PITTSBURGH - Protesters are urging Pittsburgh city council to vote against legislation the city wants in the name of public safety during the Group of 20 economic summit.
One ordinance would make it illegal for anyone to wear a mask to conceal their identity with the intent of committing a crime. Otherwise, masks are allowed.
Witold Walczak, the ACLU's legal director in Pennsylvania, says the bill is a pretext to detain people and would likely lead to lawsuits. He says it's difficult or impossible for police to determine someone's intent.
Council President Doug Shields spoke against the legislation, saying if council approves it, he'll buy and distribute 5,000 lunch bags with face holes cut out.
Council will consider the legislation next week.
Maj. Terry Seilhamer told the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette troopers earmarked for the Sept. 24-25 summit were already undergoing refresher training on crowd-control tactics in the event demonstrations get out of hand.
The state contingent will also include specialists such as dog handlers, helicopter crews, bomb technicians and SWAT personnel.
The G20 Summit will include finance ministers and central bankers from 19 nations and the European Union.
The Post-Gazette said Wednesday the city has been working on myriad details ranging from food to housing to workman's compensation insurance related to the deployment of some 4,000 officers from the city, state and surrounding communities.
Emergency Management Agency officials from all over the northern panhandle and other parts of the state met at the EMA Headquarters in Wheeling today to hear how they may be used if needed in case of any emergency in the steel city.
When 7 News cameras showed up the sign clearly read Homeland Security meeting no admittance! But after hanging out for a while...one by one EMA Directors filed out of the secret meeting saying little about their involvement.
But 7 News learned the main focus of the meeting centered on the upcoming G-20 summit in Pittsburgh that will bring leaders from around the world into our region...
Lou Vargo who is with the Ohio County EMA office says anytime there's a major event whether it's a disaster or a planned event like the G-20 summit...we like to have a preliminary meeting just to coordinate of all the agencies at the federal, state, and local level.
The event is expected to draw world wide attention and concerns demonstrations could get out of hand... While security will be unprecedented in the city we've learned they're looking to areas like West Virginia for possible help...
7 News Reporter Dave Elias will be in Pittsburgh covering the G-20 Summit for us. Stick with 7 News for more on this developing story.
Information from: Pittsburgh Tribune-Review, http://pghtrib.com
The U.S. Secret Service on Tuesday announced the first phase of G-20 closings that will occur near the David L. Lawrence Convention Center in Downtown Pittsburgh.
A secure restricted zone will be set up in an area near the convention center between 8 p.m. on Sept. 23 and 8 p.m. on Sept. 25. Roads that will be affected include major thoroughfares Penn Avenue and 10th Street.
The zone includes two components: a restricted pedestrian area and a restricted vehicle area. The restricted vehicle area extends from roughly 7th to 13th streets between the Allegheny River and Liberty Ave., as well as a portion of Grant Street. The smaller restricted pedestrian area extends around the convention center and includes part of the 10th Street bypass and the area in front of the convention center up to Penn Avenue.Click here for a .pdf map of the security perimeter.
Scroll down to the bottom of the release to see the map.
Two checkpoints will be set up for people to enter the area on foot. The checkpoints will be located at 9th Street and Penn Avenue, and 10th Street and Liberty Ave.
Pedestrians will be screened using magnetometers. The following items will be prohibited within the security zone:A waterside security zone will also be set up by the U.S. Coast Guard Capital of the Port to secure the waterways around Pittsburgh. The zone restrictions will run from 6 a.m. Sept. 24 through 10 p.m. Sept. 25. The zone includes the areas between the West End Bridge on the Ohio River, the South Shore Marina on the Allegheny River, and the 10th Street Bridge on the Monongahela River.
Airspace restrictions have previously been announced. For more details, go to www.faa.gov/news/updates/?newsld=59419.
Pittsburgh’s Department of Public Safety plans to release a more comprehensive transportation plan next week for the G-20 summit. Maps and other safety information will be available then. Additional details about temporary closures near Phipps Conservatory and other event sites will also be announced in mid-September.
For more information, go to www.g20safety.org
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Secret Service releases G-20 security information
The Associated Press
PITTSBURGH - The Secret Service has released details of the security perimeters for the G-20 economic summit in Pittsburgh.
The Secret Service has created two perimeters around the David L. Lawrence Convention Center, a smaller one for pedestrians and a larger one restricting vehicles.
The convention center takes up about a block and is bordered by a road and the Allegheny River on one side. Vehicle traffic is essentially restricted about three blocks on each side of the center. Pedestrians can get much closer, but there are two checkpoints to get to businesses and residences inside the restricted area.
The checkpoints go into effect at 8 p.m. on Sept. 23 and last until 8 p.m. on Sept. 25.
On the Net: http://www.g20safety.org/
