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Welcome to The Pitt News G-20 site. Here you can find all the latest information related to the G-20 summit.
Citizen Review Board considers Oakland for hearing
By Liz Navratil / News Editor
-The Citizen Police Review Board plans to hold a public hearing concerning the G-20 Summit-related arrests in Oakland, but the University’s feelings about the meeting are unclear.
The review board, an independent group that investigates police behavior, tentatively scheduled a public hearing from 6 to 8 p.m. Nov. 10 to hear students’ and business owners’ complaints about police conduct during and surrounding the Summit.
Beth Pittinger, the board’s executive director, said the group initially hoped to hold the meeting on campus, “because [the demonstrations] happened there.”
CMU attends G-20 hearings, Pitt passes
By Julie Percha / Contributing Editor
-When several CMU students appeared in court last week for hearings related to the G-20 Summit, University administrators accompanied them for support.
But when about 50 arrested Pitt students came before a judge, they saw no University representation.
Pitt decided not to send an official to its students’ G-20 court hearings, saying that the University has no part in students’ defense processes.
“There was no role for the University of Pittsburgh. Thus, no Pitt official attended the hearings,” Pitt spokesman John Fedele wrote in a two-sentence e-mail.
CMU attends G-20 hearings, Pitt passes
By Julie Percha / Contributing Editor
-When several CMU students appeared in court last week for hearings related to the G-20 Summit, University administrators accompanied them for support.
But when about 50 arrested Pitt students came before a judge, they saw no University representation.
Pitt decided not to send an official to its students’ G-20 court hearings, saying that the University has no part in students’ defense processes.
“There was no role for the University of Pittsburgh. Thus, no Pitt official attended the hearings,” Pitt spokesman John Fedele wrote in a two-sentence e-mail.
Editorial: Why G-20 news still matters
By Staff Editorial
-The G-20 Summit and its protests are now more than a month removed from Pittsburgh’s streets. Many students just want to move on. Sometimes The Pitt News does, too.
Nothing quite matches that momentary hysteria though, and by comparison, any ensuing news can seem trivial at best. Newspapers that continue G-20 coverage can appear to be sadistic toward dead horses.
G-20 hearings continue: 36 of 72 arrestees opt for community service
By Liz Navratil / News Editor
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Pitt student Daniel Martin walked into the Pittsburgh Municipal Court building shortly before 8 a.m.
“Find your seat and sit there the whole time,” someone from the district attorney’s office told Martin’s group of defendants — many of whom were Pitt students.
Martin sat in the front row, where he waited for more than an hour before the judge heard his case.
Martin, 25, was charged with disorderly conduct and failure to disperse after police arrested him near Fifth Avenue Friday, Sept. 25.
Citizen Police Review Board hears G-20 arrest complaints, stories
By John Manganaro / For The Pitt News
-Pitt students and community members gathered last night in Lawrenceville to speak out against police behavior during last month’s G-20 Summit.
At the gathering, organized by the Citizen Police Review Board, residents from around the Pittsburgh area took turns sharing experiences and complaints related to G-20 police activity.
Speakers were given three minutes each to describe what they experienced in various neighborhoods during the nights of Sept. 24 and 25.
Police gassed students on second-floor patio of residence hall during G-20
By Lindsay Carroll / Assistant News Editor
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Bella Salamone watched as rioters lit a Dumpster’s trash on fire a couple of blocks away from Forbes Hall.
It was around 10:20 p.m. on Thursday, Sept. 24 — the first of two days that Pitt’s campus would see police and protesters face off during the G-20 Summit protests.
Chicago police to investigate claims of police posing Pitt student for photo
By Liz Navratil / News Editor
-Chicago police are investigating claims that several of their officers forced a Pitt student who they arrested during last month’s G-20 Summit to take a photo with them.
The investigation began after videos surfaced on YouTube depicting several officers surrounding Pitt student Kyle Kramer as he kneeled to his knees in front of them as they took a picture in the middle of Forbes Avenue, outside of the Barco Law Building.
