Experiments with truth: 9/25/09
About 300 protesters attempted to march toward the Pittsburgh convention center where the G20 meeting was taking place yesterday afternoon, but were met with roaming squads of police officers carrying plastic shields and batons. The police fired a sound cannon that emitted shrill beeps, causing demonstrators to cover their ears and back up, then threw tear gas canisters that released clouds of white smoke and stun grenades that exploded with sharp flashes of light. It is believed this is the first time a sound canon has been used publicly. About 20 people were arrested.
- Four Greenpeace activists attached to a massive banner dangled from a Pittsburgh bridge Wednesday to protest the G20 meeting. The 80-by-30-foot sign took the style of a road sign, reading: “Danger: Climate Destruction Ahead. Reduce CO2 emissions now.”
- More than 350 transit workers took to the streets of midtown Manhattan Wednesday morning to protest the MTA’s refusal to accept a pact that would raise hourly pay rates by more than 11 percent over three years, which an arbitration panel awarded.
- Honduran police fired tear gas at a crowd of thousands on Wednesday, who were trying to reach the Brazilian embassy where ousted president Manuel Zelaya has taken refuge. Two anti-coup protesters were killed.
- More than 200 Black-owned newspapers are joining the NAACP economic boycott of South Carolina to protest the Confederate flag atop the State House and inside the House and Senate chambers.
- Dozens of people gathered in Hamburg, Germany for a flashmob protest of Chancellor Angela Merkel. They yelled an ironic “Yeahh” after every sentence she spoke. The video has become a viral sensation in Germany in the run up to Sunday’s election, with more than 280,000 views so far on YouTube.
- Members of the Westboro Baptist Church showed up in Fort Green, Brooklyn yesterday with signs that said “You’re Going to Hell,” while simultaneously dancing and shouting anti-gay slogans as they stood on the street corner. But they were quickly outnumbered by 200 students from Brooklyn Technical High School who came to counter protest their message of hate.
- About 200 union and hospitality workers in Chicago were arrested yesterday afternoon as they demonstrated their support for ongoing labor negotiations with major downtown hotels and to show solidarity with fired hotel workers in Boston.
[...] Waging Nonviolence notes: About 300 protesters attempted to march toward the Pittsburgh convention center where the G20 meeting was taking place yesterday afternoon, but were met with roaming squads of police officers carrying plastic shields and batons. The police fired a sound cannon that emitted shrill beeps, causing demonstrators to cover their ears and back up, then threw tear gas canisters that released clouds of white smoke and stun grenades that exploded with sharp flashes of light. It is believed this is the first time a sound canon has been used publicly. About 20 people were arrested. [...]