The article below by Christopher Moraff, reporter of In These Times, details the recent protest of the G-20 Summit in Pittsburgh where over 1,000 demonstrators were met with hundreds of police in riot gear.
PITTSBURGH—On September 24 and 25, thousands of activists from around the world gathered in Pittsburgh, Pa., to protest the G-20 meeting bringing together leaders of the “Group of Twenty” nations, which together account for about 85 percent of the world economy.
The City of Pittsburgh had prepared for the worst. Authorities trucked in thousands of police reserves from across Pennsylvania, and members of the U.S. Coast Guard, the Border Patrol and the National Guard were all in attendance. In most parts of the city, police outnumbered protesters.
One non-sanctioned protest in the city’s Lawrenceville section on Thursday afternoon saw about 1,000 mostly black-clad protesters face off with several hundred police in riot gear. After scattering, protesters regrouped, and as the sun began to set, damage to some local businesses drew a heavy police response.
Authorities employed rubber bullets, pepper spray (OC gas) and a newly purchased Long-Range Acoustic Device (LRAD) to disperse crowds. Clashes continued intermittently throughout the night, with a total of approximately 60 people arrested Thursday, according to a statement released Saturday by the Pittsburgh G-20 Resistance Project (PGRP).
Earlier Thursday, 14 Greenpeace activists were arrested after they rappelled off the city’s West End Bridge, unfurling a large banner that warned of “climate destruction ahead” due to global warming. Elsewhere in the city, residents and journalists wandered a nearly deserted downtown that had been mostly shut down for the summit.
Read the article in its entirety here: http://www.inthesetimes.com/article/4938/protesting_the_g-20_summit