G-20 security perimeter takes shape

Secret Service unveils some travel restrictions
Wednesday, September 09, 2009
By Sadie Gurman, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

The Secret Service yesterday offered the first glimpses into its security restrictions for the G-20 summit, unrolling a perimeter plan that will severely curtail pedestrian, vehicle and river travel during the two-day gathering of world leaders.

One security perimeter will bar vehicle traffic about three blocks on each side of the David L. Lawrence Convention Center, while a second, smaller perimeter will let pedestrians travel much closer, but with serious restrictions.
PG map: Summit security

The borders will stretch from Seventh Street, up Liberty Avenue and portions of Grant Street and into parts of the Strip District, according to the plan.

Civilians will have to pass through metal detectors at two Downtown checkpoints -- at Ninth Street and Penn Avenue and 10th Street and Liberty Avenue -- to get to homes and businesses within the restricted area. Access to the area closest to the convention center, where the G-20 will meet, will require a credential and security scan.

The restrictions start at 8 p.m. Sept. 23 and will stay in place until 8 p.m. Sept. 25, after the meetings have ended. Guns, ammunition, explosives, "weapons of any kind and any other items determined to be a potential safety hazard" are banned from pedestrian areas within the perimeter, the plan states.

City officials said they will reveal transportation plans next week, and more restrictions are pending near Phipps Conservatory in Oakland and other sites where delegates and their spouses might gather.

Public Safety Director Michael Huss said he felt comfortable with the size of the perimeter and scope of the restrictions.

"It gives us the safety the Secret Service feels is necessary," he said. "It's adequate without restricting pedestrian flow Downtown."

The plans, he said, "may change, but for the most part, this is what we feel we need."

The Secret Service's plan also calls for restricted air travel in a circular area in a 12-mile radius from the Point, with pilots required to clear their routes during the summit. Lesser restrictions will be imposed on flights up to 30 miles from the Point.

River travel will be limited as well, the Secret Service said. The Coast Guard will enforce restrictions on the Ohio River from the West End Bridge to the South Shore Marina in the Strip District on the Allegheny River to the 10th Street Bridge on the Monongahela River.

The Coast Guard's "waterside security zone" will begin at 6 a.m. Sept. 24 and remain in place until 10 p.m. Sept. 25.

"Persons and vessels shall not enter into, depart from, or move within this security zone unless specifically authorized by the U.S. Coast Guard Captain of the Port of Pittsburgh or a designated representative," the Secret Service wrote in yesterday's news release.

Mr. Huss invited residents to sign up to receive up-to-the-minute text and e-mail messages about traffic restrictions and security plans on a new Web site, www.g20safety.org. Maps detailing the security zones are also available on the site.

Groups planning demonstrations during the summit had expressed concern that the Secret Service's perimeter might make it difficult or impossible to get protest permits from the city. Some feared the federal government's security plans would take precedence over city-issued permits, as the G-20 has been designated a National Special Security Event, placing the Secret Service in charge of safety preparations.

Mayor Luke Ravenstahl has already said that those seeking permits to march, protest or gather will get their wish, subject to modifications driven by the security perimeter. He said he did not believe last night's announcement of the perimeter "will really hamper our ability to grant those permits.

"I think those decisions will be upheld," Mr. Ravenstahl said. "We don't anticipate that anything that the Secret Service [said last night] will contradict or require us to change anything we've already granted, nor will it prohibit us from doing what we intend to do in the future."

State Sen. Jim Ferlo met with city officials early yesterday and said a coalition of groups will be allowed to use the portion of Point State Park between the Portal Bridge and the fountain.

He said police officials told him that they may put up tents for law enforcement along Commonwealth Place but that access to the western end of the park won't be impeded. A coalition including the United Steelworkers of America, the Alliance for Climate Protection and the Blue Green Alliance will be able to set up on Tuesday, Sept. 22, and hold their as-yet-unnamed event about environmentally friendly economics on Sept. 23 from 5:30 p.m. to 9 p.m.

"This will probably be one of the larger events and will probably attract one of the broader audiences," he said.
Staff writer Rich Lord contributed. Sadie Gurman can be reached at sgurman@post-gazette.com or 412-263-1878.
First published on September 9, 2009 at 12:00 am