G-Infinity - Breaking News From The G20: Recent Episodes
Pittsburgh IMC
The Allegheny County District Attorney dropped all charges against Elliot Madison and Michael Wallschlaeger, the famed G20 Twitterers who were arrested during the Pittsburgh Summit in late September of this year. The two activists were arrested and charged with numerous felonies for setting up a communications network that allowed people to tweet about the activities of protesters and police during the G20 Summit. Rustbelt Radio brings us this report.
In the wake of a brutal G20 summit in Pittsburgh, Allegheny County Executive Dan Onorato announces he is running for governor of Pennsylvania. But his rally is marred by a diversity of protesters, including What Happened at Pitt (WHAP), a group of students and community members affected by the violence particularly in the police occupation of Oakland. Despite the fact there is a sea of posters and banners in support of Onorato, within secondss of unfurling two banners reading "What happened at Pitt?" and "Drop the charges," security and other thugs harass the silent protesters, arresting a total of six people and disrupting the otherwise peaceful demand for accountability and first amendment rights. October 6, 2009. www.indypgh.org
They remained peaceful even after the previous days multiple police attacks on non-violent demonstrators
music by keny arkana
Dam Free Radio is a super cool low-tech station out of rural Northern California. This is DJ ChiMeDong's G-20 special...enjoy. Warning: some songs contain explicit lyrics. Its about 1 hour.
Press conference regarding the violation of the rights of Journalists and activists during and before the G20 summit in Pittsburgh.
Pittsburgh resident Frank Smith was beaten and arrested by police on the night of September 24. He gives this account of the assault while standing outside the jail, holding a candle and waiting for the release of other protesters.
The song, "For Real", by Okkervil River. This video contains footage of College students being tear gassed and arrested. -Cornelius
A university student, who now has nerve damage in her thumbs from being ziptied too tightly, describes her experience of mass arrest at Schenley Plaza on Friday night, September 25, 2009. Interview recorded Monday, September 28.
Saturday September 26 2009: Three undercover officers attempt to infiltrate a March Against Police Brutality at the University of Pittsburgh, but fail miserably due to their horrendous disguise attempts. During the march, one of them breaks a photographer's camera. This is just one example of a larger pattern of attempts to silence the media during the G20 protests.
After two nights of police brutality on the Pitt University campus, Pitt students engage in a spontaneous protest march down Forbes Avenue. Two nights prior, swarms of riot police had shot and teargassed students who were peacefully assembled on their own campus to observe a nearby anti-G20 political demonstration. The following night, students held a rally against the brutality, but the police only increased their level of violence, attacking and arresting over a hundred people. This march, which happened on Saturday September 26th, shows the intolerance of police repression that is growing among the student population.
Interview with Twin Cities Independent Media Center reporter, Melissa Hill. Melissa was arrested on Friday 25th September 2009 while covering police actions against students, pedestrians, and journalists in the area of the University of Pittsburgh, on Day 2 of the G-20. Interview by Twin Cities Indymedia reporter Nigel Parry on 26 September 2009.
This young man talks about the actions of the police on the night of 9/25/09 in Oakland (the University nieghborhood of Pittsburgh).
Indypgh interviews a young man who was attacked by police and whose friend was arrested.
Indypgh spoke with 2 more students who were caught up in the clashes with police Friday night.
Indypgh Reporter speaks with three Pitt students who were on the streets during the Friday night conflict with the police.
A reporter describes the public reaction to the police presence in the area as they try to carry out their everyday activities. He then gives an example of a young man who was pepper sprayed and then arrested without having any chance to move out of the way.
Called in live via phone to the live G-infinity radio broadcast, we get a summary of the evening's events in Oakland, following the G20 summit.
9/25/09 Recording of our live call from the streets of Oakland as police move in on protesters.
Friday Sep 25 at Fifth and South Bouquet: Police arrest a bystander and cameraman, fire chemical and "less lethal" weapons. Prior to this the police had failed to give a warning to disperse. In previous "crowd control" measures by police we had been informed we would be safe if we stuck to the sidewalks - not so in this case.
"OPERATION HAMMER & ANVIL"
Police ironically attack students at a Rally Against Police Brutality on the campus of the University of Pittsburgh, during the G20 Summit, on September 25th, 2009. The students remained peaceful in the face of state terror.
Schenley Park G20 Friday -- The blood in the park across from Anarchist & student roundup. The riot cops advanced. Who knows what will come?
