Pittsburgh G20 Summit

[marmot]

This video should blow your socks off!
military guys in camouflage grab kid, car pulls up and they stuff him in, while a police officer with an assault rifle points his gun!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mmfhZ4qSdQo

http://rawstory.com/2009/09/video-appears-to-show-us-troops-kidnapping-protester/

[marmot]

http://www.infowars.com/video-from-g20-the-corporate-media-will-never-show-you/

[sergeant stiletto]

Totally surreal:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=akwjAjcQnqM


watch until the end.

[marmot]

Totally surreal:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=akwjAjcQnqM


watch until the end.

Sorry, the frosted hair, blue-oxford-shirted dork with the megaphone doesn't help any cause. And he's wrong about asserting his right to obstruct traffic. Luke (is that his name?) said: "we have not broken any laws." Well, No, they have broken a number of laws. The police were there to make sure this illegal protest march would not accomplish what they proclaimed their intent was to do - to disrupt and crash the G20 summit. The dork with the megaphone only seemed like a narcissistic AJ wanna be. When sergeant stiletto wrote 'watch until the end' I was half hoping to see pretty boy Luke arrested. Nothing happened but a successful intimidation by the police which resulted in a dispersal of the crowd.

[sergeant stiletto]

Wow.

Does an attempt to walk down the street and exercise free speech rights warrant such fascist tactics? They were denied a permit, BTW.

All that equipment, LRAD included, was purchased to fight the War on Terror, yet it's being used against citizens in a U.S. city. Where were these tactics when the Tea Parties were going on? Why such a show of force when the money men and the military are being protested?

Your dismissive and disdainful attitude is just as disturbing to me as the video.

[marmot]

stiletto

This Luke character couldn't make up his mind what he was protesting about! It appears he was just there to make a personal scene. This anarchist group - who was denied a permit to march - on their website openly proclaimed their intent to disturb and crash the G20. The city had a public safety obligation to deny their permit.

The police action in Lawrenceville (from what I've witness) showed incredible restraint. Those trouble makers who got arrested were warned ahead of time that no illegal activity would be tolerated.

My attitude is one of great tolerance. The show of police force was necessary concerning the event.

[Jeff]

Interesting business story:

Louder than bombs: LRAD 'sonic cannon' debuts in U.S. at G20 protests

Sam Gustin
Sep 25th 2009 at 2:40PM

Filed under: Technology, Economy

Pittsburgh police on Thursday used an audio cannon manufactured by American Technology Corporation (ATCO), a San Diego-based company, to disperse protesters outside the G-20 Summit -- the first time its LRAD series device has been used on civilians in the U.S.

An ATC sales representative confirms to DailyFinance that Pittsburgh police used ATC's Long Range Acoustic Device (LRAD). "Yes, we sold one LRAD unit to a government agency -- I don't know which one -- which was used in Pittsburgh," the representative said. American Technology Corp.'s stock was trading up over 15 percent in heavy activity late Friday.

ATC's website calls the company "a leading innovator of commercial, government, and military directed acoustics product offers" that offers "sound solutions for the commercial, government, and military markets." The New York Times Friday reported that Pittsburgh officials believed this to be the technology's first use against civilians.

The paper did not identify the manufacturer of the audio cannon. "The police fired a sound cannon that emitted shrill beeps, causing demonstrators to cover their ears and back up," the paper reported. Similar "non-lethal" products designed by ATC have been used at sea by cruise ships to ward off pirates.

The company's LRAD series has a variety of featured benefits, including "Longer stand-off distances for increased asset protection, larger coverage with fewer personnel, and determination of intent of groups or individuals from extended distances." The product line can also transmit "bird distress calls to repel targeted birds from crops, buildings, and airports."

"The military version is a 45-pound, dish-shaped device that can direct a high-pitched, piercing tone with a tight beam. Neither the LRAD's operators or others in the immediate area are affected," USA Today reported in 2005.

ATC was founded in 1980 and recapitalized in 1992, according to its website, which explains that it began engineering sound weaponry in 1996. "In response to the October 2000 attack on the USS Cole, we developed and introduced our revolutionary Long Range Acoustic Device (LRAD) product and continue to expand our sound reproduction technologies and products to meet the needs of our customers and target markets."

