Thursday, September 24, 2009

Unpermited Marchers Pass Through Downtown


After the Rally and concert in Point State Park about 100 protesters gathered and began an impromptu march up Fifth Ave. The group was lead by a small band and carried signs that read “Dreaming beyond the G20” “Acting beyond the G20” and “A better world beyond the G20.” The protesters left the Park and stayed mostly to the sidewalks as they traveled through downtown. They quickly drew the attention of police who followed in squad cars and vans but did not get out of them. The marchers were escorted by a civilian police volunteer who told them when it was safe to cross a street and motioned them back onto the sidewalk when they began to stray. Often the marchers struck up the chant “What does democracy look like? This is what democracy looks like.” The group walked by the new PNC building without much notice and spent a few moments in front of the Mellon center yelling, “Governments should bail out the people not the banks.” After moving through Uptown and into the Hill District the crowd dispersed without incident. More unpermitted marches are expected Thursday.

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