As the G20 Summit wraps up in Pittsburgh, thousands of demonstrators continue to voice their opposition to the economic policies promoted by the world’s leading countries. From Pittsburgh, Carlin Christy reports for FSRN. http://www.fsrn.org
This being the only permitted action in dissent of the G20 Summit
in Pittsburgh; it is, of course, full of great speeches and fun signs.
Video by Flux Rostrum
On September 25th, Iraq Veterans Against the War (IVAW) held a press conference and feeder march to the People's Uprising March. There goal was to connect the dots between the US-led wars in Iraq and Afghanistan and the economic policies of the G20 nations. The group created a living memorial, made of mud and sidewalk chalk. IVAW explains "The memorial highlighted the hundreds of thousands of veterans waiting for or denied benefits from the Veterans Administration. It also payed tribute to the untold number of civilian deaths and the millions of displaced people, overwhelmingly comprised of women and children, by war."
Iraq Veterans Against the War and Veterans for Peace speak out against corporate war profiteering in front of Soldiers and Sailors Memorial in Oakland- Rustbelt Radio
Members of Rochester Indymedia were interviewing Ethan Cohen (spelling might be off)--a student at the University of Pittsburgh--on Forbes Avenue in Pittsburgh during the G20 when police demanded that the three of us go inside and get off the streets. Mr. Cohen had earlier been shoved by police back into the foyer of his apparent building when he questioned an officer as to why he couldn't smoke a cigarette on the street in front of his residence. He was agitated by this treatment and allowed the two IMC reporters to enter the residence. At some point around midnight on September 24, Mr. Cohen shouted at police from within the front door as he finished his cigarette and ran up the stairs to his room. Shortly after Mr. Cohen made himself heard, three riot cops--two with dogs--burst into the apartment complex and chased him down. One Rochester Indymedia person who was at the door was gripped by an officer and flung out of the foyer and onto the sidewalk. The other reporter stepped back in the narrow hallway with his hands visible. The first three officers were followed by five more riot cops for backup. Mr. Cohen was caught by officers in his own home after expressing his disgust at the police brutality from earlier in the night, arrested, and marched outside of the building by police where he was frisked, put into a van, and taken to jail. The legal number was called regarding Mr. Cohen and contact information left with legal assistants.
Riot police attack and arrest dozens of people after a Queer Bash Back action in Oakland.
Police used teargas, pepper spray, and rubber bullets against University of Pittsburgh students last night. Many of the students were not part of any demonstration but bystanders; curious to find a mass of armed riot police on their campus. Others were pepper sprayed as they left college bars or as they walked down the sidewalk.
Police used teargas pepper spray and rubber bullets against University of Pittsburgh students last night. Many of the students were not part of any demonstration but bystanders, curious to find a mass of armed riot police on their campus.
A young couple is violently assaulted by riot police at Pittsburgh University on the night of Thursday September 24, 2009.
Police fire rubber bullets, orange tear gas, windows were smashed at the Boston Market across the streetRitters Diner on Baum Blvd!
Tibetans from the East Coast took the opportunity of the G20 Summit to voice their concerns regarding China's policies towards Tibet. We bring you some of the voices from the march.
During my afternoon of running from ear drum piercing sonic weapons and tear gas canisters while being chased in circles by dog and baton wielding cops in working class neighborhoods miles from the convention center I had the opportunity to talk to a lot of locals. Video by Flux Rostrum
Leaders of the world’s richest countries are converging in Pittsburgh today for the G20 Summit. While Pittsburgh’s business leaders and government officials have welcomed the G20 with open arms, thousands have gathered to challenge the economic model promoted by these world leaders. FSRN’s Andalusia Knoll has the story. http://www.fsrn.org
This dynamic living suit can survive virtually any climate catastrophe.
http://www.survivaball.com/index.php
After the Clean Jobs Now Rally in Point State Park, marchers took to the streets accompanied by a lively marching band all the way through downtown Pittsburgh. To the cops credit, they left most everybody alone.
The Peoples Caravan was a grassroots network from across the state of Pennsylvania who traveled together to the G-20 summit in Pittsburgh. Along the way they meet with local organizations and got tours of local resistance projects. This was an incredible opportunity for statewide movement building. And these are the stories collected along the way.
Many local businesses have been so scared by the police and media that they have begun boarding up windows as if preparing for a hurricane...but the only violent storm brewing in the city tonight is the police states plan to terrorize dissent.
