ACLU praises Pittsburgh's G20 efforts
PITTSBURGH, Sept. 7 (UPI) -- The American Civil Liberties Union says the city of Pittsburgh is doing a good job of accommodating Group of 20 summit protesters.
Witold Walczak, legal director for the American Civil Liberties Union of Pennsylvania, praised the city's administration for changing the way it views protesters' free speech rights, the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reported Monday.
"They've certainly come a long way in 10 years, and they really deserve commendation," Walczak said, adding, however, that his group has not decided against filing a lawsuit against the city for alleged civil rights violations.
The newspaper said a meeting between the ACLU and the city of Pittsburgh's legal department has been scheduled for Tuesday in a bid to iron out differences that have resulted in 15 protest permit applications being blocked.
The G20 summit will be held in the Pennsylvania city Sept. 24-25, when leaders of the world's biggest economies will gather to discuss progress made on battling the global financial crisis since the last G20 meeting held earlier this year in London.
