Citizens Meet To Pitch Ideas For G20 Summit

The third brainstorming session for the upcoming G20 Summit was held on the campus of the University of Pittsburgh tonight and hundreds of people showed up. Of the many ideas that were discussed more than a few people wanted to find ways to discourage protests but encourage discussion. Bill Bates wants to see the civic arena open for protesters to come and have a discussion with the most popular points of contention forwarded to the leaders of the G20 to address.
Other people would like to see the G20 leaders meet with Pittsburghers. Grover also wants to see local chefs cook regional dishes for the leaders of the G20. While some people wanted to meet with the G20 leaders for social purposes Adrienne McGrail wants to see the leaders meet with local environmental activists because of the importance she feels should be placed on global conservation efforts.
Angie Saylor wants to see not only the airport decorated with flags and welcome signs but the convention center as well. Saylor said local schools and community groups could work to create murals of the G20 nations and of the different communities that make up Pittsburgh.

G20 coming to Pittsburgh

The White House has announced that the Group of Twenty Finance Ministers and Central Bank Governors (G20) will meet in Pittsburgh September 24 and 25. The meeting is planned as a meeting of “deputies” according to the G20 website. The full session meets once a year with several smaller meetings held throughout the year. The group is made up of leaders from the world’s 19 largest economies and the European Union. The G20 was formed “as a response both to the financial crises of the late 1990s and to a growing recognition that key emerging-market countries were not adequately included in the core of global economic discussion and governance.” The website lists a mandate for the group of, “The G20 is an informal forum that promotes open and constructive discussion between industrial and emerging-market countries on key issues related to global economic stability. By contributing to the strengthening of the international financial architecture and providing opportunities for dialogue on national policies, international co-operation, and international financial institutions, the G20 helps to support growth and development across the globe.” In the past, thousands of protesters from around the world have gathered in the cities hosting the meetings. In April, London hosted the annual meeting where mostly peaceful protests turned violent when a group began smashing windows and looting a Royal Bank of Scotland office.

G20 Already Paying Dividend

Regional economic development officials say the G20 is already paying off for the city. Visit Pittsburgh CEO Joe McGrath says his organization estimates $35 million was spent by out of town guests related to the G20. About half of that was spent last week. And he says the summit is already paying off in convention bookings. He says before the G20 the number 2 reason for not choosing Pittsburgh for a convention was that the city was not glamorous enough and that has changed. He says he expects to ink one deal for a convention in 2011 today and another next week for a 2014 event and both mentioned the G20 coverage as the deciding factor. McGrath says the conventions should each bring about a million dollars to town. Allegheny Conference Executive Dennis Yablonsky has a similar story. He says he received a call Friday from an international company that had been reading about Pittsburgh in their local papers and would now like to come to the city to talk about doing business in Pittsburgh. Another official estimated that the number positive news coverage about the city was equal to $100 million in advertising.
McGrath says he understands that many downtown business lost revenue Thursday and Friday but he says he thinks many of them broke even for the month due to extra business in the weeks leading up to the G20. He pointed to several dinners held at area restaurants for out of town delegations in the last month. He says the Japanese Government asked him to recommend the best Pennsylvania red wine and then ordered 200 bottles for an event. McGrath also noted that while revenues were lost downtown it was sent to other parts of the region. He says golf courses reported increases in rounds played Thursday and Friday.

83 G20 Arrests Made Thursday

Pittsburgh Public Safety officials released arrests and damage numbers after the G20 Pittsburgh summit came to an end but before the Friday night protests in Oakland. Pittsburgh Public Safety Director Michael Huss says a total of 83 G20 related arrests were made and the protesters did an estimated $50,000 damage. One man allegedly did the bulk of that damage. Pittsburgh Police Chief Nate Harper says state police witnessed David Japengo breaking 20 windows at a Citizens Bank branch and several other windows following the rally Thursday Night in Oakland. Harper says based on the information from the State Police officers they were able to track down and arrest Japengo a short time later. The damage attributed to Japengo alone reached $20,000. Harper says when he was taken into custody Japengo gave the name Jon Doe and then Eric Blair before police learned his real identity. Police say Japengo is 20 or 21-years old and lives in California. It is believed he came to Pittsburgh just to protest the G20. Allegheny County chief of emergency service Robert Full says as of 9:00 Friday night 40 G20 arrestees were still in the county jail.
Huss praised the officers deployed in the G20 security and all of the agencies involved. He says the special training and additional equipment given to the officers and added to the city’s property list will have a long-term effect on the city’s ability to respond to any situation.