Members of Rochester Indy Media are in Pittsburgh covering the G-20 economic summit. The G-20 consists of finance ministers and government officials from the 19 wealthiest countries and the EU. At the summit they will discuss the international economy or basically how to keep the rich, rich and to hell with the masses.Video coverage includes government's preparation for control, the AIDS/HIV march, interview with Seeds for Peace activist, footage from a gathering and dinner at Friendship Park and several interviews of people out in the streets.
Interview with Steve, a legal observer for the ACLU, outside of the G20 Resistance Project Convergence Space after more attempts of harassment and intimidation by the Pittsburgh Police.
On Wednesday night, Rustbelt Radio interviewed two homeless men on the streets of downtown Pittsburgh about the police presence in the area. Many of the area's homeless population have been displaced from the downtown area by the G-20 summit. Though authorities have set up a system to deal with possible arrests of homeless individuals who failed to vacated the security perimeter of downtown Pittsburgh, it is unclear what has happened in the last two days.
We spoke with Tyler of The Beehive Design Collective, an all volunteer art collective located in rural Maine. Their mission is "to cross-pollinate the grassroots, by creating collaborative, anti-copyright images that can be used as educational and organizing tools. ". You can find more information on how to bring The Beehive Collective to your community or school for workshops and presentations, check out their work, or learn more at http://www.beehivecollective.org/
We spoke with Pittsburgh resident Albert Petrarcha at the Rally and Concert for Clean Energy Jobs hosted by the United Steel Workers at Point State Park on Sep. 23rd. He shares his thoughts on the G20 Summit.
The People's Voices project brought a series of thought provoking speakers to the Monumental Baptist Church to discuss "How will real people be affected by the policies promoted by the G20?" This segment features Nobel Laureate Joseph Stiglitz of Columbia University.
The People's Voices project brought a series of thought provoking speakers to the Monumental Baptist Church in Pittsburgh's Hill District to discuss "How will real people be affected by the policies promoted by the G20?" This segment features Emira Woods of the Institute for Policy studies.
The People's Voices project brought a series of thought provoking speakers to the Monumental Baptist Church to discuss "How will real people be affected by the policies promoted by the G20?" This segment features Carl Redwood Jr. of the Hill District Consensus Group.
The day before the People's Uprising March, we interviewed Chief Executive of Allegheny Country Dan Onorato about the police presence and protests.
Audio clips from Joseph Stiglitz, Tammy Bang Luu, Enrique Daza, Fred Redmond and Raj Patel at the People's Voices Panel at the Monumental Baptist Church on Wylie Avenue in the Hill District- Rustbelt Radio
Students marched from Carnegie Mellon to University of Pittsburgh to demand access to education for all and for more student control of schools. Students chanted loudly down Forbes Avenue, backed by an impromptu brass band and the horns from passing cars.
International President of the United Steelworkers, Leo Gerard, speaks about green union jobs, worker solidarity in the face of high unemployment and fomenting social change at the Monumental Baptist Church in the Hill District. His speech was part of the People's Voices: Challenging the G20's Agenda of Corporate Globalization Panel on Wednesday September 23, 2009.
This morning, Wednesday, September 23, Eric Blevins of Mountain Justice gave a presentation on mountaintop removal at the Three Rivers Climate Convergence (3RCC) hosted at Carnegie Mellon University in Pittsburgh, PA. Mountain Justice is just one of many movements demanding the G20 respond to the growing global social and environmental crises.
The third day of the People's Summit entitled "Another World is Possible" featured presentations from John Tarka of the Pittsburgh Federation of Teachers, Lisa Jordan of the United Steelworkers, Jihan Gearon of the Indigenous Environmental Network, Benedicto Martinez Orozco of Frente Autentico de Trabajadores (Authentic Workers Front) with translation by Robin Alexander of the UE, and Jeremy Scahill, investigative reporter. After their presentations, the audience had a chance to ask questions and make comments. This 40 minute Q&A session features lively and thought provoking questions and responses from both audience and presenters alike.
Investigative journalist Jeremy Scahill spoke in Pittsburgh on September 22, 2009 as part of the Peoples Summit. During his talk he criticized the Obama administration for their continuation of using mercenary armies, like Blackwater, in Iraq and Afghanistan. He also touched on the current topics of healthcare, the coup in Honduras, and the corporate media.