Charges withdrawn against Pitt News photographer, others
By Liz Navratil and Lindsay Carroll / Pitt News Staff
-The city district attorney’s office withdrew the charges for three people arrested during the G-20 Summit, including one Pitt News photographer.
Mike Manko, a spokesman for District Attorney Stephen Zappala’s office, said the office withdrew the charges against Pitt News photo editor Vaughn Wallace “after consulting with the Pittsburgh police and reviewing the evidence.”
“It was determined that Wallace was working with credentialed media at the time,” Manko said.
Legal influence of Pitt police recommendations remains unclear
By Liz Navratil / News Editor
-The Pitt Police will recommend that the district attorney drop charges for all Pitt students who met with its police chief after being arrested during the G-20 Summit, but not necessarily because of students’ innocence.
Pitt police Chief Tim Delaney offered to meet with students who were arrested for failure to disperse or disorderly conduct on Thursday, Sept. 24 and Friday, Sept. 25, with the premise that some students inadvertently got caught during interactions between protesters and police on campus during those days. He met with students during the past two weeks.
City Council announces members of G-20 committee
By Lindsay Carroll / Assistant News Editor
-City Council officially formed its special committee that will review city planning and action during the G-20 Summit, which could include investigations into Summit-related arrests made at Pitt.
Councilman Patrick Dowd, who represents neighborhoods such as Lawrenceville and Bloomfield in District 7, will chair the G-20 Fact Finding Committee. Dowd proposed the resolution to create the committee.
G20: A Full Story
By Erik Hinton / Managing Editor
-The Pitt News attempts to correlate all the video, photos, and reporting about the G20 demonstrations over the past two weeks in one 12 minute piece. Some questions will be answered, more will be raised.
Pitt students seek counseling after G-20 disturbances
By Caitlyn Christensen / Staff Writer
-Some students have begun visiting the University’s Counseling Center for help coping with the aftermath of Oakland’s G-20 demonstrations.
While the center doesn’t expect “a stampede” of students, it’s possible more people will begin to seek counseling, said James Cox, director of the University Counseling Center.
Student Government Board introduces G-20-related resolution
By Estelle Tran / Assistant News Editor
-Student Government Board members Charlie Shull and Lance Bonner introduced a resolution outlining the Board’s plan to address G-20-related concerns at the meeting last night.
The motion said the Board would “work with the University administration to inform the students of the reasoning for specific police action in the Oakland community during the G-20 Summit and to dispel associated misinformation.”
Board member Nila Devanath didn’t believe the resolution had enough “teeth.”
County Executive Dan Onorato announces bid for governor in South Side
By Richard Rosengarten / Staff Writer
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Even before his first day in office, Dan Onorato wants to change history.
Gov. Ed Rendell is almost through with his two terms. He cannot run for a third, and by Pennsylvania’s trend of alternating its choice of governor’s political party every eight years, it’s may be a Republican’s turn in 2010. But Onorato hopes to overcome the state’s 60-year habit.
City Council G-20 committee to "briefly" consider Pitt arrests
By Erin Block / For The Pitt News
-A new Pittsburgh City Council committee, approved two weeks ago, will focus on analyzing the costs of the G-20 Summit. It will not necessarily discuss allegations of police brutality in detail.
A city official, who asked to remain anonymous because legislation is pending, said city council’s G-20 Committee will look at the cost — in terms of money, public safety and human rights — of hosting the G-20 and archive that information for the future.
Secret Service utilizes Port Authority to shuttle G-20 police
By Carla Trinca-Conley / For The Pitt News
-When the G-20 planners needed to move hundreds of police officers throughout the city during the G-20 Summit, they turned to the Port Authority.
The Secret Service formed and directed a collaborative group of federal, state, county and local agencies to coordinate transportation throughout the G-20, with the Port Authority serving as one of its main contributors.
