03 September, 2009

Preparing for the G-20

Pittsburgh, where I live, is the site of the next G-20 summit.  The city is gearing up: the anarchists are organizing (to the extent anarchists ever do); the police (who have a reputation for unwarranted violence) are planning crowd control.  The feds are moving in, declaring a no-fly zone over the city, and rumors are that we should expect troops in the street.

Official groups, working to get it all organized, emphasize the economic opportunities: it could be bigger than the Super Bowl, they say.  It isn't yet decided just how far the secure zone will extend, so businesses throughout downtown are also being told to plan for the equivalent of a traffic-stopping blizzard.

Susan will be manning the phones, taking reports of police brutality.  I'm to be trained as an ACLU legal observer.  The hope is that placing observers will keep everybody honest.  It's only sensible to hope for the best and plan for the worst.

Looks like this could be interesting.

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