PGHIMC - Pittsburgh Independent Media Center

Our Streets?
by Lara and Linnea Thursday, Mar. 20, 2003 at 9:21 PM
lhughes@antioch-college.edu 412-363-4603

Peaceful protest turns into display of police authority in downtown Pittsburgh

March 20, 2003

Tonight we witnessed and took part in peaceful protest against the war in Iraq that ended in police conflict. For two hours the police we tolerant and cooperative, as long as the local news cameras were rolling. We marched, a mass of people filling two city blocks, from one side of the street to the other. When dusk fell, the cameras left, and the police became more aggressive. After being warned, protesters stuck to the sidewalk, but the police were not satisfied. The separated protesters into smaller groups, where they were intimidated and harassed. The police blocked off the Smithfield Street Bridge, claiming they were going to make arrests there, but they did not. After going several blocks downtown, the police boxed in the protesters, and things started to go bad. Peaceful protesters were maced and molested, then thrown into police wagons in large numbers. ACLU observers attempted to communicate with people being arrested, and were threatened with arrest themselves, just for speaking. It was a gruesome display of authority-crazed cops and what they are capable of. The mass media is going to build this up to be a riot, or a pro-terrorist rally, or something equally untrue. The people arrested tonight did nothing worse than j-walking, and they are spending the night in jail. How does that make you feel, to know that soldiers are dying to protect freedom overseas when we are not even free here at home?

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