Actually I didn’t vote for him. But that is beside the point. The point I HOPE to make here is that not much has CHANGED when it comes to the repression of dissent in this country since Obama came into office.
Sitting here on the hill in Schenley Park I watch no less than 4 military helicopters constantly buzz the Pittsburgh Skyline. Police vans from Philadelphia and beyond patrol the streets of downtown creating a state of fear, a state of occupation. Over 4000 police, including 2000 national guard troops, some fresh from Iraq, are on call to ensure that Obama’s G20 party goes without a hitch.
Already the police have been going out of there way to create a state of fear before the summit starts. Seeds of Peace, a group that provides free food for activists, has been repeatedly harassed, their bus impounded, and a member arrested without reason. The Landslide Community Farm has also been raided and illegally searched by over 20 cops. No warrant was provided, the only reason given is that it was a matter of “national security.” Meanwhile the police raided several activist homes overnight, drawing guns on people, and towing cars. And after being told that the 3 Rivers Climate Convergence could leave tents setup overnight, low and behold, they have all disappeared by morning.
What is important to recognize is that this is not just a rogue Pittsburgh police force. Because the G20 has been declared a “National Security Event” the Secret Service is in charge of all police operations in relation to the G20. The Secret Service are Obama’s people. They answer to him. The preemptive repression on the streets of Pittsburgh is being done on Obama’s watch. Don’t forget that.
In an interview with the Pittsburgh Post, Obama said that protests are ineffective and that globalization is inevitable. So much for all his fiery campaign rhetoric about renegotiating NAFTA and other trade deals that have screwed workers and destroyed the environment.
Try as he may to stop the thousands who will take the streets in the coming days, he’ll have a hard time. Folks in Pittsburgh and from around the country are pissed. They are pissed about Obama’s two wars, they are pissed about impending climate chaos, they are pissed at not being able to put food on the table, and they are pissed about being unable to afford a visit to the doctor. We won’t be stopped by Obama’s attempts at squashing dissent in this country.
This is not at all what the real Seeds of Peace organization is about. Seeds of Peace is a camp in Otisfield, ME that works for peace and models co-existence. You are either using the wrong name for the organization you are speaking about or this organization is infringing on a copywrited organizational name. Please check your facts. This is NOT Seeds of Peace!
Your views of the rationales of what is transpiring here in Pittsburgh are quite twisted. Living in the Strip, I (for one), am happy that there are precautions taken regarding the protesters. The messages on various anarchist sites/blogs/videos (google “anarchist” “G-20″ “Pittsburgh”) are filled with deadly promises and I wish not to get hurt just because I live here. Those messages were posted immediately after the announcement of the Summit’s destination was released. The “posse” accumulation is reactionary to that (coupled with actions that protesters have done at summits’ past). Your “police state” rant is just transference for your anger toward your impotence in world matters (if not your own personal life as well). Pinpointing the blame on one individual is a common practice for someone with little rationality – trying to ally with a bunch of nameless people, suffering from ailments that have been around for hundreds of years – is just as silly…
Right on brother! This is the real wake up call. Like Claude Rains in Casablanca, “I’m shocked shocked shocked” that CHANGE and HOPE were nothing more than campaign slogans and that Obama’s police state looks just like Clinton and Bush’s police states. Globalization is inevitable, corporate globalization is not.
What would you like to see done regarding the two wars, the climate chaos, poverty and poor health care? I’m all for your ideology, but taking the streets just because you’re ‘pissed’ doesn’t achieve anything. Go to the streets because you want to be heard, and be heard because you have something to say. Don’t let that something just be angry catch-phrases, either. Use your voice to say something that brings about the change that YOU want to see.
Hey Matt,
Appreciate the post, and agree with everything said. When I heard Obama address the UN this morning in NYC, he sounded a lot like Bush when he talked about global warming(in his later years of course, after he acknowledged its existence)-lots of rhetoric, but absolutely nothing in the way of commitments.
Best of luck in Pittsburgh, and be safe!
-Jarred
“repression of dissent in this country since Obama came into office.” Really? How many protests from the fringes have taken place with out major incidents? Has that stopped more from happening?