Other Cities Visit Pittsburgh Thanks to G20

The Greater Pittsburgh Chamber of Commerce says it is hosting an unprecedented number of visits from other Chambers of Commerce in 2010. Chamber President Barbara McNees says it can be traced back to the exposure the city received during the G20 summit. McNees says, “No fewer than seven Chambers of Commerce from across the United States have scheduled benchmarking visits to Pittsburgh this year.” Among the cities visiting is Cincinnati OH and Baton Rouge LA. Advance teams from both of those cities are in town this week laying the groundwork for later visits. Delegations from Korea and Toronto Canada have also made trips as they prepare to host G20 events later this year. McNees says groups have often visited Pittsburgh in the past but they usually were exploring one aspect of the city such as brownfield redevelopment or cooperation with universities but now they want to look at the entire revitalization package. McNees says the heads of the chambers that are coming this year specifically mentioned the G20 as one of their reasons why Pittsburgh was selected. The Executive Directors of several of the chambers coming later this year were in town last summer for a Chamber of Commerce conference where they got their first look at the city. McNees says the G20 just sealed the deal. Also visiting this year will be: Kansas City MO, Nashville TN, Lexington and Louisville KY, Dubuque IA and Mobile AL. McNees says the Greater Pittsburgh Chamber is looking for other ways to capitalize on the publicity and interest generated by the G20 Pittsburgh Summit.

Local Elected Official Hopes G20 Protesters will be Heard

Pennsylvania State Senator Jim Ferlo of Pittsburgh says, like many Pittsburghers, he is both “excited and concerned” by the announcement that the G20 summit is coming to the city in September. Ferlo says he is “excited” that the city will be able to show off all it has to offer as the world’s attention turns to Pittsburgh September 24th and 25th. He will even be leading a “green trolley tour” for reporters and dignitaries to highlight the region’s green development and industry efforts. The White House says Pittsburgh was chosen partially because of its ability to weather the current economic downturn and its history of bouncing back from the crippling of the steel industry. Ferlo is “concerned” that protesters will not be allowed to exercise their right to free speech. Ferlo is not a fan of the members of the G20. He harkens back to a line in the Arlo Guthrie tune “Pretty Boy Floyd” which includes the line, “Some will rob you with a six-gun, And some with a fountain pen.” Ferlo says the members of the G20 are the later. The Senator says there is a long list of reasons why people will want to protest outside the gathering and he says, “This is not exactly a group that is enamored to the quality of life of working people and those around the world who are disenfranchised.” Ferlo has contacted the city to ask that the protesters be allowed to be near the convention center rather than corralled on the northside or at station square. He has suggested that the protesters be allowed to gather on Liberty Avenue from 10th to the bussway. That would allow the secrete service to set up a secure perimeter around the convention center but allow the protesters to be close enough to be seen and heard. Ferlo says he would like to see a stage and sound system to allow the protesters to get out their messages. In the past, peaceful G20 protests have turned destructive with ralliers breaking into buildings and destroying property. Ferlo says if police respect the protesters' first amendment rights he thinks the event will remain peaceful. Ferlo says the city needs to open its arms not only to the members of the G20 but also those who have opposing views.

Pgh Business Org. Reviews Year After G20

The Allegheny Conference on Community Development is celebrating the one-year anniversary of Pittsburgh’s G20 conference by declaring it “Imagine Pittsburgh Week.”

Allegheny Conference CEO Dennis Yablonsky says Pittsburgh has seen more conventions and business projects than usual in the year following the G20 summit. Yablonsky says from an economic standpoint, he isn’t aware of any negative results of hosting the G20.

He says thanks to the notoriety generated by the summit, Mayor Luke Ravenstahl has been invited to Shanghai.

“To visit and speak to the mayor [of Shanghai]’s business advisory council about Pittsburgh’s transformation. So, we’re going to be accompanying him to Shanghai, doing a number of private meetings with businesses, and then also going over to Seoul which is going to be the site of the next G20 and spending a few days there. So we’re going to continue to build on this to try to generate more notoriety and more job creation projects for the region.”

Yablonsky says another indicator of the G20’s success is the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra’s tour of Europe this year. While the visit usually generates about 3 business project leads, this year it garnered ten.

