City officials last night announced two large areas -- one in the Strip, one on the North Shore -- have been established for protests to take place later this month during the G-20 summit.
Public Safety Director Michael Huss yesterday evening said that the city has gotten 15 permit applications, and at least eight were provisionally granted.
He also said city will create two public access sites, where demonstrations will be allowed with or without permits.
One will take up most of the Strip District parking lot between the former Seagate Building and the convention center. There will be a fenced-off buffer zone between the public area and the center, and a fence near the Seagate Building, but visitors "won't be penned in," said Mr. Huss.
The city will pay The Buncher Co. $28,240 for use of the lot from Sept. 23 to 26.
"When you think about the 20 world leaders being here, and being in this building, and just a few hundred yards away, to have that amount of area, and to be that close, I think it's remarkable," Mr. Huss said. He added that it demonstrated "a great balance" between security and public access.
Witold Walczak, legal director of the American Civil Libertie Union of Pennsylvania, said that space is insuficient.
"They made a space available that [Merton Center marchers] can't get to" because of the security perimeter around teh convention center. "If you can't march on Grant Street, if you're not letting them come down Liberty, then they're not giving them anything."
He said that the Merton Center already has spent money advertising a march that starts in Oakland and goes to Grant Street, and can't be expected to add a lengthy detour to get to the public access area.
The second site will be across the Allegheny River, where a city trail passes by apartments.
City announces Strip, North Shore G-20 protest areas |