Never mind there is a history of stores and other property being destroyed for these summits and that is what they are responding to. Please don’t be a wacky fringe hater like the nut jobs on the right are. Teabaggers, birthers etc… Think this through…
I think most people would agree, if the police get out of hand dealing with a crowd, they should be held accountable. Some significant wins came out of lawsuits in DC dealing with this issue. Next, do not be a dumb ass and destroy things to make your point. Do it orderly, effectively and with substance. Don’t play into making it so easy to stereo-type a cause that can easily be dismissed as fringe activities. Learn to “evolve” your tactics and look for ways to connect with mainstream America. Take some notes from the real leaders in civil protest. Banging drums with half naked people does nothing to help the issues that adults will need to deal with long after the last sign is cleaned up from the streets. (sorry for the crass sweeping statements, but it’s to drive a point home)
I think everyone is getting very tired of watching CNN and seeing a bunch of fools from the far right and far far left not understanding these concepts.
And yes I have been in many protests since I was young, so I understand the importance.
Maybe try turning things on their head. Imagine what would happen if everyone showed up at the protest in suits or biz casual, marched orderly and didn’t have any signs mentioning someone is a Nazi, Hitler or some other ridicules comparison, but with signs of facts and substance. This was a suggestion by another activist friend of mine. Do these things and the “police state” will most likely not be a problem, you will get on camera, you will innovate your message to new people and yes there maybe small problems here and there. Solve them like professionals/citizens.
That would get people’s attention…as far as this silly attack on Obama…well that is what it is silly. N’uff said.
follow the police instructions. ask different police, if they give different answers or it conflicts with what was said previously, ask for clarification. have everyone’s info somewhere collected by your group’s attorney for just in case someone is arrested for any reason, it will facilitate getting everyone out.
here in dc, our security and police are pretty well trained for this stuff, but in Pennsylvania, probably not so. with poor training, they usually resort to intimidation and overreacting, and then apologize later. they really are just trying to do their job, and that even includes protecting the protestors, u just can’t tell from their actions what they mean to do.
it sounds like they are just ill-prepared or poorly trained (the police). it can’t be helped, but my advice is to figure out a way to get your message across with out freaking them out.
u never know, u may have counter-protestors or those really racist teabaggers planning something to harm the president. police may be tipped off, looking for snakes in the grass. let the police know what it is u plan to do, and ask if there’s anyway to help (apart from leaving of course).
Damn, Im from Brazil and im kind of shocked about how things are going down there. We had an idealistc view of your president, kind of the same foreigners have about our. Seeing what he is doing and saying, i have to say that i’m disappointed. Maybe he just dont have what it takes to tackle the corporate power. And that’s a shame.
kenshin– no offense but you obviously have missed the last 10 years of global justice and anti-war organizing. i’ve not been to a mass mobilization in that time where the cops didn’t act exactly like they are acting in pittsburgh.
1. demonize the activists as violent anarchist terrorists in the media beforehand and as obama put it “ineffective” (the cops act like this precisely because we are effective)
2. stage pre-emptive raids on organizers and key infrastructure (like food, comms, tech, medics) for “national security reasons”
3. deal swiftly, brutally and harshly with marches and actions using violence, non-lethal weapons and mass arrests.
4. violate activists civil liberties by holding them without charge in inhumane mass lockups for long periods of time
5. use torture and brutality inside the jail
6. deal with civil legal consequences later and make the tax-payers pay for their indiscretions.
in DC the cops are more hands off because they’ve been sued some many times for misconduct that they were breaking the city’s bank and the dc city council put them on a leash. i remember lots of times where the DC metro pd acted just like the pittburgh pd
i very much doubt that they are worried about the teabaggers.
-They say the majority of the scientists agree.
-How can that many people be wrong, so it couldn’t be a conspiracy?
-If everybody’s talking about it, there must something to it.
-Way as well, just in case.
-Like it won’t hurt the planet to help it you know.
-Why wouldn’t you want to help the planet?
-We have to leave something for our kids.
-These corporations are the real criminals in this.
-And you know who’s in bed with EXXON, the neocons.
-Lets show these evil right wingers how much suffering we can endure.
-That’l showem!