Business Told to Draw Up G20 Plans

Pittsburgh and Allegheny County public safety officials are urging business and residents to build emergency contingency plans in the weeks leading up to the G20 summit. Leaders from the world's 20 most powerful economies and the European Union will come to Pittsburgh September 24th and 25th for two days of meetings. Along with the security demands that comes with 20 world leaders gathering in one place, the G20 events always attract throngs of protesters who have in the past forced the closure of entire city blocks. Pittsburgh Public Safety Director Michael Huss says the city is going to do everything it can to protect downtown residents and businesses as well as the G20 participants but everyone needs to understand that there will be some disruptions. Roads will have to be closed from time to time and extra security will have to be in place throughout the area. He says the contingency plans are not just about moving operations out of the golden triangle. He says managers need to think about getting employees to work and make plans for the possibility that they will not be able to get deliveries or make shipments. Huss says the city will not write the contingency plans for the businesses but they have offered up some help at the website Pittsburghcoalitionforsecurit.org. He says going through the process is as important as having a final plan in hand, because it gives managers a better understanding of the details and builds in more flexibility. That flexibility may be key to any plan. Huss says not all security plans will be known until just before the event and others will not be released until the last moment to ensure tighter security. Allegheny County Emergency Services Director Bob Full says all businesses should have a contingency plan in place. He says if the G20 is the impetus then all the better.

G20 Vol. Training Begins

More than 2,000 people have signed up at the Pittsburgh G20 partnership website to be volunteers during the two-day G20 Summit. The first of five general training sessions was held at Point Park University Monday. Pittsburgh G20 Partnership Spokesperson Bill Flanagan says with that many people offering their time The Partnership will not be able to put them all to work but they want to make sure everyone gets at least some basic training. The first sessions deal with everything from outlining Pittsburgh’s story of rebirth to how to handle controversial questions. Flanagan says volunteers should feel free to answer those questions but to make it clear it is their opinion and the visitor may want to ask others the same question. He says some of the volunteers will be called back for more intense training. The Partnership is especially interested in volunteers with media relations experience and those who speak more than one language. He says they will be using many of them at the welcome centers. The Partnership will be staffing welcome centers at 14 hotels and the airport for the entire week of the G20 to accommodate people who are arriving early for the event. Anyone being asked to work the welcome centers will be contacted after Labor Day. In the next few days, the city will be contacting about 1,500 volunteers for a massive clean up effort September 12.

Four training sessions remain.

Wednesday 5:30pm – 7:00pm at the University of Pittsburgh Connolly Ballroom.
Thursday 5:30pm -7:00pm at the CCAC Boyce Campus.
Friday 12:00- 1:30pm at the CCAC North Campus.
Saturday 9:00am-10:30am at the CCAC Allegheny Campus.

Federal & State Funds to Help Pay G20 Security

Federal and state officials will kick in $16.3 million toward the estimated $19 million cost to provide security for the G20 Summit next month in Pittsburgh. The Ravenstahl administration says the federal will provide $10 million and Pennsylvania Governor Ed Rendell has promised $6.3 million which includes the cost of providing 600 state troopers for security.
State Senator Jim Ferlo of Pittsburgh is considering filing suit in Pittsburgh Federal Court after his request for a permit to hold a day-long rally in Point State Park the day before the G20 Summit was denied. Ferlo says he wanted to hold the rally so that people could speak out about political and social issues related to the G20. But he was told that police and the Secret Service want to use the park as a staging area.

Meantime, a coalition including the anti-war group Code Pink and the Women's International League for Peace and Freedom plus other organizations was denied a permit to set up a "women's tent city" near the Heinz History Center....which is just a few blocks from the David L. Lawrence Convention Center, the headquarters for the G20 summit.

G20 Marketing Efforts Underway

With the leadership of the Allegheny Conference on Community Development the new group “Pittsburgh G20 Partnership” has gathered a long list of participants and nearly half a million dollars. The goal of the organization is to capitalize on the media attention that will come with the G20 Summit in September. Conference CEO Dennis Yablonsky says with the delegates will be on such tight time tables during the event the real opportunity will come in showing off the city for the estimated 3,000 members of the international media. Yablonsky says a media center has already been established and the Partnership will soon begin hosting media tours. Story ideas showcasing the city’s renaissance and resilience are being gathered to distribute to visiting media. Many of the ideas are based on thoughts put forward during the three G20 brainstorming sessions. Yablonsky says he hopes to raise an additional $100,000 in the coming weeks. He says the members of the Pittsburgh G20 Partnership are already meeting on a regular basis and the collective international media marketing expertise of the participants has already been very valuable. Yablonsky says a focus will also be put on efforts following the summit. He says that will be the time to capitalize on the good image he hopes will be generated worldwide. He says it may put Pittsburgh on the radar screen for companies considering expansion in the US that had never considered Pittsburgh as a landing spot. Among the more noticeable aspects of the pre event efforts will be the remaking of 25-30 empty store fronts, training for hospitality workers, and volunteers wearing “Ask Me” buttons on city streets ready to provide help to visitors. More ideas and volunteers are still being solicited at the Partnership web site.

