G-20 concluding thoughts

By Dave Anderson:

Here are some mostly Pittsburgh-centric post-G-20 thoughts as the delegates have left the area, and the clean-up is mostly done.

• Far fewer arrests and protesters than many people anticipated.


• The anarchists are jack-asses; especially for smashing in windows at the Irish Design Center on Craig Street and Pamela's in Oakland.  Corporate-dominated hand-knit sweaters and deep-fried crepe pancakes will oppress us all. 


• I really have no clue what most of the protesters were protesting.  The message diversity was too great for me to actively engage with their ideas, and this is from someone who is ideologically sympathetic to many protest groups.


• An effective protest movement makes the other side look like jack-asses and douchebags for opposing a clear and well-defined message. PROTEST FAIL.


• Traffic problems were minimal as most Pittsburgh residents effectively took a four or five day weekend.


• 4,000 cops plus however many non-cop security personnel were required to lock down the city center and provide roving patrols in the East End and Southside.  City population is roughly 300,000. The force ration was between 15 security personel to 1,000 residents to 20 security personel to 1,000 residents.  Those ratios are at most the minimal ratio suggested by US COIN doctrine for a foreign occupation.  All of those cops are familiar with the local culture and language, but were beginning to wear out their undisputed welcome by the end of the week. 


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  Downtown was effectively shut down. 



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  Pittsburgh Gross City Product took a massive hit because no one could or wanted to go anywhere if they could avoid it.  Walls, protesters and police lines froze mobility throughout the high density sections of the city.



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  Everyone is glad that the G-20 is done and out of here.