GN summer fall09 Digital.indd - National Lawyers Guild

Cover Storyof $10-20 million. Police estimate that approximately 3,000protesters will be present on September 24 and 25, and lawenforcement agencies are planning to deploy 4,000 officers.The Center for Domestic Preparedness, which is providingspecialized training for hundreds of officers, says that itstraining program “prepares law enforcement for crowd controland unlawful protest.”Several news articles discussing expected protests at thesummit help tojustify the policepreparation. Arecent AP articledescribing policetraining andorganization forthe summit saidthe “gathering ofleaders from theworld’s richestnations also drawsthousands ofsometimes violentdemonstrators.”Another newsitem referred tothe PittsburghG-20 ResistanceProject, noting, “It’s not clear if the group or its affiliates planviolence.” In Pittsburgh, media coverage suggesting that mostprotesters are prone to violence has only added to the tensionsurrounding the event. Referring to largely peaceful demonstrationsin this way encourages police to anticipate andprepare for hostile crowds, regardless of the actual behaviorof the protesters.At a July 27 City Council public hearing organized bythe Citizens Police Review Board, activists and representativesfrom the Guild and the ACLU shared concerns about thepossible police response. Council members said that they willmeet with groups planning to protest in the days leading up toand including the G-20 summit. City Public Safety DirectorMichael Huss, who was not at the meeting, also said that therewould be meetings with several groups before the summit.The NLG and ACLU have a long history of workingtogether in Pittsburgh on First Amendment issues and willbe training and organizing Legal Observers to ensure that therights of all demonstrators are protected.In Pittsburgh, long-time Guild members Mike Healeyand Jules Lobel have been working with local authorities,including city council members, to get them to take a firmstance on the protection of civil liberties while also hearingbasic criticisms of what the G-20 has done to workers andtheir communities.Guild member Robin Alexander has been activelyinvolved in organizing events on the ground and coordinatingwith national organizations on behalf of United ElectricalRadio and Machine Workers (UE). She encouragesGuild members to come to Pittsburgh to protest the G-20’spolicies and educate themselves. “Pittsburgh is a fantasticcity,” she said. “We have a rich labor history. We havewonderful jazz musicians. We have beautiful rivers. But wealso have seriousunemploymentand underemploymentwith20% of Pittsburghersbelowthe poverty line.Neonatal statisticsfor AfricanAmericans areamong the worstin the country.We have seriousenvironmentalproblems and fora city that pridesThe city of Pittsburgh, PA will host the G-20 Summit from September 24-25, 2009. itself on beingThousands of protestors are expected.green, it shouldbe a scandal thatwe keep cutting back bus service and raising fares. But wealso have a vision. Please join with us in helping to makeit a reality and sending a message that will be heard aroundthe world!” □▪ 5 ▪Get Trained for Pittsburgh!The NLG will be training and organizing Legal Observersto ensure that the rights of all demonstrators areprotected. Trainings will be held in Philadelphia in lateAugust and early September. For additional information,please look for email alerts on NLGannouncements orcontact:• Joseph Traub, josephtraub@gmail.com• Steve Gotzler, stevengotzler@gmail.comThe New York City chapter will be holding trainings aswell. For information on specific training dates, pleasecontact Susan Howard at (212) 679-6018.Rachel Rosnick, rachelrosnick@gmail.com, will be coordinatinglegal observer trainings at the University of Pittsburgh.For information on how you can help in Pittsburgh,contact Joseph Cohen at joseph.cohen@ranknfile-ue.org.