The numerous police officers who rode on the Port Authority buses were from other states.
A call for an apology: Students and community members rally for G-20 arrests investigation
By Estelle Tran / Assistant News Editor
-Matthew Lynas reiterated a familiar demand to listeners at the G-20 Summit speak-out on the William Pitt Union patio last night.
“I declare this to be an unlawful assembly. You must leave,” he said.
He said that police had no more authority to disperse people than he did. But he didn’t blame the police.
“Fundamentally the blame lies with us,” he said. “At what points did governments think they could get away with what they did?”
Downtown businesses lose customers during Summit
By Tara Nair / For The Pitt News
-While some Downtown businesses closed their doors last Thursday and Friday for the G-20 Summit, others stayed open with the hope that business would still run smoothly.
Among them were Jimmy John’s Gourmet Sandwiches on Liberty Avenue and Palazzo Ristorante on Sixth Street. However, roadblocks and security checkpoints left Downtown Pittsburgh fairly desolate during the Summit.
“It was a ghost town. I felt like I was in ‘I Am Legend,’” Adam Papalski, an employee at Jimmy John’s, said.
52 Arrestees appear in court for G-20 charges
By Lindsay Carroll / Assistant News Editor
-Fifty-two people appeared in court yesterday, because they were arrested during the G-20 protests, including one Pitt student and a man accused of damaging several Craig Street businesses.
Chris Nielsen, a 28-year-old doctoral student at Pitt, said police arrested him Thursday while he was riding his bike home. His preliminary hearing was today, but Nielsen opted to do community service instead and have his charges dropped.
Pitt's ACLU student group hosts post-G-20 speak-out
By Eva Bugos / For The Pitt News
-Pitt’s American Civil Liberties Union student group will hold a rally today at 5:30 p.m. on the William Pitt Union lawn for students to share their stories about police action Thursday and Friday nights and show support for “arrested yet innocent students,” the group’s president, Genevieve Redd, said.
Pitt to work with some students to drop charges
By Liz Navratil and Estelle Tran / News Editor and Assistant News Editor
-The district attorney's office is dropping the charges against four Pitt students who were arrested during G-20 demonstrations last week, and Pitt police plan to meet with others.
Pitt police chief Tim Delaney said he will meet with students who were arrested for disorderly conduct or failure to disperse last Thursday or Friday to discuss their arrests.
Delaney said District Attorney Stephen Zappala dropped charges against four Pitt students who were arrested during the demonstrations for disorderly conduct or failure to disperse.
Police forces clash outside Towers
By Liz Navratil / News Editor
-Police scanner recordings from Friday night indicate a scene of confusion and confrontation in which Pitt police resisted other officers’ attempts to enter Towers Lobby.
“Stand back. That’s not happening ... We have jurisdiction on campus,” a Pitt police officer said over the radio.
Within two minutes, non-University officers had moved in front of Towers. Someone issued an order to “assemble attack team at the door.”
Eleven seconds later, a high-ranking Pitt police official was walking up to Towers to stop the non-University officers.
City Council provides few details about G-20 arrest investigations
By Lindsay Carroll / Assistant News Editor
-City Council thanked public officials and police officers yesterday, devoting little time to discussing the use of police force in Oakland Thursday and Friday during the G-20 Summit.
Councilman Jim Motznik thanked public safety officers for their “tremendous success.”
“Those people who don’t understand what it means when a police officer tells you to disperse — unfortunately, they learned that,” Motznik, who represents District 4 neighborhoods, including Beechview, Carrick and Overbrook, said.
District Attorney dropping 4 students' charges, will review others with Pitt police
By Liz Navratil / News Editor
-The district attorney's office is dropping the charges against four Pitt students who were arrested during G-20 demonstrations last week, and Pitt police plan to meet with others.
