If you haven't heard, the Group of 20 meeting is being held in Pittsburgh on Thursday and Friday. If you also haven't heard, protesters are beginning to funnel in to the city for the international summit.
Police arrested a group from Greenpeace who unfurled a banner from the West End Bridge.
Being from the Pittsburgh area, this is just about the one time I wish I was at home instead of here at Penn State. Some of my friends who attend college in the 'Burgh have the next few days of class canceled. The schools fear protesters and traffic since certain roads have been closed for the meeting. One of my friends has a Facebook status that read: "[P]ittsburgh is effin crazy right now. [T]hese protesters are insane." Another's said "[H]ow happy am I that Point Park is scared of protests!!! This break is much needed."
According to the New York Times, while Mayor Luke Ravenstahl expects over $35 million revenue from the summit, despite expecting to spend more than $19 million on security ($10 million covered by the federal government and $4 million by the state).
An Associated Press story from earlier in the week reported that some protesters were confused and thought the Strip District neighborhood in the city was a red light district because of its name. The area is in fact populated by small businesses and restaurants. Unfortunately, many of which have boarded their storefronts and closed for the G-20, as the article reports.
Another article from Time.com says even though the press corps at the White House laughed when the press secretary announced Pittsburgh as the meeting's location, the city was chosen because of it's transformation from a smoky, industrial city to America's Most Livable City (also boasting two national champion sports teams -- just had to throw that in there).
As far as news goes, never before in my lifetime has an event with such international prominence been so close to my hometown, but maybe it's for the best that I'm at Penn State so that I don't get tear gassed or pepper sprayed. Oh, wait, that happens here too.
--Stacey
