G-Infinity - Breaking News From The G20

The Allegheny County District Attorney dropped all charges against Elliot Madison and Michael Wallschlaeger, the famed G20 Twitterers who were arrested during the Pittsburgh Summit in late September of this year. The two activists were arrested and charged with numerous felonies for setting up a communications network that allowed people to tweet about the activities of protesters and police during the G20 Summit. Rustbelt Radio brings us this report.

Rustbelt Radio brings this report on Onorato's gubernatorial announcement.

In the wake of a brutal G20 summit in Pittsburgh, Allegheny County Executive Dan Onorato announces he is running for governor of Pennsylvania.  But his rally is marred by a diversity of protesters, including What Happened at Pitt (WHAP), a group of students and community members affected by the violence particularly in the police occupation of Oakland.  Despite the fact there is a sea of posters and banners in support of Onorato, within secondss of unfurling two banners reading "What happened at Pitt?" and "Drop the charges," security and other thugs harass the silent protesters, arresting a total of six people and disrupting the otherwise peaceful demand for accountability and first amendment rights.  October 6, 2009.  www.indypgh.org

They remained peaceful even after the previous days multiple police attacks on non-violent demonstratorsmusic by keny arkana

natalie merchant asks which side are you on?

Dam Free Radio is a super cool low-tech station out of rural Northern California. This is DJ ChiMeDong's G-20 special...enjoy. Warning: some songs contain explicit lyrics. Its about 1 hour.

Press conference regarding the violation of the rights of Journalists and activists during and before the G20 summit in Pittsburgh.

Pittsburgh resident Frank Smith was beaten and arrested by police on the night of September 24. He gives this account of the assault while standing outside the jail, holding a candle and waiting for the release of other protesters.

The song, "For Real", by Okkervil River.  This video contains footage of College students being tear gassed and arrested. -Cornelius

A university student, who now has nerve damage in her thumbs from being ziptied too tightly, describes her experience of mass arrest at Schenley Plaza on Friday night, September 25, 2009.  Interview recorded Monday, September 28.

Saturday September 26 2009: Three undercover officers attempt to infiltrate a March Against Police Brutality at the University of Pittsburgh, but fail miserably due to their horrendous disguise attempts. During the march, one of them breaks a photographer's camera. This is just one example of a larger pattern of attempts to silence the media during the G20 protests.

After two nights of police brutality on the Pitt University campus, Pitt students engage in a spontaneous protest march down Forbes Avenue. Two nights prior, swarms of riot police had shot and teargassed students who were peacefully assembled on their own campus to observe a nearby anti-G20 political demonstration. The following night, students held a rally against the brutality, but the police only increased their level of violence, attacking and arresting over a hundred people. This march, which happened on Saturday September 26th, shows the intolerance of police repression that is growing among the student population.

 Interview with Twin Cities Independent Media Center reporter, Melissa Hill. Melissa was arrested on Friday 25th September 2009 while covering police actions against students, pedestrians, and journalists in the area of the University of Pittsburgh, on Day 2 of the G-20. Interview by Twin Cities Indymedia reporter Nigel Parry on 26 September 2009.

This young man talks about the actions of the police on the night of 9/25/09 in Oakland (the University nieghborhood of Pittsburgh).

 Indypgh interviews a young man who was attacked by police and whose friend was arrested.

Indypgh spoke with 2 more students who were caught up in the clashes with police Friday night.

Indypgh Reporter speaks with three Pitt students who were on the streets during the Friday night conflict with the police.  

A reporter describes the public reaction to the police presence in the area as they try to carry out their everyday activities. He then gives an example of a young man who was pepper sprayed and then arrested without having any chance to move out of the way.

Called in live via phone to the live G-infinity radio broadcast, we get a summary of the evening's events in Oakland, following the G20 summit.

9/25/09  Recording of our live call from the streets of Oakland as police move in on protesters.

Friday Sep 25 at Fifth and South Bouquet: Police arrest a bystander and cameraman, fire chemical and "less lethal" weapons.  Prior to this the police had failed to give a warning to disperse.  In previous "crowd control" measures by police we had been informed we would be safe if we stuck to the sidewalks - not so in this case.

"OPERATION HAMMER & ANVIL"Police ironically attack students at a Rally Against Police Brutality on the campus of the University of Pittsburgh, during the G20 Summit, on September 25th, 2009. The students remained peaceful in the face of state terror.

Schenley Park G20 Friday -- The blood in the park across from Anarchist & student roundup. The riot cops advanced. Who knows what will come?

As the G20 Summit wraps up in Pittsburgh, thousands of demonstrators continue to voice their opposition to the economic policies promoted by the world’s leading countries.  From Pittsburgh, Carlin Christy reports for FSRN. http://www.fsrn.org

This being the only permitted action in dissent of the G20 Summit in Pittsburgh; it is, of course, full of great speeches and fun signs.Video by Flux Rostrum

On September 25th, Iraq Veterans Against the War (IVAW) held a press conference and feeder march to the People's Uprising March.  There goal was to connect the dots between the US-led wars in Iraq and Afghanistan and the economic policies of the G20 nations.  The group created a living memorial, made of mud and sidewalk chalk.  IVAW explains "The memorial highlighted the hundreds of thousands of veterans waiting for or denied benefits from the Veterans Administration. It also payed tribute to the untold number of civilian deaths and the millions of displaced people, overwhelmingly comprised of women and children, by war."