Pitt police Chief Tim Delaney said he'll meet with students who were arrested for failure to disperse or disorderly conduct in Oakland last Thursday or Friday night. Delaney said he doesn't have the power to dismiss students' charges, but that he can recommend District Attorney Stephen Zappala drop them; Delaney said he met with Zappala today and has "been working hard to get this resolved."
City might drop charges for students caught in G-20 protests
By Liz Navratil and Lindsay Carroll / News Editors
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The deputy city police chief said yesterday that if Pitt students prove they were “caught up” with protesters, the police will dismiss charges against them.
Following the announcement, a Pitt spokesman said the University wants to “treat people fairly” but is still try to determine how to refer students to its Judicial Board, which can suspend or expel students, marking a change from its stance yesterday.
City might drop charges for students caught in G-20 protests
By Liz Navratil and Lindsay Carroll / News Editors
-The deputy city police chief said yesterday that if Pitt students prove they were “caught up” with protesters, the police will dismiss charges against them.
Following the announcement, a Pitt spokesman said the University wants to “treat people fairly” but is still try to determine how to refer students to its Judicial Board, which can suspend or expel students, marking a change from its stance yesterday.
Remembering a protest, planning action
By Michael Macagnone / Senior Staff Writer
-Three days after police surrounded Schenley Plaza to disperse what they declared an unlawful assembly, students met there to voice their opinions about police actions in Oakland over the past weekend.
More than 30 people, mostly Pitt students, met in Schenley Plaza last night to discuss organizing a group to protest police action during the G-20 Summit.
The group lacked a formal agenda, but it agreed on several points.
City and University could drop some students' charges
By Liz Navratil and Lindsay Carroll / News Editor and Assistant News Editor
-The deputy city police chief said yesterday that if Pitt students prove they were “caught up” with protesters, the police will dismiss charges against them.
Following the announcement, a Pitt spokesman said the University wants to “treat people fairly” but is still try to determine how to refer students to its Judicial Board, which can suspend or expel students, marking a change from its stance yesterday.
Editorial: Who says you can't go home? Overzealous G-20 police
By Staff Editorial
-If you are among the 188 people arrested during G-20 Summit police actions, you might think the Summit was not worth the hassle.
Mayor Luke Ravenstahl disagrees.
Brown: G-20 police overkill
By Jacob Brown / Columnist
-I found salvation in “The O.”
After getting the University’s emergency text message alert to stay near my residence Friday night, I naturally had to check out the action. Come on, we only have so many times to witness history, and the G-20 Summit happened to be one of those moments.
After I found a way to Forbes Avenue, weaving through buildings and police lines, I thought the night might come to a standstill. I was wrong. Behind me, a group of armored police with shields came charging down from the William Pitt Union. It felt like the running of the bulls, and I was in their way.
G-20 Statistics from the Photo Desk
By Vaughn Wallace / Photo Editor
-The Pitt News was completely inundated by the events of G-20 taking place in the Oakland area and downtown this past week. The entire photo staff spent the week chasing protesters, covering the summit Downtown, and documenting the impact that the international summit brought Pittsburgh.
The photo desk received many inquiries during the week about the technical process behind our coverage of the G-20. Some asked about our equipment, while other wondered about our image selection and processing.
Editorial: A chance to come together
By Staff Editorial
-Pitt witnessed mayhem on its streets Thursday night.
Demonstrators — most of whom were from out of town — and police — most of whom were from out of town — faced off for hours, using our campus as a battleground.
In the end, more than 10 businesses and other University properties were vandalized. Forty two people were arrested.
Friday night was a different atmosphere, but no less chaotic.
Students describe riot gas experiences
By Julie Percha, Liz Navratil and Michael Macagnone / Pitt News Staff
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Pitt students protesting the G-20 Summit — and those observing the activity — encountered clouds of a riot control gas during Thursday and Friday night’s demonstrations in Oakland.
Police brandishing face shields and body armor released the gas along Forbes Avenue, in the Schenley Quadrangle and in Schenley Plaza Thursday night.