Jihan Gearon is a Dine (Navajo) & African American organizer from the Navajo Nation. She works for the Indigenous Environmental Network and is currently traveling with the New Voices on Climate Change speaking tour. She spoke at the 3rd and final day of the Peoples Summit held on September 22nd, in Pittsburgh, Pa as part of a series of events that provided an alternative forum to the G20 Summit.
Interviews with Merton Center, Health Clinic, etc. at Friendship Park potluck Tuesday evening.
On Monday September 21st, the United Steelworkers hosted a panel discussion on solutions to climate change. Panelists included representatives from the Steelworkers, the Alliance for Climate Protection, the Blue-Green Alliance, CLEAN (a clean energy group that advocates moving beyond nuclear and coal), and a speaker from a northern Indian indigenous group. This section contains the introduction to the panel and brief intros of the panelists.
The Seeds of Peace Bus & Everybody's Kitchen have been tirelessly trying to feed the people coming to Pittsburgh to express their 1st amendment rights despite a nearly constant police presence and unwarranted harassment. Even while dealing with a constant threat of drummed up arrests and confiscated buses they were still able to feed 200 people today. Video by FluxRostrum
Maria Somma, Health Care Organizing Coordinator for the United Steelworkers, addresses the Peoples' Summit on Sept. 21, 2009 and talks about the role of the organized labor and standing united with workers globally and building coalitions with other organizations.
Molly Rush, co-founder of the Thomas Merton Center, shares her insights at the Peoples Summit on Sept. 21, 2009. She talks about her efforts with PUSH, PA United for a Single-Payer Health Care.
John Canning, member of North Side United and the North Side Leadership Council, speaks the Peoples' Summit about his work with North Side United and about a new model of development with community benefits agreements.
Carl Redwood, Jr. currently serves as convener of the Hill District Consensus Group and was Chairperson of the One Hill Community Benefits Agreement Coalition. Carl is a social worker and has participated in various community organizing efforts on the local, national and international levels. He speaks about the nature of development and how developers use government and international organizations for their own benefit. He also talks about his own experience with the Hill District and the development of the new Penguins Stadium. http://www.peoplessummit.com
On Monday September 21, local Pittsburgh community organizer Tim Stevens talked about abolishing the artificial barriers that cause division and how we have to be active in breaking these barriers and active in demanding justice from our elected officials.
Active in struggles against racism and for civil rights since the 1960s, Stevens served for a number of years as President of the Pittsburgh NAACP. He is currently the Chairman of the Black Political Empowerment Project (B-PEP).
The Peoples’ Summit, a program of informed dialogue about the economic, social and political problems facing the world, will take place from Saturday, September 19 to Tuesday, September 22, 2009 at several locations in the city of Pittsburgh. http://www.peoplessummit.com
Privilege Hanngandu delivers a speech at the Peoples' Summit on September 21, 2009 about the impact of the financial crisis and debt relief and a message to the members of the G20. Privilege Hanngandu is a Debt Program Officer at Jubilee Zambia, a part of the Jesuit Center for Theological Reflection, which aims at securing total debt cancellation and entrust in a national trade system for poverty eradication.
The Peoples’ Summit, a program of informed dialogue about the economic, social and political problems facing the world, will take place from Saturday, September 19 to Tuesday, September 22, 2009 at several locations in the city of Pittsburgh. http://www.peoplessummit.com
On Monday, September 21 local activist Mimi Yahn spoke at the Women's Tent City, explaining the effects of war on women and the need to develop alternative systems, policies and models to create gender equality. After this talk, Rustbelt Radio interviewed her on the book she is coauthoring, an alternative feminist social model, and how both relate to the policies of the G20.
A flash-mob was held in downtown Pittsburgh on Monday, September 21st to bring attention to the need for climate action.
Interviews with activists and passersby at the Code Pink and Women's International League for Peace and Freedom Tent City for Peace in Point State Park, Downtown Pittsburgh- Rustbelt Radio
Short interview with Dan Sullivan about police breaking into his house and questioning him about protesters in the area.This incident occurred Sunday Sept. 20, 2009.
Short interview with a witness of police intimidation against local residents in the hill district (09/20/09).
Clarence Thomas, the co-chair of the Million Worker March, speaks about the Bail out the People March that took place Sunday, September 20th. We spoke to him at the Hill District Tent City the following day.