-And besides, if it aein’t true, it aughta be.
-This could be the wake up call for the world.
-This could be just the thing we need, a crisis to make the world right again.
Peace, Love.
The UN has allowed Carbon Trading to trump 3rd World Education, clean water and starvation rescue. Nice job UN.
David how does property damage at previous summits justify the police harrassing, arresting, and impounding the vehicles of activists who are just trying to provide free food and housing for people coming to town to exercise their 1st amendment rights? I am sorry that you are unable to question the questionable policies of your president. And i am sorry that you believe anything outside of the Democratic party line is “fringe”.
As for taking a lesson from civil rights, here’s a quote from a good ole abolitionist named Frederick Douglas:
“If there is no struggle there is no progress. Those who profess to favor freedom and yet depreciate agitation…want crops without plowing up the ground, they want rain without thunder and lightening. They want the ocean without the awful roar of its many waters…. Power concedes nothing without a demand. It never did and it never will.”
sorry, we aren’t going to twiddle our thumbs and hope that Obama gets a backbone one of these days. It just doesn’t seem to be happening, and we can’t afford to wait
as for the seeds of peace group, yes it is seeds of peace, there must be more than one group with the name. this is the one I am referrring to:
http://www.seeds-of-peace-collective.org/
For those of you posting on here in favor of the police stomping on first amendment rights, you can give yourselves a pat on the back for supporting the state of fear in this city that is resulting in peoples voices being silenced. Read the article below from the Pburg Post-Gazette about this peaceful student protest being essentially canceled due to the fear mongering that you support. I hope ya’ll are proud of yourselves
About 100 students were expected to gather on Grandview Ave. in Mount Washington this morning for a demonstration as part of a Youth Economic Summit sponsored by the Workforce Development Global Alliance. But after schools began to fear that a protest could turn dangerous, just four students showed up.
“Parents weren’t comfortable,” said WDGA President Niecy Dennis, who said two schools had canceled and many parents had pulled their children from the protest, worried for their safety.
Wearing red T-shirts and holding signs that read, “Remember the Youth,” brothers Malachi Cox, 14, and Kevin Cox, 16, both of East Liberty, waited for their much smaller march to begin.
“I’m here for the future,” said Malachi Cox, a student at International Baccalaureate School.
“We’re just here to promote peace,” said Kevin Cox, a student at Career Connections Charter High School. “There’s violence basically wherever you go.”
The WDGA works to foster peace and economic development, which go hand in hand, said Ms. Dennis.
The demonstration presaged the Youth Economic Summit that will be held at the LeMont Restaurant in Mount Washington tonight. About 100 college and high school students are expected to attend the event, at which they will discuss “what it means to be part of a global economy,” said Ms. Dennis, with a panel of CEO’s from companies like the Children’s Hospital, as well as professors, educators and entrepreneurs. The discussion will be broadcast on Twitter, Facebook and Youtube, she said, and the panel will answer questions posed via Twitter from students who aren’t able to attend,.
The WGDA will also hold peace vigils in Homewood and Homestead on Friday at 7:30 p.m.
Mayoral Candidate Franco Dok Harris, who will attend the Youth Economic Summit tonight, also attended the demonstration this morning.
The G-20 Summit of the world’s largest economies, he said, is “the time to have people focus on our youth and on our poor communities.”
“That’s the message we have for the G-20,” said Ms. Dennis. “Don’t forget our young people, they’re critical.”
Mr. Harris said it was important for children to understand the value of work and having goals.
“These are very precious things to instill in our youth,” he said.
Kevin Cox said that if more students were able to go to college and get jobs, there would be less violence. He said he wants to be a mechanical engineer when he grows up.
Matt, sorry my friend you have gone off the rails again. (not sure who the other Dave is that posted, but I agree with him) I’m not in favor of my First Amendment rights being squashed and I will fight for them. But I am also reasonable about how to go about that. As I said before, if the police get out of hand, they must be held accountable. Just like those within a protest who turn to violence against persons and property must be held accountable. Furthermore every time either side over reacts the public picks up on that. If the police overact the public tends to be with the protesters…assuming the protesters were not out of order, the same works in reverse.