Given yesterday's civilian debut, with no reported casualties, commercial and civilian uses for LRAD also seem possible. And ATC, while small, is finding a rosy financial picture. The company reported record fiscal third quarter revenues of $4.4 million, for the quarter ended June 30: a 60 percent revenue increase over the prior year.

In a press release from early August, ATC president and CEO Tom Brown remarked: "We generated our second consecutive profitable quarter and achieved year-over-year revenue growth through strong LRAD sales to U.S. and foreign naval forces, maritime shipping companies and for bird-deterrence applications. ... With pirate attacks up 110% in the first six months of this calendar year with 240 incidents reported, compared to 114 incidents for the same period last year, we continue to experience increasing domestic and international maritime security interest and orders for our proprietary LRAD systems."

http://www.dailyfinance.com/2009/09/25/ ... t-g20-pro/

[barracuda]

It looked to me as though they were very conservative withe use of the LRAD systems. Those devices are more than capable of quickly dispersing any crowd and even injuring people. They are likely keeping these street sweepers on low volume and profile to limit opinion backlash and slowly normalise the use of these weapons.

[sergeant stiletto]

The show of police force was necessary concerning the event.

Yes, because people walking down the street and questioning authority is very dangerous.

So of course it's completely appropriate to use equipment bought with tax payer dollars to prevent those very same tax payers from expressing their concerns by denying their right to free speech or to peacefully assemble.

If that video doesn't conjure images from 1984 or other dystopian tales and make you concerned for the U.S., then I will gladly let you take my place in line when they call to round us all up.

[marmot]

Yes, because people walking down the street and questioning authority is very dangerous.

Questioning authority, sergeant, isn't the issue that poses a danger here. Walking down Penn Avenue when it hasn't been allocated for pedestrian traffic is what's dangerous. You wouldn't want any young and foolish anarchist hit by a truck now would you?

And the constitutional right to free speech and peaceful assembly doesn't mean a bunch of punks are free to take over the streets.

[sergeant stiletto]

And the constitutional right to free speech and peaceful assembly doesn't mean a bunch of punks are free to take over the streets.

No it doesn't, marmot, but it also doesn't mean that the rest of us should be denied our rights because fellow citizens abuse theirs.

Additionally, we all know that it's a common tactic for agent provocateurs to be in the crowd in order to disrupt peaceful protests and give the police a reason to use force and deny rights.

The "violence" serves to ensure even more calls for "law and order". With a little help from citizens like you, it works out great for them.

[seemslikeadream]

AP Photo 8 hours ago
A person with children walks past police during a protest in Pittsburgh, Friday Sept. 25, 2009. World leaders are in Pittsburgh for the G-20 summit.





Reuters Pictures 3 hours ago
Protesters march downtown during a peace rally during the G20 Summit in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania September 25, 2009. About 10,000 protesters marched against capitalism and the Group of 20's summit agenda on Friday as businesses cleaned up from a night of skirmishes on Pittsburgh streets




Reuters Pictures 4 hours ago
Protestors march downtown during a peace rally at the G20 Summit in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania September 25, 2009.

http://cache.daylife.com/imageserve/03l ... l/610x.jpg
Reuters Pictures 3 hours ago
A line of police protects storefronts during a protest march during the G20 Summit in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania September 25, 2009. About 10,000 protesters marched against capitalism and the Group of 20's summit agenda on Friday as businesses cleaned up from a night of skirmishes on Pittsburgh streets.


Reuters Pictures 3 hours ago
A protester with his face covered takes part in a peace rally march during the G20 Summit in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania September 25, 2009. About 10,000 protesters marched against capitalism and the Group of 20's summit agenda on Friday as businesses cleaned up from a night of skirmishes on Pittsburgh streets.


Pennsylvania State Police arrive for duty at the David L. Lawrence Convention center in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania September 25, 2009. The centre is the site of the G20 Pittsburgh Summit.


