Fed judge expected to rule on G-20 protest suit

A federal judge has a hand in putting the finishing touches on plans by three groups to protest during next week's Group of 20 economic summit.

The judge was expected to rule Thursday in a lawsuit filed by the ACLU on the plans. He must determine what route one protest group can take for a march and rally, and whether two groups can use parks for their protests.

The Thomas Merton Center, an anti-war and social justice group, wants to march from near the University of Pittsburgh and Carnegie Mellon University to the city-county building and then near the David L. Lawrence Convention Center, the summit's location.

Pete Shell of the Merton Center said the group wants to end with a rally on a bridge crossing the Allegheny River, but the city says it would be unsafe to have an estimated 3,000 to 5,000 people there.

Instead, the city offered a route that would cross the bridge and put the protesters either directly across the river from the convention center, or bring them back across another bridge to a parking lot near it. Security perimeters preclude the march from taking a direct route to the lot.

Shell and attorneys for the American Civil Liberties Union said the cross-river spot would be unsafe because it's located on a narrow recreation path close to the river. And the alternatives would be too far for many people to march.

U.S. District Judge Gary Lancaster must also decide whether the anti-war group Code Pink can set up a symbolic tent city from Sunday evening until Tuesday evening. The group wants to leave the tents standing, but not stay overnight.

Francine Porter of Code Pink says the tents would symbolize women and children made refugees of war.

Had this been during the previous administration, this would be a page A-1 above the fold article in all the major papers and all the network news, instead of being relegated to an online AP filing.

I guess the saying, "It's OK when we do it," is being proven true once again.

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