YinzPitt

Well, Pittsburgh has survived.  With the exception of Oakland, the G-20 Summit in Pittsburgh has been relatively calm.  However, supposedly Oakland is still a hot spot for anarchists, protesters, and unruly students unwilling to accept the lawful guidelines during this time, and this protected situation downtown.  Riot police have been dispersed  for the night again in Oakland to try and prevent or curb the potential for another night of unnecessary vandalism and petty violence.

I will say though, Oakland and the University of Pittsburgh has really let me down.  The college kids that are out and about after 10pm in the streets making chants and all that jazz, and don’t expect to be met with police force are more delusional than I thought.  Many students will say that the police harassed them, and that they were met with unexpected force and even unnecessary abuse of power.  Here’s a piece of advice, if your out at that time, with a large group, expect to be met with resistance.  If it’s not permitted, it’s an illegal gathering, and the police are there to do their jobs.  It’s more than just “a speech against the man.”  It’s turned to useless bantering between students and innocents, against a force that’s always against you.  No matter what you speak against down there, you’re not going to win.  The G-20 Summit is over and it’s time to go home.  Don’t take that advice as disrespect either however, it’s just the simple facts.  The media is done with the protests and the reasoning behind them, they are now focusing on those groups as riots and everyone arrested are criminals.

I also understand there will be harassment and police over stepping their boundaries at time.  But, if your out with the group on the streets regardless of being non-violent or not, you’re creating a scene and causing a disturbance, and the police have to do what they do to protect society.  Plain and simple.

Here are a few good quotes from the PittsburghLive.com with people that have been there and been around the situation in Oakland:

Hundreds of people gathered in Schenley Park last night, though it was unclear how many were protesters and how many were Pitt students. “This is a rally against police brutality,” said Tom Judd, 24, of Rhode Island. “The police were very aggressive here (Thursday).”

Judd, a member of the Students for a Democratic Society, said he’s been to numerous demonstrations and protests and has never seen “as heavy of a police presence as this. But the people of Pittsburgh have been really nice.”

I’m with them.  I agree and see both points of this situation.  I see that the police are needed to keep the calm, but I also believe that there have been so many more police than necessary to get the job done.  I guess it’s one side preparing for the worst and the other side judging the reasoning’s behind that.  In all reality though, what did anyone expect?  There will be police, they new this would happen, but you can’t have too many because anything and everything is bound to happen.  It’s a slippery slope when it comes to control and that leads to a path where no one is happy.

When it’s all said and done, expect more arrests in the next few days, and possible gatherings of protesters still aiming to make their mark and get the word about their cause out.  I’m all for it.  Just keep Pittsburgh safe, and under control.

Finally, out of the damage control department:

Prior to the arrests, city Public Safety Director Mike Huss said police estimated protesters had done $50,000 worth of damage.

A lot less than I think anyone expected after this G-20 Summit.  I’ll take it, hopefully everyone was able to see our city of Pittsburgh in a different view.

Oakland Riot Police