Military operation in Venezuela draws range of reactions from Pittsburgh residents
Pittsburghers are sharing a range of reactions to Saturday's strike in Venezuela.
A group of protesters against the strike gathered Saturday afternoon in East Liberty, part of a series of protests across the country.
Organizer June Wearden said the strike is the latest instance of a war, intervention, or coup the U.S. government has carried out across the globe.
"I was angry, outraged, and then determined to do something about it," Wearden said. "Our people are sick and tired."
Asked why the U.S. should not have struck the South American country, she said, "Because the United States, Donald Trump, is saying that they are going to decide the political and economic future of Venezuela from the White House, when that is really up to the Venezuelan people."
A Venezuelan who moved to Pittsburgh, who KDKA-TV spoke with on the phone—and granted anonymity to—had a different perspective.
"In a perfect world, that should be true, but we are not dealing with a perfect world, [sic] neither are we dealing with good people," she said. "For so many years, I've been talking about getting rid of the dictator."
KDKA-TV connected with her through immigration attorney Joseph Patrick Murphy, who has a few dozen Venezuelan clients who he said were largely excited to hear about the U.S. strike and Maduro's arrest.
"Almost universally, my clients believe that Maduro is not a legitimate president," Murphy said. "They believe the election was rigged."
His clients, he said, have gotten into trouble for supporting opposition candidates. It's part of why they applied for political asylum in the U.S.
"You wouldn't believe some of the stories we've heard here. Guns to their heads, people being surveilled," Murphy said.
The woman KDKA-TV spoke with said her own niece was kidnapped in 2006 by a member of the pro-government colectivos armed group. They threatened to kill her as they tried to get a ransom from the woman KDKA-TV spoke with, she said.
She went to the police.
"The police just said we are going to make some noise so they can get scared, but we cannot even open a case, because they are protected by the government," the woman said.
Maduro was arrested on charges stemming from what prosecutors say was his role in a scheme to import thousands of tons of cocaine to the U.S. The protesters KDKA-TV met didn't buy what the president said.
"He hasn't really presented any evidence at all," Wearden said.
She said they don't want a forever war.
"We're calling for continued resistance to this war, because Trump might think it's over, but it's definitely not," Wearden said.
She often criticized how oil was a motivating factor for the U.S.
The Venezuelan KDKA-TV spoke with said that she wouldn't mind her country sacrificing some oil if it meant a better future for the country.