PGHIMC - Pittsburgh Independent Media Center

first hand account of m30 anti-war protest
by anti-war pburgher Sunday, Mar. 30, 2003 at 7:55 PM

swissvale/edgewood police use unnecessary force on peaceful demonstrators

i stood in the cold listening to the rally at about 2:15 near the frick park playground. a diverse crowd of about 300 was present. after the last speaker finished, we moved northwest to the corner of frick park at
forbes ave and braddock. two officers stood nearby. down braddock to our left were quite a few police cars and paddywagons. after waiting for everyone to assemble, we stepped off the sidewalk into he street, going right on braddock ave. the march proceeded at a moderate pace a few blocks down the street as a group of about six masked protestors emerged in the front behind the black 'no blood for oil' sign. i was behind them most of the time at the front of the march. i witnessed no movement/ damage of property or any other potentially provacative actions the entire time. no protesters touched vehicles or police, and there was no rock-throwing contrary to kdka news. the only expletive used was present in a chan and was not directed at police. many photographers were present.

at a stoplight a few blocks down, several officers (without large batons or riot gear) stood scattered before the intersection. as we passed they told us to get back onto the sidewalk while pushing protesters who passed by them to the right. this line of cops included one very large aggressive officer who was responsible for much of the brutality that would occur in the next few minutes.

we continued walking and flashing peace signs at cars to our left. some police in cars flashed signs back. most of the confrontation occured not with the pittsburgh police, but with police from the edgewood and swissvale departments. a little further into the route, police began to push people onto the sidewalk more forcefully. the big cop broke up the group holding the banner. i linked arms with the people on either side of me as we continued moving forward. one officer said 'i'm giving you one warning to stay out of the streets,' while shaking a can of pepper spray.

at about 3:15 pm, i saw a mist of brown spray fly through the air over the heads of the crowd behind me, as chants and drumming became quieter and some people cried out. i moved onto the sidewalk with many others and hurriedly put on swimming goggles. i went back out into the street behind the banner with a few others as we passed the cops, continuously looking over my shoulder, as cops came from the back left pushing people towards to the right.

the large angry officer then stood in front of us (about four or five people holding the banner) and sprayed a fire extinguisher- size cannister of pepper spray about 2 feet away. i put my head down behind the banner as a mist of spray covered me and those around me. the mask and goggles i was wearing helped greatly but the spray's pungent vapor burned the insideof my nose.

we moved onto the sidewalk coughing, and the big cop moved after us, indiscriminately spraying the group of about 10 gathering on the sidewalk, waving the can from left to right and pushing people. i was on the right of the group on the sidewalk. i learned later that a man with a bullhorn was arrested from this group from the sidewalk by about 5 officers as approximately 8 protesters tried to pull him from the police.

i watched as people walked out of the small crowd and past it onto the sidewalk, their faces brownish orange with spray. i saw a friend ahead laying on the sidewalk right past the group, rubbing her face and eyes. i stepped over her to face the scuffle between the protestors on the sidewalk and the police in the street. i knelt and poured water on her face, then passed the bottle around, next to the retired police officer. a few more people gathered around, and as my bottle of water was used up, someone else came by with more water. a woman poured more water over my friend's face, as she struggled to hold her eyes open. i later heard that very young children indirectly came into contact with pepper spray.

we finally stood up shakily and began to walk on the sidewalk, down braddock, then turning right, and marching back into the brick street parallel to braddock, then took another right onto the sidewalk a few blocks later. police cars followed protestors as they dispersed on a street corner of braddock near frick park's tennis courts.

add your comments