Camping Protesters Violate City Law, Residents' Rights

This column appeared in The Pitt News today.

A group of six local and national protest organizations filed a federal lawsuit on Friday against the city, the state Department of Conservation and Natural Resources and the Secret Service, The Post-Gazette reported. The suit alleges that the three defendants have conspired to deny protesters their First Amendment rights by failing to approve a number of permits for G-20 related protests.

            
Represented by American Civil Liberties Union of Pennsylvania attorney Witold Walczak, the six plaintiffs are Code Pink, The Thomas Merton Center, Pittsburgh Outdoor Artists, Bail Out the People, G6 Billion and the Three Rivers Climate Convergence.

            
They are petitioning U.S. District Judge Gary L. Lancaster to decide exactly how close to the convention center protesters will be allowed to go and to order the issuance of permits by the city.

            
The permits sought involve a variety of protests including a march from Oakland to downtown sponsored by the Merton Center and the erection of tent cities by Code Pink and the Three Rivers Climate Convergence in Point State Park. Similarly, Bail Out the People and Pittsburgh Outdoor Artists want to camp in East Park and South Side Riverfront Park, respectively.

            
This question of camping in parks and erecting tent cities is really the most baffling to me as a Pittsburgher because, rather than view this as a free speech issue, I see this as a question of the law and the rights of Pittsburgh tax payers.

            
City code states “No person in a park shall camp except with permission of the Director and only for groups of persons under adequate supervision. No person shall set up tents, shacks or any other temporary shelter for the purpose of overnight camping…”

            
Importantly, the parks director has not given these groups permission to camp in the parks, it would be almost impossible to adequately supervise these groups while they camp and it would be a violation of city code for these organizations to set up tents overnight.

            
These regulations govern the activity of every resident of this city throughout the year and I see no reason why thousands of protesters from out of town should be able to violate these regulations based on a flimsy claim that the First Amendment protects camping.

            
A statement on g20media.org, self-described as an “information clearinghouse and media support for dissent at the Pittsburgh G-20 Summit,”            called on activists to “claim Pittsburgh parks for the people” and “affirm the people’s right to use the people’s commons for our activities.”

            
But these activists don’t represent the will of the residents of this city and their assertion of a right to our public parks to use for their activities is ridiculous. The citizens of this city whose taxes pay for the maintenance of these parks will be excluded from them if these activists have their way and are allowed to use our parks as free housing for the duration of the G-20 Summit.

            
For all of their criticism of the G-20 leaders who activists claim represent an “undemocratic” imposition on the world and on our city, at least the G-20 leaders, diplomats and attending press corps will be paying for their lodging while they’re here. But instead of paying for their housing, activists are asking a federal judge to allow them to violate city regulations and set up tent cities in our parks.

            
There is nothing more undemocratic than thousands of protesters from out of town asking a federal judge to overturn the judgement of the elected leaders of the city of Pittsburgh.

            
The G-20 Summit itself represents an inconvenience to many Pittsburghers with traffic jams, security cordons and closed businesses that many of us would not have chosen to bring to our city. That being said, it isn’t right for us to also have to confront the kind of violence and vandalism that G-20 protesters have brought to cities such as London, Seattle and Genoa when they’ve hosted international summits.

            
The protesters planning to camp in public parks, hold unpermitted protests against scores of local businesses and hold unpermitted marches in Pittsburgh neighborhoods are taking our city from us over the span of two days and then have the gall to speak on our behalf.

            
Let me put it simply, the G-20 protesters do not represent the interests or opinions of an overwhelming majority of Pittsburghers who would prefer to have the use of their parks, streets and businesses the week of the G-20 Summit. It is inappropriate for protesters to assume the mantle of “the people” while they try to take from us our parks and our city.