The Bailout the People Movement organized a March for Jobs in Pittsburgh on Sunday September 20th, in a lead up to the G20 Summit. The march began at Monumental Baptist Church in the Hill District, one of Pittsburgh's most neglected neighborhoods, and made its way to Freedom Corner, a historic site of social justice struggles in the Hill. Demands of the group include a moratorium on layoffs, foreclosures, and evictions; no cuts in social services; and funding peoples needs not war and greed. Listen to some of the participants of the march, including longtime activist Jasiri X. (16:45 minutes)
Scilla Wahrhafitg, an organizer with the interfaith G-6 billion group, explains the interaction with police at their event on Sunday, September 20th.
The Seeds of Peace Collective arrived in Pittsburgh with a bus equipped to prepare meals for G20 demonstrators. Its bus, parked legally in Oakland, was towed this weekend and one member of the collective was arrested. After delay and a $200 payment, the bus was returned. Vincent Eirene of Blastfurnace Radio gives us this report.
Students at Carnegie Mellon Univerity have built what they like to call a "shantytown" structure for people to come and question the G20 summit. All are encouraged to participate in the dialogue, whether it be by decorating the structures or presenting workshop on an issue they feel is under represented. The space has attracted students and many out-of-towners in a collaborative effort to understand the meaning of the G20 summit.
At the Bail out the People Tent City, Rustbelt Radio spoke to Sophia Bryant from Picture the Homeless, a New York based advocacy group entirely run by homeless or formerly homeless people.
Greg Coleridge of the Economic Justice and Empowerment Program and NE Ohio American Friends Service Committee speaks at the People's Summit on Saturday, September 19th. He follows the history of corporate regulation on the local, national and international level, explaining how the goals of the G-20 are not new. Coleridge then concludes with ways to challenge the legal, political, and economic power of multi-national corporations.
Sameer Dossani, the director of Amnesty International's Demand Dignity Campaign, speaks about health care reform from a human rights standpoint. For more information visit amnestyusa.org
FSRN´s Daniel Denvir has been traveling across the most economically depressed areas in America´s Rustbelt, speaking to people who have found creative ways to face the crisis. This special series focues on the cities of Cleveland, Detroit and Youngstown.
Industrial washing machines in Cleveland. Photo by Daniel Denvir
In part one, Denvir reports from Cleveland, Ohio on the soon-to-be open Evergreen Laundry, a worker-owned enterprise that is part of a larger effort to create jobs by locally channeling spending by the city’s big institutions.
While ordinary citizens are not allowed in to hear the dialogues of the G20, Pittsburgh residents and people from across the country will have the opportunity to take part in the People's Summit, which states it is neccessary to have "An informed dialogue about the economic, social, and political problems facing the world, including the role and future of the G-20"
People's Voices, is a project organizing five educational events between Wednesday, Sept. 23 and Friday, Sept. 25. These events will discuss the effects of corporate globalization and the policies of the G20. The events include discussion circles, a people's tribunal, a panel with leaders from Latin America, and an exchange with G20 representatives from the Global South.
Rustbelt Radio spoke with Sharon Black about the Bail out the People Movement and the March for Jobs.
Code Pink, a grassroots peace and social justice organization begun by women, was started in response to the Bush administration's invasion of Iraq in 2003. Their mission is to end the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, stop new wars, and redirect resources into healthcare, education, and green jobs.
Report on the struggle for the right to express dissent with the G20. As local government officials emphasize the benefits the G20 will bring to Pittsburgh, and roll out a red-carpet welcome for their arrival, an intense battle is being waged around the right to express dissent with the policies of the G20. Many Pittsburghers do not agree with the government storyline that Pittsburgh is an example of a successful economic recovery and transition to a green economy. To learn more about Rustbelt Radio visit radio.indypgh.org
On September 12th, the United Steelworkers in Pittsburgh, Pa hosted a 1 day teach-in to educate Pittsburghers about the issues and policies surrounding the G20. In addition to providing a history of the G20 and its formation, USW Staff spoke about the current financial crisis including the decisions and policies that made the current financial collapse inevitable. Featured speakers include two USW Staff including Toby Kridler, who works in the Corporate Research/Public Policy/Pension Benefits Department and Lisa Jordan, who works in the Education & Membership Development Department.
The May 28th, 2009 announcement that Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania would be the host site for the next G20 Summit surprised many people both in the city and across the country. Local activists sprung into action to coordinate a series of events that will voice opposition to the economic policies decided by the G20.