Police released gas on Towers patio, near the panther statue on the William Pitt Union lawn and on Forbes Avenue near Bellefield Avenue Friday night.
Saturday night recap: Protest of police ends peacefully
By Staff Report
-In a change of pace, about 40 people peacefully protested Saturday night.
A group of college-aged people met in Schenley Plaza around 10 p.m. to protest police behavior during demonstrations the previous two nights.
The protesters stood in the park talking or playing hackey sack until about 10:50 p.m., when they began walking down Forbes Avenue chanting, “No justice. No peace. F*ck the police.”
Police lock down Oakland after Friday night gatherings
By Staff Report
-Police officers arrested 110 people after a protest in Schenley Plaza Friday, leaving many students angry and confused.
At 10 p.m. Friday, about 50 people gathered in Schenley Plaza to protest the way police had acted the night before.
Some people in black clothes played a version of duck-duck-goose, replacing the words with “anarchist-anarchist-cop.” A man who was speaking into a megaphone advocated nonviolence and said that the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks were part of a conspiracy.
Thursday night recap: Peaceful gathering in Oakland turns to violent protest
By Staff Report
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What began as a peaceful gathering of people hoping to see President Barack Obama Thursday night became an eight-hour-long protest-turned-riot that damaged Oakland businesses and prompted police to use force.
About 50 people gathered near the bridge closest to Schenley Plaza at 4 p.m. Thursday to see Obama’s motorcade drive to the Phipps Conservatory.
Obama and his wife, Michelle, hosted a working dinner in the greenhouse for the other G-20 leaders and their spouses. It was a precursor to the G-20 Summit, which officially opened Friday morning.
Campus emergency alerts not sent during most destructive protest
By Liz Navratil and Estelle Tran / News Editor and Assistant News Editor
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Pitt Police used the Emergency Notification Service to warn students twice on Friday and once on Saturday, but did not use it Thursday — the only day that there were official G-20-related events scheduled in Oakland and the day that saw the most vandalism.
People began assembling by Schenley Plaza around 4 p.m. Thursday to see President Barack Obama’s motorcade. Around 6:30 p.m., police deployed riot-control gas for the first time that week in the plaza.
There were about 1,000 G-20 Summit demonstrators and onlookers on Thursday and between 100 and 200 in Schenley Plaza on Friday.
Businesses on Forbes Avenue discuss protest damage
By Julie Percha / Contributing Editor
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Riot-gassed students and protesters were not the only ones affected by Thursday evening’s G-20 Summit demonstrations in Oakland.
Businesses along Forbes Avenue also suffered property damage as a result of rowdy protests.
“It has affected us tremendously,” Matthew Walsh, manager of Subway on Forbes Avenue, said of the restaurant’s broken windows. “It’s put quite a damper on business.”
Ten Oakland storefronts — including McDonald’s, Rite Aid Pharmacy, Bruegger’s Bagels and American Apparel — suffered broken windows and signs.
City departments to investigate circumstances of G-20 arrests
By Lindsay Carroll / Assistant News Editor
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Several city departments will investigate the circumstances surrounding 152 arrests of people on and near Pitt’s campus during the G-20 demonstrations.
Police use declassified military weapon in G-20 protests
By Liz Navratil / News Editor
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Oakland encountered a variety of non-lethal and less than lethal weapons when hundreds of police officers tried to disperse crowds in Schenley Plaza and the surrounding areas Thursday and Friday.
Police used an LRAD, or Long Range Acoustic Device, to play pre-recorded messages warning people that their gatherings were unlawful assemblies.
When people didn’t move, the police used the LRAD to emit a piercing sound louder than several police sirens combined.
It was the first time the device had been used in the United States.
Community supports Pamela's Diner after G-20 vandalism
By Estelle Tran / Assistant News Editor
-Oakland’s Pamela’s Diner was busier than usual yesterday.
