Wednesday, September 09, 2009
By Rich Lord, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

Activists who met with city of Pittsburgh and U.S. Attorney's Office lawyers this morning said they still have no answers to two key questions as they gear up for the G-20 Summit.

First, how close can protest marches come to the David L. Lawrence Convention Center?

And second, where, and under what circumstances, can people camp out?

"Whether we're going to be able to resolve all of the issues will become clear in the next 24 hours," said Witold Walczak, legal director for the American Civil Liberties Union of Pennsylvania. He would not say whether the ACLU or other groups would sue the city if they didn't have answers by tomorrow morning.

The Thomas Merton Center wants to hold an anti-war march from Oakland to Downtown, hoping to come within "sight and sound" of the delegates, said Pete Shell, of the center's Anti-War Committee. They'd like to go to the corner of 10th Street and Liberty Avenue, but city lawyers would not guarantee that today, he said.

"They acknowledged that we do have the right to be seen and heard" by the world leaders convening at the center on Sept. 24-25, Mr. Shell said. He said the center wants to present the leaders with solutions to global problems that will stem from a People's Summit the week before the G-20 Summit.

In Washington, D.C., Mayor Luke Ravenstahl said he respects the First Amendment rights of protesters and expects to issue permits to the groups next week.

Two groups, Code Pink and Three Rivers Climate Convergence, want to use parts of Point State Park for displays and overnight camping. The city raised several issues, representatives of those groups said, ranging from the city's need to set up for The Great Race on Sept. 27, to concern that camps might become swine flu breeding grounds.

"Part of the reason we want to set up an encampment is so we can have running water, we can have bathrooms, we can have food, rather than people running all over the city," said Kim Teplitzky, of Three Rivers Climate Convergence. She said that if Point State Park isn't available, Schenley Park would be acceptable.

"We know that there are thousands of people coming into the city of Pittsburgh," she said. "And we know that they'll need a place to stay. We'd rather that they not be wandering around the streets."

The groups have the materials and the know-how to set up bring-your-own-tent camps, but need to know where to put them by tomorrow, so people coming to the city can make plans.

"If we don't start telling the people who are coming in, where to go," she said, "they're just going to hit the streets of Pittsburgh, and who knows what will happen."
Rich Lord can be reached at rlord@post-gazette.com or 412-263-1542.
First published on September 9, 2009 at 11:02 am