The G-20 is coming to town

The G-20 is coming to Pittsburgh in a month and already the city is planning to triple the police force for the two day conference. I photographed the WTO meeting in Seattle, where police were dressed in their best storm trooper outfits and absolutely used any excuse possible to tear gas just about anyone in their general area.

A friend in Pittsburgh said he is worried because the police have a tendency to shoot first and ask questions later. In Seattle the police, once given the go-ahead, would fire off canisters of tear gas in every direction and stood stoically around the streets, both intimidating and threatening anyone with an opinion.

There are rumors around that this meeting could be worse, and why not? The world economy is still in a funk, the richer nations are trying to sell the idea that the recession is in recovery, but not everyone agrees (see the Krugman quote in the previous post). What we can all agree on is that the world economy has taken a beating over the last 18 months and this meeting will certainly be giving many of the worlds largest economy a chance to talk, plan and do press in a setting that is rich with irony.

Pittsburgh was once the leader in steel production. The banks of the rivers in the region remain spotted with companies associated with the old economy, some still functioning, many just husks of fabricated metal, rusting and dying, much like the industry they represent. Pittsburgh is also a city on the move, from large thriving colleges to an assortment of new jobs in the new economy. Thus, much like Seattle in the 90's all prepped to host the WTO, Pittsburgh now stands to take the world stage at a time when both the city and the world are looking to the future.

Protests are being planned and the general outlook, is that there could be some interesting confrontations. I have some cameras and hopefully a credential and as things begin to heat up, I hope to have images and footage from the streets.