Pittsburgh protests repression
By
PITTSBURGH--In the wake of the lockdown of their city for the meeting of the Group of 20 largest economies, more than 200 students, activists and others residents came together October 1 for a rally and speak-out.
The action, called "Oakland Unites for First Amendment Rights," came a week after security forces locked down portions of the Oakland neighborhood of Pittsburgh, the area housing the University of Pittsburgh, Carnegie Mellon University, many hospitals and one of the destinations of Michelle Obama during the G20 summit.
The protest was called by American Civil Liberties Union undergraduate club at Pitt, the Thomas Merton Center and many individuals who came together spontaneously to respond to police brutality, indiscriminate use of force and "less-than-lethal" weapons on bystanders, dorm residents, protesters and anyone else who happened to be caught up in the police riots during the nights of September 24 and 25.
Amateur videos show the thuggish tactics used to disperse peaceful gatherings, and the speak-out featured many people who were caught up in the abuse and arrested. A student filmmaker making a documentary about the G20 summit spoke about repression of the press--he had his camera destroyed and his tapes confiscated during his arrest. Also among those arrested was the photo editor of a university newspaper, and Sadie Gurman of the Pittsburgh Post Gazette.
In addition, an African American man from the organization One Hood spoke about the fact that such police abuse occurs in Black neighborhoods and targets poor people on a regular basis. An activist with the Students for Justice in Palestine group related the G20 crackdown to the day-to-day struggle of the people of Palestine, Iraq, Afghanistan and elsewhere.
One young man showed his scars from being shot with four rubber bullets on the back of his body, and a young woman was hit in the head by an canister of OC gas, which is similar to pepper spray.
Several of the most moving accounts came from young women who were sexually harassed by security personnel following their arrests. They recounted remarks by officers referring to "the hot ones," officers ogling them during pat-downs, and lack of privacy when using the toilet. Many women were denied use of a restroom for up to eight hours, and some were unable to take off their jewelry due to swollen fingers from zip-tie handcuffs.
The accounts did get some media attention. And activists were determined that the speak-out would be the first step in demanding accountability from the University of Pittsburgh administration. Pitt officials engaged in scaremongering before the G20, and are still threatening disciplinary actions against students who were arrested. Protesters also want to send a message to local Democratic Party officials, who used Bush administration-style heavy force and intimidation to discourage dissent.
As Justin Wasser, a student activist and organizer of the event, said, "We will come together over this disgusting show of militarized force. We will continue to fight. And we will not stand down until young people throughout the city and across the nation stand up with us to say we are people, we are citizens, we have a voice."
