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G-20 Plaintiffs
Casey Brander, 21, is a senior studying art at Carnegie Mellon University. Ms. Brander was walking across the Cathedral of Learning lawn from her residence to Schenley Plaza when, without notice or warning, police surrounded her and at least fifty other people on the Cathedral of Learning lawn. She called 911 because she did not know where she was supposed to go or what she was supposed to do. She hung up after several minutes of being on hold and then tried to call her mother but could not get through because cellular communications had been blocked. Police illegally detained, arrested, and jailed her. Anthony Brino, 22, is a senior studying anthropology and English writing at the University of Pittsburgh. Mr. Brino was taking photographs of the demonstration in Schenley Plaza when police issued an order to disperse. He had exited the plaza and was attempting to comply with the order when police surrounded him and at least fifty other people on the Cathedral of Learning lawn, closed off all avenues of exit, and illegally detained, arrested, and jailed him. Shane Dunlap, 25, is a news photographer for The Evening Sun in Hanover, Pennsylvania. Working as a freelance photojournalist during the G-20, Mr. Dunlap was photographing the demonstration in Schenley Plaza when police issued an order to disperse. He wore a clearly visible press pass issued by the United States Department of State identifying him as a journalist. He had exited the plaza and was attempting to comply with the order to disperse when police surrounded him and at least fifty other people on the Cathedral of Learning lawn, closed off all avenues of exit, and illegally detained, arrested, and jailed him. Nicholas Halbert-Brooks, 19, is a sophomore studying mechanical engineering at the University of Pittsburgh. Mr. Halbert-Brooks was observing a demonstration in Schenley Plaza when police issued an order to disperse. He had exited the plaza and was attempting to comply with the order when police surrounded him and at least fifty other people on the Cathedral of Learning lawn, closed off all avenues of exit, and illegally detained, arrested, and jailed him.
Emily Harper, 22, is a senior studying secondary education at Ferris State University in Big Rapids, Michigan. She traveled to Pittsburgh with Max Kantar to participate in the G-20 Summit demonstrations. Ms. Harper and Mr. Kantar were observing a demonstration in Schenley Plaza when police issued an order to disperse. They exited the plaza and were approximately a half mile away when, without notice or warning, police officers jumped out of three unmarked white vans and began chasing them down Parkman Street. A police officer grabbed Ms. Harper, pushed her face into the ground, put his boot on her back, and threatened to shoot rubber bullets at her without justification in violation of her rights under the Fourth Amendment to the United States Constitution. Police then illegally detained, arrested, and jailed her. Melissa Hill, 31, is a resident of Minneapolis, Minnesota, who traveled to Pittsburgh in September 2009 with the organization Twin Cities Indymedia to video-record events during the G-20 Summit. Ms. Hill was video-recording a demonstration in Schenley Plaza when police issued an order to disperse. She had exited the plaza and was attempting to comply with the order when police surrounded her and at least fifty other people on the Cathedral of Learning lawn, closed off all avenues of exit, and illegally detained, arrested, and jailed her. (Watch Melissa tell her story)
Michael Jehn, 29, works in the facilities department of the Carnegie Mellon University Software Engineering Institute. Mr. Jehn was standing on the southeast corner of the Cathedral of Learning lawn, observing a demonstration being held across the street in Schenley Plaza, when police surrounded him and at least fifty other people on the Cathedral of Learning lawn, closed off all avenues of exit, and illegally detained, arrested, and jailed him. Tom Judd, 25, works as a hotline counselor for an abortion-rights organization in Washington, D.C. He graduated from Hobart and William Smith College with a BA in religious studies in 2007. Mr. Judd traveled to Pittsburgh from Rhode Island to participate in G-20 Summit demonstrations. Mr. Judd was demonstrating in Schenley Plaza when police issued an order to disperse. He had exited the plaza and was attempting to comply with the order when police surrounded him and at least fifty other people on the lawn of the Cathedral of Learning, closed off all avenues of exit, and illegally detained, arrested, and jailed him. (Watch Tom tell his story)
Max Kantar, 23, is a resident of Big Rapids, Michigan, who traveled to Pittsburgh to participate in G-20 Summit demonstrations. Ms. Harper and Mr. Kantar were observing a demonstration in Schenley Plaza when police issued an order to disperse. They exited the plaza and were approximately a half mile away when, without notice or warning, police officers jumped out of three unmarked white vans and began chasing them down Parkman Street. Police officers grabbed him, tackled him, pushed his face into the ground, pulled his hair, punched him several times in the head, and hit him with a baton without justification. Police then illegally detained, arrested, and jailed him. Kyle Kramer, 22, graduated from the University of Pittsburgh with a bachelor's degree in English writing in May. Mr. Kramer was walking on Forbes Avenue after eating dinner at a South Oakland restaurant when, without notice, warning, or justification, police officers grabbed his arms, kicked his knees, and illegally detained, arrested, and jailed him. A video posted on YouTube shows Mr. Kramer being forced to pose for a "trophy photo" with what appears to be about fifteen Chicago police officers.