At 11:30 a.m., there was a 25-minute wait to be seated. Some patrons came partially to support the business after some protesters broke three double-pane windows on Thursday night.
“You don’t need to give me an extra reason to come out here,” Pitt freshman Casey Luongo said. “But [the vandalism] really made me mad.”
Students arrested during G-20 to be sent to Judicial Board
By Liz Navratil and Estelle Tran / News Editor and Assistant News Editor
-The University plans to send students who were arrested during G-20 demonstrations to its Judicial Board.
Robert Hill, Pitt’s vice chancellor of public affairs, said he doesn’t know how many of the 152 or more people arrested in Oakland as a result of the G-20 demonstrations were Pitt students.
Pitt police Chief Tim Delaney said that the most common charges were failure to disperse, disorderly conduct and criminal mischief.
Post G-20 Protest Against Alleged Police Brutality
By Lewis Lehe / WARNING: STRONG LANGUAGE
-WARNING: STRONG LANGUAGE. On Saturday night, one day after the g20 and the protests that left hundreds of people in handcuffs, local activists gathered at Schenley Plaza to protest alleged police brutality. They chanted and marched, but the police stayed back.
Protests in Oakland peaceful tonight
By Staff Report
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In a change of pace, about 40 people peacefully protested Saturday night.
A group of college-aged people met in Schenley Plaza around 10 p.m. to protest the way police had acted during demonstrations the two nights before.
The protesters stood in the park talking or playing hackey sack until about 10:50 p.m., when they began walking down Forbes Avenue chanting “No justice. No peace. F*ck the police.”
City officials invite G-20 reports
By Lindsay Carroll / Assistant News Editor
-A city official encouraged students and others who want to report an incident with the police to call her office.
Citizen Police Review Board executive director Elizabeth Pittinger said witnesses should call their agency or file an online complaint form on their website.
Pittinger said those who wish to report an incident should give them basic information.
“When they call, we need to know their name, how we can reach them and whatever they need to tell us about the incident,” Pittinger said. “They don’t need to be intimidated by making a phone call.”
Protesting safety tips
By Staff Report
-In light of recent protests and warnings of more to come, The Pitt News dug into its archives and compiled a list of ways to protest intelligently.
-The safest thing to do is to stay at home. University officials used their Emergency Notification System to warn students to use good judgment and be careful. "Night disturbances" might occur in Schenley Plaza today.
If you must protest, here are a few suggestions from the University police, the ACLU and the Citizens Police Review Board:
-Paint important phone numbers on your body in case you lose your phone.
The Pitt News wants to hear your G-20 story
By The Pitt News
-If you were in Oakland during any of the G-20 demonstrations and would like to share your story on the record, please e-mail news@pittnews.com with the subject line "G-20."
Please include a phone number at which a reporter can contact you with any follow-up questions.
If you have any videos or photographs you would like The Pitt News to consider for publication online or in print, you can also e-mail them to news@pittnews.com with the subject line "G-20." Please include your phone number in case we have any questions.
University warns of another Schenley Plaza disturbance tonight
By Staff Report
-The University warned students of yet another event at Schenley Plaza tonight.
The message said, "Saturday night disturbances possible at Schenley Plaza. Please use good judgment and be careful."
Police notified students through a pre-recorded voicemail message and text message.
The Pittsburgh G-20 Resistance Project, which protested several times during the G-20 Summit, plans to hold a gathering at 10 p.m. in Schenley Plaza.
Police outnumber demonstrators in G-20 protest Friday
By Staff Report
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Oakland residents sought shelter last night as hundreds of police officers tried to break up a peaceful protest that began in Schenley Plaza.
Pitt police Chief Tim Delaney estimated that at least 100 people were arrested after police officers from the University, city and other states tried to disperse a G-20 protest.
Around 10 p.m. yesterday, about 50 demonstrators stood in Schenley Plaza.
