pittsburgh

Los Angeles Indymedia hosts James and Bronwyn of KPFK's "Indymedia On Air" invited TCIMC's Nigel Parry to appear together with Jessica McPherson from Pittsburgh Indymedia and Ted Forsyth from Rochester Indymedia to talk about the G-20 in Pittsburgh. Topics covered included the increasing militarization of these kinds of events, Indymedia's reporting of the protests around the Summit, the police targeting of journalists and the LRAD.

UPDATE: Full Video from Monday Press Conference (Mobile Broadcast News) | More Info | At the conclusion of the Pittsburgh G20 summit and resistance, videos of police brutality produced by G-Infinity Media (project of Pittsburgh IMC) have received hundreds of thousands of hits.  But independent journalists behind the people's perspective coverage of the summit were targeted by authorities during the worst of the police riots Friday night at the University of Pittsburgh.

Twin Cities Independent Media Center reporter Melissa Hill was among at least six journalists arrested.  "Police pointed riot control projectile launchers at our heads," said Hill. "I repeatedly identified myself as a member of the press, and when I was released five hours later, my camera was returned to me broken, and the recordable DVD with my footage on it was stolen." (This video was made by the Twin Cities' Nigel Parry the next morning.)

Additionally, a Blaine man who came to Pittsburgh to film events for G-Infinity was arrested Friday night and is still in jail as of 8am central time Monday.  Nathan Monkelien was given five charges: two felony aggravated assaults, disorderly conduct, resisting arrest, and failure to disperse. (View his charge sheet - PDF) Below: TCIMC/Glass Bead Collective/Thomas Merton Center Press Release with More Info from Pittsburgh | View all videos from Glassbeadian channel | All TCIMC dispatches/photos

Friday's major action was a permitted "People's March" from Oakland to downtown Pittsburgh and ending with a north side rally, endorsed by dozens of national groups and attended by an estimated 8,000 people.  Despite hundreds of riot cops lining every street downtown, no major altercations occurred.  (View photos, more info.)  But if anyone thought the resistance to the unwanted summit and accompanying

Citizen media is not a crime!  But the police and military occupying Pittsburgh during the G-20 have made it out to be.

Have you had your footage, photographs, or media equipment seized or damaged by police, or were you assaulted by police while trying to film?  Or do you have footage of police assaulting media?  Call us at 917-650-2486.  By collectively going public with these abuses, we have a better chance of retrieving what is rightfully ours and preventing it from happening again.

(click photos to enlarge)

A crowd estimated at about 8,000 by g20media.org gathered at 5th and Craft in the Oakland neighborhood of Pittsburgh to take their antiwar demands and other messages to the G20 summit - or at least as close as they could get.  Seven feeder marches, from Iraq Vets Against the War, free Tibet activists, Students for Justice in Palestine, a spirituality/peace group, a climate contingent, women's coalition, and a Bailout the People march (which joined about an hour later), supplemented the turnout.

Part One by haloka

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The [People's Uprising] march has a potential for violence because it is unapproved and the organizers cannot be held responsible for the behavior of the attendees. Our Intel has identified about 400 people who will be attending and an accurate count of all others isn't feasible. Rest assured that we are well prepared to respond to this march and the possibility of any property damage in the Strip is minimal.
 

thursday sep 24--occupied pittsburgh
click to bigify
photos below by Skadi