G20 Delegates In Town

G20 delegates were in Pittsburgh today to prepare for the upcoming economic summit. The White House Advance Team took around 200 delegates on a tour of Pittsburgh International Airport, the Convention Center and other sites that will host G20 events. Convention Center General Manager Mark Leahy says the delegates were excited about the facility, particularly the green aspects of the center. Other local G20 events include a working dinner at the Phipps Conservatory and Botanical Gardens, a performance for the spouses of G20 leaders at Pittsburgh's School for the Creative And Performing Arts, and lunch and tour for spouses at the Andy Warhol Museum.

A Rainbow of Protest Groups March Against the G20

The largest protest of G20 Summit began in Oakland early this afternoon and traveled through downtown to the north shore. Contingencies representing a spectrum of issues were on hand to make their case. A number of groups started off in different parts of Oakland and joined up with the main march at the intersection of Craft and Fifth Avenue. Aaron Hughes, with Iraq Veterans Against the War called on leaders to pull out of Iraq and give Veterans fair treatment. He says he felt as though his humanity was taken from him when he was fighting for the U.S. in Iraq. Calvin Clinton Sr. stood holding a banner for the African American Workers Union--he says it is appropriate the G20 meeting take place in Pittsburgh because he believed the city was a microcosm of the world. He says inequality is present here between races just as it is between rich nations and poor nations. Bebe heads a group of hula-hooping anarchists--she says they aren't here to be violent, but they do want the G20 out of Pittsburgh now. The protesters were peaceful and stayed on course. Law enforcement was scattered along the route watching as the demonstrators, sang, chanted and waved banners as they marched, alerting the public, the media and the G20 leaders to their causes.

Trade Expo Scheduled Prior To G20

On Tuesday September 22ND, just days before the G20 summit, a trade expo will be held at various locations around Pittsburgh. Organized by State Representative Jake Wheatley, the expo will feature approximately 35-40 local businesses and aims to encourage trade between G20 nations and Pittsburgh businesses. The expo will feature businesses that range from manufacturing to technology to service. Organizers say they hope that commerce representatives of G20 nations will visit the expo along with foreign media. At the very least organizers say they want to see foreign press do stories on some of the businesses that will be represented at the expo to increase visibility of those businesses across the globe. Currently, organizers say they have no solid commitments from any G20 nation other than Mexico to attend the event. The locations of the expo will be Allegheny Center, Riverside Center for Innovation, and the Hill House.

White House Team to Tour G20 Sites

Local officials announced today the arrival of a White House advance team that will tour the David L. Lawrence Convention Center, the Pittsburgh International Airport, and other sites tomorrow in preparation for the September G20 Summit.

Pittsburgh Mayor Luke Ravenstahl and Allegheny County Executive Dan Onorato say they will not accompany the team, but rather make their own tours of downtown and the airport corridor, respectively, on Thursday.

They say updates will be given weekly for the next two months to keep locals up to speed on the G20 developments.

G20 Partnership member Bill Flanagan, of the Allegheny Conference on Community Development, says a contingency plan will also be started next week, to help businesses deal with traffic and security issues during the summit.

Ravenstahl also proclaimed September “Pittsburgh G20 Month.”

Strip District Businesses Waiting To Prepare For G20

Pittsburgh's convention center is playing host to the majority of the G20 summits activities and businesses in the strip district are trying to figure out how to handle the expected influx of people. Business', The Port Authority and even City officials don't know what traffic restrictions will be imposed during the summit and they don't expect to know until just days before the event. Sunseri brothers co-owner Nino Sunseri says he is not excited about the G20 coming to Pittsburgh and has no idea how the city plans to handle the restrictions and the effect the protesters will have on local businesses. President and CEO of the Heinz History Center Andy Masich is also holding off on making any business decisions for the week of the G20. One strip district business which has reacted to the upcoming summit is Mahla (may-la) and company antiques which has re-scheduled a sidewalk sale that was to take place the same week as the G20.