AP Photo 7 hours ago
Protesters march across the 7th Street Bridge in Pittsburgh, Friday Sept. 25, 2009. World leaders are meeting in Pittsburgh for the G-20.


AP Photo 8 hours ago
Police and protesters are seen during a rally in Pittsburgh, Friday Sept. 25, 2009. World leaders are in Pittsburgh for the G-20 summit


AP Photo 7 hours ago
A woman walks hand in hand with her child at a protest in Pittsburgh, Friday Sept. 25, 2009. World leaders are in Pittsburgh for the G-20 summit.


AP Photo 8 hours ago
Protesters face security personnel in downtown Pittsburgh, Friday Sept. 25, 2009. Security is tight as world leaders meet in Pittsburgh for the G-20.

AP Photo 9 hours ago
Masked protesters shout slogans during a march through Pittsburgh, Friday Sept. 25, 2009. World leaders are in Pittsburgh for the G20 summit.


AP Photo 9 hours ago
Thousands of protesters from various groups march through Pittsburgh, Friday Sept. 25, 2009. World leaders are in Pittsburgh for the G20 summit.

[marmot]

With a little help from citizens like you, it works out great for them.

It appears as if you're as confused and presumptuous as the anarchists. You evidently don't have a clue as to what sort of citizen I am. Go check my record, stiletto, and you'll see how I absolutely abhor egregious police violence, how I'm very much against the insidious intrusions of the police state. Don't cast your aspersions on me. I'd be the first to stand up against injustice state sponsored violence.

I just as well abhor the violence of the street punks who were associated with this particular planned march. What you saw in the video was a concerted police action whose operational directive was to disperse an unruly crowd and quell any potential violence. The police should be commended for keeping the order and preventing further vandalism.

I admit, the fascist powers are advancing in fearsome lock step fashion. However, your little cry of 'foul' over this Lawerenceville action doesn't hold much water with most peace-loving, law-abiding citizens in the burgh.

[compared2what?]

Hello, marmot.

I'm just stopping by to say hello, and remind the board that you're a liar, a racist, and an advocate of due process for some people but vigilante execution for others.

Purely on the objective grounds that you are.

However, since I also do have an open and unconcealed resentment against you for unrelated behavior that the board evidently finds tolerable, however unconscionable I think it is, I can totally understand why it might look to others as if I'm highlighting your racism and insincerity for personal reasons. Rather than because I honestly object to racism and lying. And needless to say, I do absolutely expect you to suggest that's what I'm doing. Because, you know. You have no other defense.

So I'm going to take myself out of the equation insofar as that's possible, and just go straight to the evidence.

Hey! All RI posters who might:

* regard racism and lying as deal-breaking attributes wrt their choice of associates;

* are wary of getting burned by manipulative liars; and/or

* would regret having been gulled into enabling the infiltration of this board by hard-right racists.

I'd like to refer you to a few of what I see as succinct and unambiguous demonstrations of marmot's racism, dishonesty and less-than-robust support for a free society.

However, please, please judge his below-linked words and attitude for yourselves, reach your own conclusions, and act in accordance with your own standards. Because although I believe myself to be acting in good faith, I do also have a bias that might be interfering with my ability to make a fair or accurate call wrt this poster.

Okay? Okay. Please see:

The first three posts to the thread here and the blatant demonstration of marmot's intentional, witting and blatant dishonesty that followed it here.

Which ultimately led to these delightful photographs of human suffering in New Orleans in the wake of Katrina, right here.

Thanks.

PS -- marmot, what is your purpose here?
____________________________

[sergeant stiletto]

What you saw in the video was a concerted police action whose operational directive was to disperse an unruly crowd and quell any potential violence.

Hmmm...I didn't see an unruly crowd, only pledges of peaceful assembly, as afforded them by their fourth amendment rights.

On the other hand, the thuggish Pitt students in the following video were, I'm sure, very threatening to the officers, as they menacingly peered from their dorm. I'm sure I'm just over-reacting to the use of pepper spray on innocent by-standers. Who are we to question, at least the city sleeps quiet tonight.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KNyV7UQJpyY