PGHIMC - Pittsburgh Independent Media Center

Pittsburghers In NYC!
by Pittsburgher Monday, Feb. 17, 2003 at 10:36 AM

A spontaneous snake march through traffic by 100-200 protestors meets police violence, arrests, and sympathetic bystanders.

An affinity group from Pittsburgh, PA came out of the Times Square Subway station around 3:00pm on Saturday to face brutal police attacks. A group of protestors, standing peacefully on a street corner, were forcibly moved back by police. The officers worked themselves into such a fervor striking at the peaceful demonstrators, that some almost attacked fellow officers in the confusion.

After the group was pushed the entire length of the block, protestors and police faced off uneasily across a small side street. The protestors then Spontaneously poured into the streets while the confused police officers took minutes to begin pursuit.

The march gained strength quickly as a large group marched on the sidewalk and many marched through busy traffic recieving sympathetic waves and peace signs from bystanders and inconvenienced motorists. The police pursued the march as they moved along the Avenue of the Americas. The group used tactics such as spontaneous sprinting and moving against traffic to evade the police.

At one point, three officers charged into the march and arrested a drummer who'd been with the march for its entirety. A confrontation followed as one individual attempted to free the man and was attacked by a police officer. Another woman pulled the officer from the would-be rescuer and sever people were pepper sprayed.

The arrestee was targeted for his prominence and perceived leadership capacity. No one from Pittsburgh was arrested.

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