Iraq Veterans Against the War and Veterans for Peace speak out against corporate war profiteering in front of Soldiers and Sailors Memorial in Oakland- Rustbelt Radio

Members of Rochester Indymedia were interviewing Ethan Cohen (spelling might be off)--a student at the University of Pittsburgh--on Forbes Avenue in Pittsburgh during the G20 when police demanded that the three of us go inside and get off the streets. Mr. Cohen had earlier been shoved by police back into the foyer of his apparent building when he questioned an officer as to why he couldn't smoke a cigarette on the street in front of his residence. He was agitated by this treatment and allowed the two IMC reporters to enter the residence. At some point around midnight on September 24, Mr. Cohen shouted at police from within the front door as he finished his cigarette and ran up the stairs to his room. Shortly after Mr. Cohen made himself heard, three riot cops--two with dogs--burst into the apartment complex and chased him down. One Rochester Indymedia person who was at the door was gripped by an officer and flung out of the foyer and onto the sidewalk. The other reporter stepped back in the narrow hallway with his hands visible. The first three officers were followed by five more riot cops for backup. Mr. Cohen was caught by officers in his own home after expressing his disgust at the police brutality from earlier in the night, arrested, and marched outside of the building by police where he was frisked, put into a van, and taken to jail. The legal number was called regarding Mr. Cohen and contact information left with legal assistants.

Riot police attack and arrest dozens of people after a Queer Bash Back action in Oakland.

Police used teargas, pepper spray, and rubber bullets against University of Pittsburgh students last night. Many of the students were not part of any demonstration but bystanders; curious to find a mass of armed riot police on their campus. Others were pepper sprayed as they left college bars or as they walked down the sidewalk.

Police used teargas pepper spray and rubber bullets against University of Pittsburgh students last night. Many of the students were not part of any demonstration but bystanders, curious to find a mass of armed riot police on their campus.

A young couple is violently assaulted by riot police at Pittsburgh University on the night of Thursday September 24, 2009.

Police fire rubber bullets,  orange tear gas, windows were smashed at the Boston Market across the streetRitters Diner on Baum Blvd!

The LRAD was used for the first time in the USA during the G20 Summit in Pittsburgh

Featuring dumpsters, sound weapons, and music by aus-rotten

 Tibetans from the East Coast took the opportunity of the G20 Summit to voice their concerns regarding China's policies towards Tibet. We bring you some of the voices from the march.

live report from G-infinity radio, recorded

During my afternoon of running from ear drum piercing sonic weapons and tear gas canisters while being chased in circles by dog and baton wielding cops in working class neighborhoods miles from the convention center I had the opportunity to talk to a lot of locals. Video by Flux Rostrum

Leaders of the world’s richest countries are converging in Pittsburgh today for the G20 Summit.  While Pittsburgh’s business leaders and government officials have welcomed the G20 with open arms, thousands have gathered to challenge the economic model promoted by these world leaders.  FSRN’s Andalusia Knoll has the story. http://www.fsrn.org

This dynamic living suit can survive virtually any climate catastrophe.http://www.survivaball.com/index.php

After the Clean Jobs Now Rally in Point State Park, marchers took to the streets accompanied by a lively marching band all the way through downtown Pittsburgh. To the cops credit, they left most everybody alone.

The Peoples Caravan was a grassroots network from across the state of Pennsylvania who traveled together to the G-20 summit in Pittsburgh. Along the way they meet with local organizations and got tours of local resistance projects. This was an incredible opportunity for statewide movement building. And these are the stories collected along the way.

Many local businesses have been so scared by the police and media that they have begun boarding up windows as if preparing for a hurricane...but the only violent storm brewing in the city tonight is the police states plan to terrorize dissent.

Members of Rochester Indy Media are in Pittsburgh covering the G-20 economic summit. The G-20 consists of finance ministers and government officials from the 19 wealthiest countries and the EU. At the summit they will discuss the international economy or basically how to keep the rich, rich and to hell with the masses.Video coverage includes government's preparation for control, the AIDS/HIV march, interview with Seeds for Peace activist, footage from a gathering and dinner at Friendship Park and several interviews of people out in the streets.

Interview with Steve, a legal observer for the ACLU, outside of the G20 Resistance Project Convergence Space after more attempts of harassment and intimidation by the Pittsburgh Police.

On Wednesday night, Rustbelt Radio interviewed two homeless men on the streets of downtown Pittsburgh about the police presence in the area. Many of the area's homeless population have been displaced from the downtown area by the G-20 summit. Though authorities have set up a system to deal with possible arrests of homeless individuals who failed to vacated the security perimeter of downtown Pittsburgh, it is unclear what has happened in the last two days.

We spoke with Pittsburgh resident Albert Petrarcha at the Rally and Concert for Clean Energy Jobs hosted by the United Steel Workers at Point State Park on Sep. 23rd. He shares his thoughts on the G20 Summit.

We spoke with Tyler of The Beehive Design Collective, an all volunteer art collective located in rural Maine. Their mission is "to cross-pollinate the grassroots, by creating collaborative, anti-copyright images that can be used as educational and organizing tools. ".  You can find more information on how to bring The Beehive Collective to your community or school for workshops and presentations, check out their work, or learn more at http://www.beehivecollective.org/

Photos by Twin Cities Indymedia http://twincities.indymedia.org/