Friday night Oakland police standoff
By Danny Ghitis, Celia Tobin, Allison Joyce, Ben Filio,
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Lead Photo and photos 1-3 by Allison Joyce (http://www.allisonjoyce.com), photos 4-12 by Danny Ghitis (Pangea), photos 13-15 by Celia Tobin (Pangea), photo 16 by Ben Filio (http://www.rwnd.org)
Oakland G-20 Friday Night
By Pitt News Staff
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Lead Photo and Photos 1-4 by Erik Hinton; Photos 5-8 By Sarah Vinski, Photos 9-13 By Colleen Garvin
Police Chief: More than 100 arrested in Oakland
By Liz Navratil / News Editor
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Pitt police Chief Tim Delaney estimated that more than 100 people were arrested following a G-20-related protest in Oakland.
The most common charges, he said, were disorderly conduct, criminal mischief and failure to disperse.
Between 100 and 200 people gathered around 10 p.m. Friday to either partake in or watch what was said to be an anti-police demonstration in Schenley Plaza.
One man on a megaphone claimed that the Sept. 11, 2001 terrorist attacks were a conspiracy.
Police declared the gathering an unlawful assembly at 10:42 p.m. and told people to disperse.
Up-to-the-second demonstration coverage on twitter.com/ThePittNews
By Staff
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Visit www.twitter.com/thepittnews for the play-by-play of the demonstrations and police activity in Oakland.
OAKLAND DEMONSTRATION COVERAGE
By Staff Report / The Pitt News
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Visit twitter.com/thepittnews for full coverage
G-20: Peoples' March
By Pitt News Photographers
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Photos 1-2 By Deseree Kuzel; Lead Photo and Photos 3-14 by Sarah Vinski, Photos 15-18 by Erik Hinton,
March through Oakland peaceful, diverse
By Michael Macagnone / Staff Writer
-More than 3,000 people packed an intersection in Oakland this afternoon for a rally called The People’s March to the G-20.
The peaceful march, organized by the Thomas Merton Center, went from Oakland through Downtown and then to the North Side across the Seventh Street bridge.
A variety of groups walked in the march. They included Code Pink, a women’s group for peace, a group from the Tibetan Youth Congress and the Northeast Anarchist Network, which sported black clothing and black bandanas over their faces.
Pitt warns of more G-20 disorder
By Drew Singer / Editor in Chief
-Pitt sent out an Emergency Notification Service notice to all subscribers tonight warning of potential dangers in Oakland.
The alert said "G-20 disturbances may continue tonight. Be careful. Exercise good judgement. Safety tips at my.pitt.edu"
Fliers distributed around the city today called for a demonstration in Oakland's Schenley Plaza tonight at 10 p.m.
City to investigate police conduct
By Lindsay Carroll, Liz Navratil and Julie Percha / Pitt News editors
-Mayor Luke Ravenstahl said the city will investigate the police reaction to students and protesters gathered in Oakland last night.
He said city officials will use photos and video footage from police officers and other sources, possibly newspapers, to determine whether police acted responsibly during the nearly 8-hour long demonstration that began near Schenley Plaza and spread throughout the neighborhood.
Obama talks pancakes, protesters at G-20 press conference
By Lindsay Carroll, Liz Navratil and Julie Percha / Pitt News editors
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President Barack Obama called this week's G-20 meeting a "very tranquil . . . summit," despite protests that damaged store fronts in Oakland and surrounding areas.
"In most of these summits, there has been a much more tumultuous response," he said. "In London, you had hundreds of thousands of people in the streets," he added with a sort of a laugh.
Obama said he thought most of the protesters were "directed generically at capitalism" and not necessarily opposed to the Group of 20 itself.
Japan's first lady Hatoyama visits nationality room
By Keith Gillogly / Contributing Editor
-Japanese first lady Miyuki Hatoyama stopped by earlier this afternoon at the Cathedral of Learning to visit the Japanese nationality room during her stay in Pittsburgh for the G-20 Summit.
