Twin Cities Indymedia

Even after being subjected to the chemical weapons, arrested, and having my camera destroyed and footage stolen at the conclusion of September's G20 Summit in Pittsburgh, I still had two charges that I needed to fight. I was charged with failure to disperse and disorderly conduct, both misdemeanors. So I journeyed back to Pittsburgh in hopes of getting the charges completely dismissed.

Upon arrival, I noticed the city was much more peaceful and “normal” without the barricades, military-style check-points, and the ever constant presence of the police photographers snapping pictures of everyone. At about the same time as I had arrived, my attorney was presenting evidence of my Twin Cities Indymedia press passes that I was wearing during my arrest. However, the district attorney chose to take a hard-line position and refused to outright dismiss my charges unless I was “credentialed” by the Secret Service. This was not a qualification that all media personnel could make though four journalists were able to get their charges dismissed this way, one from the Post-Gazette, a local mainstream paper and two from the University of Pittsburgh’s publication, the Pitt News.

Related: TCIMC G20 Coverage Archive | TCIMC Journalist, Other Mediamakers Arrested as Pittsburgh Says No to G20 (with video) | Pittsburgh IMC | G20Media.org

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

Reports from TCIMC volunteers in Pittsburgh:

9/26: G20 Resistance Dispatch #4:  While World Leaders Fly Away, Riot Cops Blast Away at UPitt

9/25: Friday Photos from permitted "People's March" before attacks on anti-police brutality protesters and bystanders result in ~100 arrests, including a Twin Cities media activist (she has been released).
9/24: G20 Resistance Dispatch #3: "The People's Anger and the Property Destruction Debate Both Rage On"
9/24: Thursday Photos from "People's Uprising" unpermitted actions and police violence
9/22:  G20 Resistance Dispatch #2:  "The AIDS march, the picnic and the police"
9/22: Tuesday Photos from ACT UP march re G20/Obama's failure to fund AIDS prevention
9/21: G20 Resistance Dispatch #1: "Nobody Wants It Here"
Nigel Parry: From St. Paul to Pittsburgh: Citizen Media is Not a Crime

Twin Cities Indymedia volunteers (<--- that could be you!) are travelling to the upcoming G20 summit and resistance in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.  Just before the summit in which leaders of 20 wealthy nations will unaccountably make economic decisions affecting billions of people, Pittsburgh will also be host to a major coal industry conference.  And throughout the week, climate and economic justice activists from across the country, including from Minnesota, will seek to upstage the official story through marches, educational forums, tent cities, a climate camp and other tactics.

Those of us in the steel city will be regularly sending back photos, video and written reports about the real story--the one outside the David Lawrence Convention Center.  Check back to this post September 20-27 or to Pittsburgh Indymedia and G-Infinity Media at IndyPGH.org.  Stream the live G-Infinity radio broadcasts throughout the week, and follow @g20IMC or #g20IMC on twitter.

Are you going to Pittsburgh from the upper Midwest?  We want to hear your story!  Leave your contact info below or use our contact form to get in touch!

Twin Cities Indymedia has grown a lot since last year's coverage of the 2008 RNC.  After helping produce Terrorizing Dissent, we've begun to expand our editorial collective and coverage of various struggles in and around the occupied land called Minnesota.  As we move through the summer, we hope to expand our reach even further - and, since any Independent Media Center is what you make of it, need your help to do so! 

Start below by checking out a selection of featured stories from 2009 so far -- dozens stories from at least 16 authors (via the editorial collective and open publishing) on immigrant rights, the foreclosure crisis, resistance to occupation at home and abroad, and much more -- only a fraction of the content posted on TCIMC in the last 5 months.  Catch up on what you missed!

Twin Cities Indymedia: open publishing movement media for Minneapolis, Saint Paul and beyond.  Be the media - and tell a friend! TCIMC Feature Archive | All news tagged "RNC" | Indymedia.US | TCIMC Editorial Policy | About Indymedia | On twitter | Contact the Collective to Volunteer |