I got back from Pittsburgh, and it has sobered my ideas of American Democracy.On this permitted "PEACE MARCH" there were officers in riot gear carrying batons and tear gas lining the entire (over 5 mile) route. There were children on this march who now understand that the police are not our friends.
Officers came from as far as Alabama to take part and tried to provoke the marchers, but we would not be provoked. Even the militant anarchists agreed to behave themselves, and did.
We were there to protest the direction the participants in the G-20 summit were taking the world. Some were there to protest capitalism, others were anti-war, while others advocated for environmental sustainability, but no one was in the mood to "start something." This wasn't the time.
The police didn't like that. Under the auspices of a free concert, the police rounded up over 100 potential attendees, and arrested them, many are still unaccounted for.
I read in the local paper that authorities expected protests to be as far as Pittsburgh Airport. The airport is very far. IF they had bothered to ask the people planning the protest, they would have known no one was interested in that.
We simply want to exercise our first amendments rights and apparently the authorities don't like that.
Visit http://www.flickr.com/photos/40256030@N08/ for more photos.
2 comments:
Allie,
Thank YOU for reporting what is happening. It's like deja vu for this '60's/'70's activist.
I am so proud of you for your heart and sensibilities.
God bless you!
Peace,
Lelanda
The more I've been hearing, the worse it is getting. Apparently the police locked students out of their dormitories (not protesters) and tear gassed dorms. Officers refused to tell arrestees what the charges were and they refused to read them their rights.
Officers also used sonic weapons for the first time on American soil.
The mayor of Pittsburgh praised the police for their efforts. Thankfully, they also arrested reporters from the mainstream media (like the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette) who are pointing out how out of line the officers were.
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