Members of the Japanese nationality room committee and several students greeted her in the room.
Fliers call for evening demonstration in Oakland
By Staff Report
-Flyers were distributed throughout The Peoples' March from Oakland through Downtown today advertising a demonstration to be held in Schenley Plaza at 10 p.m. An estimated 8,000 people were at today's march.
Armored police are already stationed on the streets throughout Oakland.
Obama speaks at G-20 press conference
By Staff Report
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Follow Pittnews.com for complete coverage of President Barack Obama's G-20 press conference.
Video depicts police trapping, gassing students in last night's Oakland riot
By YouTube user "TheWanderingScribe" / YouTube Video
-Editor's note: This video was uploaded onto YouTube by TheWanderingScribe and was not produced or edited by The Pitt News.
Mass-meditation in Schenley Park
By Lindsay Carroll / Assistant News Editor
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About 75 people gathered this morning to meditate for world peace and global change at Flagstaff Hill in Schenley Park.
The attendees meditated to the chanting song of two Mayan elders. Later, 15 Burmese monks walked around the people meditating, encircling them and saying prayers.
Sarah Bauer, a therapist from the Pittsburgh Center for Complementary Health and Healing, organized the event with the aid of others associated with the Thomas Merton Center, which helps coordinate the efforts of various activists in Pittsburgh.
Police arrest 66 people during yesterday's demonstrations
By Estelle Tran / Assistant News Editor
-Pittsburgh police arrested 42 people at the demonstration-turned-riot in and near Schenley Plaza last night.
Police said in a news release that officers also arrested 24 people at various locations before 6 p.m., mostly in the Lawrenceville and Bloomfield areas. The most common charges were for aggravated assault, disorderly conduct, obstructing and failure to disperse and resisting arrest. Police charged four people for inciting a riot.
U.S., allies accuse Iran of building secret nuclear site
By By Jonathan S. Landay and Margret Talev / McClatchy Newspapers
-PITTSBURGH - President Barack Obama and the leaders of France and Britain accused Iran on Friday of building a secret uranium-enrichment facility that could have military uses. They threatened tougher U.N. sanctions unless Iran suspends its nuclear program by December.
"The size and configuration of this facility is inconsistent with a peaceful program," Obama said in a televised appearance with French President Nicolas Sarkozy and British Prime Minister Gordon Brown in Pittsburgh, where they're attending the G-20 summit.
G-20 Summit officially begins
By Liz Navratil / News Editor
-President Barack Obama opened the G-20 Summit at 8:30 this morning, one hour ahead of the original schedule.
The G-20 leaders, who represent 19 countries and the European Union, began a plenary, or working session, shortly after. They are expected to discuss financial reform and trade regulations.
At 12:30 p.m., the leaders will break for a group photo and then return to work.
The Summit will end after Obama holds a press conference, at around 4:40 p.m.
Pitt students reflect on breathing riot gas
By Julie Percha / Contributing Editor
-Pitt students protesting the G-20 Summit — and those observing the demonstrations — encountered clouds of a riot control gas during Thursday night’s G-20 protests in Oakland.
Troops sporting face shields and body armor released the gas along Forbes Avenue, in the Schenley Quadrangle and in the Schenley Plaza, causing students to disperse from the areas.
Freshman Elias Tabet was exposed to the riot gas when he was gathered along Forbes Avenue.
He said that while he was standing in grass near the William Pitt Union, a can of just-detonated riot gas rolled to a stop at his feet.
Protesters Come to Oakland
By Pitt News Staff Photographers
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Photos 1-2 By Deseree Kuzel; Photos 3-5 By Lillawalla Acosta; Lead Photo and Photo 7 By Diana Connor; Photos 8-9 By Angela Anderson; 10-12 By Sarah Vinski; 14-20 By Vaughn Wallace, Photos 21-33 By Chris Neverman