I would also like to highlight what one poster said about, “messages on various anarchist sites” as well as the number of threats towards the president are up 400%. The goal here is to balance those things.
As Kenshin said, work with the police make plans and use your organization to have legal help ready. But act your part correctly and remove your self from the equation of groups of people just angry verses fighting for the cause. There is a difference. If you don’t see that then you cause will always suffer from being seen as fringe.
“An eye for eye only ends up making the whole world blind.” – Gandhi
“Anger is the enemy of non-violence and pride is a monster that swallows it up.” – Gandhi
Good luck!
so the question i ask you is how does everything you laid out justify the police harrassing people serving food and providing housing to out of town activists? You seem to be saying that because one group of protestors has been demonized by the media and police, and by the way not broken any laws yet, that everyone here to protest deserves to be subject to police harassment? Currently the police are out of hand, and you seem to be unwilling to support holding them accountable, as you stated above.
I will also note that several of the groups who did try to work with the police by getting permits were given the run around for weeks, thus preventing outreach for the events. Many had permits denied, and those that did get permits still continue to have roadblocks thrown at them by the police. It would be all fine and dandy to try to work with the police if they were genuinely interested in protecting first amendment rights. But it does not appear that is the case in pittsburgh
Simple answer. Call and write all the local, state and congressional members. Petition your government! Get backing from an org and sue them. Keep writing articles and get the media involved. But do not lose your self and the cause. Accentuate the cause and what you are fighting for. I’m not saying this is easy at all. I’ve spent my life fighting for some things and I have the lack of hair to prove the frustration. But when you have so much against you, you have to build alliances and bridges…even with those who are not 100% with you.
Is this about right?:
-They say that the majority of the scientists all agree that climate change is real.
That many scientists can’t all be wrong, so don’t try and tell me it’s a conspiracy.
-If everybody’s talking about it so much there must something to it.
-We may as well deal with climate change just in case because it’s better to be safe than sorry later on.
-Stopping climate change is a win win because doing so will not hurt the planet and it will curb pollution levels too.
-Why wouldn’t you want to help the planet?
-We have to leave something for our children and their children.
-We can’t let these giant oil corporations keep polluting our planet.
-And you know who’s in bed with EXXON don’t you, yes, the neocons and Bush’s republican right winger friends.
-Lets show these evil right winger Bush lovers how much suffering we the people can endure to save the planet by living with and consuming less.
-That will sure show them!
-And besides, if climate change isn’t true, it aught to be.
-It aught to be because this could be the wake up call for all of the people on our planet.
-This could be just the starting point that we need: a timely crisis that can bring the people of the planet together and make the world right again. A world of love and peace.
Matt, you’re absolutely right about Obama. I think it’s kind of hypocritical of people to condemn the Iranian government for violently repressing “unauthorized” demonstrations when such repressions occur regularly in the good ol’ USA. Hello Pittsburgh! I don’t recall the Constitution saying “the right of the people to peaceably assemble only with the approval and consent of the police.” You people who talk about “working with the police” are the ones who have gone off the rails. Just because most of the people in this country have become spineless consumptionists doesn’t mean we’ve all surrendered to the corporate police state.
Oh thank goodness its the police! There hear to protect us citizens from people sidestepping the laws of the land and the founding of our country right? And here comes the ACLU finally I guess they were too busy destroying our values with their attorneys and aiding in the tyranny in turning our country into a communist police state as you see today. People are now being arrested for speaking out against tyranny and violations of their rights being taken away. The people that abide by the constitution are being arrested for speaking out while the real crooks go unheeded in their world of the criminal element. Its official the American voter is a criminal! You must yield to the police state and you have the right to keep your mouth shut and go with it. Anyone agianst their policies and ask questions will be considered a homeland terrorist under the new department of homeland security laws and the police. I SAY AGAIN ATTENTION YOU HAVE NO RIGHTS UNDER THE PATRIOT ACT AND HOMELAND SECURITY AND IF YOU SUPPORT YOUR RIGHTS UNDER THE U.S. CONSTITUTION YOU ARE A CRIMINAL!
The only reason people post this shit is becaus he’s black. Quit being fucking racists?