As I got off the bus at Carnegie Mellon University campus on September 24th, I still wasn’t exactly sure what I wanted to find. Hype about the G-20 was at a fevered pitch, and there was a group of protesters coming down Forbes Ave. on their way to another staging point on the University of Pittsburgh campus.
I snapped a few pictures as they approached, and then talked for a short time with one of them. It was a colorful group, literally – Tibetan flags and gold t-shirts. Others in the group noticed my interest, and offered pamphlets and cause bracelets as they passed.
It was largely business as usual on the rest of CMU campus at that time. Security was a little more visible than usual, but not obtrusively so. The students had displays in the quad, and some were selling G-20 themed shirts. Two appeared nearby selling white shirts with just “Apathy” printed in black on them. “Wear your ‘real’ cause” was their sales slogan – it earned them at least a few laughs from passersby and steely glances from students supporting homeless rights.
As I walked down Forbes Ave. from CMU campus to the Pitt campus, I started getting the idea of what I was meant to show people about the G-20, and more importantly, Pittsburgh. It hit me as I saw the intersection for what is arguably my favorite street in the Oakland neighborhood. Craig St. is filled with small businesses, from specialty shops to independent booksellers, to ethnic restaurants. It is a “dream street” for anyone who works with community redevelopment projects, because vacancies are few and far between. Shops may change, but the atmosphere remains the same – a quiet, but busy side street. That day it was quiet, and with fewer shoppers than usual. But outsiders would never guess what was happening in the rest of the city if they looked only at Craig St.
Farther down Forbes Ave. the atmosphere was obviously different. From the covered windows and statues in front of the Carnegie Museums, to the barricaded intersection by the Cathedral of Learning across from Schenley Plaza, it was obvious that the city was preparing for the worst. Another group of protesters was gathering in the Plaza, but they did not appear as peaceful as their Tibetan counterparts. 
The local ABC affiliate had a camera crew there, and ACLU legal observers were on the outskirts of the group. “Education is a Right” was their chant, but all the students milling around didn’t receive it very well. It wasn’t a radical response, more like incredulous glances, perhaps because the university students, who worked very hard to be accepted at Pitt and were putting themselves in debt for their educations, weren’t pleased with the idea of “just anybody” getting what they had without having to do the same.
As the group began to march, a group of police officers across the street formed a line on the sidewalk to prevent the marchers from going down Forbes Ave. The leaders of the group quickly realized they were meant to go up to Fifth Ave., and switched direction with no incident. The media watching all of this quickly lost interest once they realized there wouldn’t be a confrontation between the protesters and law enforcement. If I’d seen this immediately after getting off the bus, I may very well have reacted the same way the other members of the media had – at that point, I ended up rolling my eyes at them. The news of the day for them would be the violence and vandalism that would occur in the path of the protesters that gathered in Lawrenceville later that day. Smoke bombs, broken glass, protesters with masks and bandanas over their faces, and arrests would be the majority of the coverage. Shots of protesters lying face down at the feet of police officers would be their “news.” It’s the nature of the beast, not to say that the beast is right.
“In the last more than 50 years of Chinese illegal occupation of Tibet, over 1.2 million Tibetans have been killed, thousands have gone missing and still several hundred languish in prisons…Neither has China been cooperative on resolving global economic issue in any means nor does china have any intention to sincerely contribute their thought to upgrade of global economy…The continued gross violation of human rights in Tibet, East Turkistan and mainland China proved against Hu Jintao’s previous commitments of promoting and safeguarding world peace and seeking a harmonious society. China’s leaders should stop making rhetorical statements and false commitments to the world…Regional Tibetan Youth Congress of New York and New Jersey (RTYC NY&NJ) while reiterating its stand for the complete Independence of Tibet appeal to the UN and the world leaders to raise the issue of Tibet through these G-20 Summits to the leaders of People’s Republic of China. We also appeal to the international community to not remain indifferent to the sufferings of the Tibetan people and to continue your support for the just struggle of the Tibetans.”
Excerpts from a white sheet of paper I was given by one of the “Free Tibet” protesters, the previous words were the only succinct, coherent statement I could find from any of the people taking to the streets to be heard. It is a simple request offered with legitimate, verifiable evidence supporting it. And, unfortunately, in spite of the fact that it would be relatively easy for world leaders to actually attempt to grant it, the request either didn’t reach them at all, or fell on deaf ears. The Tibetans gathered very little attention from the press, probably because they weren’t very boisterous, and didn’t break anything. It is hypocrisy, because on one hand the press claims they don’t want to see violence, but when they see peaceful protesters, they pass them over for the rabble-rousers. I have managed to tell others what the Tibetans want, but it’s a pretty fair guess to say that the media covering the violent protesters couldn’t tell anyone a single thing about why those people were in the streets in the first place – other than to raise hell.
Self-proclaimed anarchists were gathering in Lawrenceville, and their answers to why they were protesting were either ambiguous generalities about society, or were radical statements on capitalism that no realistic individual would ever believe that the leaders meeting at the G-20 Summit would even consider implementing. Some have simply stated that they are against “everything G-20.” Pittsburgh residents who are annoyed with the disruption of their lives have been pointing out the hypocrisy of these groups in places like Twitter – fancy cell phones and video cameras are fine, but materialism otherwise is bad. Add the fact that anarchists came out publicly shortly after three Pittsburgh police officers were killed stating that the shooter was “right”, and it is no wonder that these protesters are being met with resistance not only from law enforcement, but also from the citizens.
There have been several high-minded analyses about why Pittsburgh was chosen for this summit, but beyond economic and geographic factors is one that I can’t help thinking was the deciding one – the people. Pittsburgh is not a hot bed for political unrest. That is not to say that there aren’t politically active groups at all. It is to say that the “regular” citizens far outnumber the activists. Also, there will always be a general attitude that Pittsburgh is a strong city made up of smaller communities that have a definite idea of who and what they are. This strong sense of identity isn’t easy for outsiders to tear down, so while the residents aren’t impervious to whatever may happen in the streets, the bottom line is that within a week or two after the G-20 is over, all signs of it will either be gone, or well on the way to being removed. This isn’t a “be all, and end all” situation for the people – it is an annoyance, a spectacle, a diversion, an excuse to work from home, or even an excuse to party.
There’s even a decent chance that Pittsburghers may make the same observations that I am now. They may condemn the media for blowing everything out of proportion, and giving far too much attention to the people who caused harm to their city. They’ve already started talking about the militaristic presence of law enforcement in the streets, however they are largely thankful for it – several broken windows, and under 100 arrests on day one is far less than most anticipated. Beyond any of the economic issues being discussed during the summit, they are concerned about the state of their hometown businesses, particularly in the downtown district. They may poke fun at the mayor for complaining about the lack of patrons downtown, since getting there is not very easy.
The real story about the G-20 Summit in Pittsburgh is about people. It isn’t about boisterous and violent protesters, confrontations with law enforcement, or world leaders coming to the city to talk (or act like they are talking) about world economic issues. It is about people muddling through in spite of all of that, finding their own ways to stimulate their local economies, trying to voice their concerns coherently to the powers that be in the hope of promoting real change, and learning to accept what they can’t change even if it involves cleaning up after someone else. No matter what decisions are made by world leaders during the summit, the people will continue on with their lives – hopefully it won’t be in spite of their leaders.
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