AIDS Group Marches on G20

A group of protester gathered downtown a few days before the beginning of the G20 Pittsburgh Summit to call for more funding for AIDS treatment worldwide. The event began with a rally at the corner of Grant St. and Liberty Ave where speakers called for the leaders of the G20 nations to not only talk about climate change and economic recovery at this week’s meeting but to also focus and what they say is the 70% of the world population that does not have access to HIV AIDS treatment. Jennifer Flynn with the group Health Global Access Project organized the event. She says President Barack Obama promised during the campaign to fully fund the Global Fund to Fight AIDS Tuberculosis and Malaria to the tune of $50 billion dollars and she says nearly all of the other member nations did the same. However, she says funding for the program has been “flat lined.” Flynn says that has lead to many nations simply running out of aids fighting drugs. Flynn warns that not only will that lead to more deaths, it will also lead to he various diseases become stronger and more drug resistant. She says every year 30 million people die from AIDS and HIV worldwide and the leaders of the G20 nations have the power to change that. Flynn is also calling on the G20 ministers to put pressure on drug makers to lower their prices. She says pumping money into the program helps today but lower drug prices could lead to poorer nations being able to buy the drugs with out international help. The Marchers were under the watchful eye of police during the entire event but they were allowed to march under and around the convention center carrying signs and chanting for change. Similar groups were not allowed to access that same route over the weekend.

Ferlo Wants Point State Park for G20 Protesters to Speak Out

Pennsylvania State Senator Jim Ferlo, a Democrat from Highland Park, says he's seeking a permit from the city of Pittsburgh to use Point State Park as a forum the day before the G20 Summit begins in Pittsburgh. Ferlo wants to use the park from 8 in the morning till 10 at night September 23 as a venue for activists to speak out.
The economic summit of international leaders will be September 24 and 25 at the David L. Lawrence Convention Center. Ferlo says he wants environmental, cultural, labor, religious and other groups to be able to give speeches at the park.

Meantime, a group calling itself the "Pittsburgh G20 Resistance Project" is planning marches and demonstrations during the summit. The Resistance Project says there will be marches September 23 and 24 and dozens of simultaneous actions on September 25 "that connect the struggle against the G20 to a broader arena of local and international social resistance."
The group says it wants to disrupt the summit and undermine its "attempts to gain legitimacy," but asks participants to avoid police provocation.

Pittsburgh Police Chief Nate Harper has estimated that he will need 4,000 police officers for crowd control. The city's police bureau has fewer than 1,000. So, Harper has e-mailed more than 100 police chiefs across the country asking them to send officers.

Pitt Prof: G20 is a Big Deal

University of Pittsburgh economics professor James Cassing says one of the most important aspects of a G20 meeting is to allow the heads of state to publicly announce agreements that have been made in private meetings leading up to the gathering. He says with the economic downturn, it is also important for the world to see that the leaders of the world’s richest nations are on the same page when it comes to righting the world economy. He says it is “confidence building.” The “G” groups began with the G-7 and have expanded to included 19 countries and the European Union. Cassing says that expansion was important because it brought in some of the world’s largest developing economies including China and India. G20 meetings have attracted protests in the past. Cassing says anytime heads of state gather there will be protests but he understands why this group would attract even more. He says many people believe it is these leaders that have caused the problems the world economy is facing and they should not be trusted to fix the same problems. Cassing believes that among the topics to be discussed in September will be funding the G20’s commitment to the international monetary fund (IMF), the operations of the World Bank and the stalemate at the Doha Development Round. The Doha Round is aimed at lowering international trade barriers including tariffs. It has stalled with the US, Japan and the EU digging in on one side and India, Brazil, China and South Africa on the other side. Cassing agrees that this will raise the international profile of Pittsburgh. He says the event will make headlines around the world and with that many reporters in town there is bound to be coverage of issues outside of the event itself.

Welcome Signs for G20 Delegates

Allegheny County Executive Dan Onorato toured the airport corridor today to highlight areas targeted for beautification efforts and to unveil welcome signs that will be on display during the G20 economic summit. Standing behind the Greater Pennsylvania Regional Council of Carpenters overlooking the Parkway West, Onorato uncovered the signs that will be used throughout the region when the G20 comes to town. He says there is a theme to them all that represents the regions green development. Before premiering the signs Onorato stopped at a Green Tree Hill development site to highlight one of a handful of areas that will be cleaned up before the G20. The county is currently gathering what it hopes will be 1,500 people to volunteer their time to plant flowers, trees and lay mulch along the airport corridor on a volunteer clean up day September 12th. The county will have the signs that were unveiled today at each of the clean up sites they visit and will also have signs on the hill behind the Greater Pennsylvania Regional Council of Carpenters that overlooks the Parkway West.

https://www.pittsburghg20.org/Articles/081209.aspx#