Gianni Label, 22, is a senior studying studio art and architecture at the University of Pittsburgh. Ms. Label attended a concert sponsored by public radio station WYEP at Schenley Plaza. Following the concert, she remained in the plaza where she was observing a demonstration when police issued an order to disperse. She had exited the plaza and was attempting to comply with the order when police surrounded her and at least fifty other people on the Cathedral of Learning lawn, closed off all avenues of exit, and illegally detained, arrested, and jailed her.
Jason Munley, 32, works in home remodeling and construction. While traveling west on 5th Avenue on his foot scooter, Mr. Munley displayed his middle finger to a line of police officers blocking the entrance to South Bellefield Avenue. A half block later, five or six police officers jumped out from behind a parked car and ordered him to stop, turn around, and drop the scooter. After Mr. Munley complied, police officers shot him in the back at least ten times with pepper balls, which are similar to paint balls filled with pepper spray, causing huge welts to form on his back and causing pepper spray to infect his eyes. Later, police cut off his pepper spray-soaked shirt, leaving him to spend the night shirtless in detention, including time spent during the night in an outdoor courtyard at SCI-Pittsburgh in the rain. Joanne Ong, 20, is a junior studying design at Carnegie Mellon University. Ms. Ong attended a concert in Schenley Plaza sponsored by public radio station WYEP. Following the concert and dinner at a nearby café, she returned to the plaza, where she was standing when police issued an order to disperse. She had exited the plaza and was attempting to comply with the order when police surrounded her and at least fifty other people on the Cathedral of Learning lawn, closed off all avenues of exit, and illegally detained, arrested, and jailed her. Jocelyn Petyak, 22, is a graduate student studying library science at the University of Texas at Austin. Ms. Petyak was demonstrating in Schenley Plaza when police issued an order to disperse. She had exited the plaza and was attempting to comply with the order when police surrounded her on the Cathedral of Learning lawn, closed off all avenues of exit, and illegally detained, arrested, and jailed her. Julie Pittman, 21, is a junior studying sociology at Brown University in Providence, RI. She traveled to Pittsburgh with a group of medics from the northeast to provide first aid to protestors during the G-20 Summit. Ms. Pittman attended the Schenley Plaza demonstration to provide first aid to demonstrators. She was standing in the plaza when police issued an order to disperse. She had exited the plaza and was attempting to comply with the order when police surrounded her and at least fifty other people on the Cathedral of Learning lawn, closed off all avenues of exit, and illegally detained, arrested, and jailed her.
Jordan Romanus, 23, is a union organizer. At the time, Mr. Romanus was a senior studying philosophy and political science at the University of Pittsburgh. Mr. Romanus was demonstrating in Schenley Plaza when police issued an order to disperse. He had exited the plaza and was attempting to comply with the order when police surrounded him and at least fifty other people on the Cathedral of Learning lawn, closed off all avenues of exit, and illegally detained, arrested, and jailed him. John Salguero, 19, is a sophomore studying bio informatics at the University of Pittsburgh. Mr. Salguero was sitting on a planter at De Soto Street near 5th Avenue sending a text message when, without notice, warning, or justification, a police officer approached him and sprayed him in the face with pepper spray, temporarily blinding him and inflicting a great deal of pain. Police placed Mr. Salguero on the curb next to other arrestees and poured water on his face. The water caused the pepper spray to come into contact with his genitals, causing him severe burning pain. When Mr. Salguero complained about the pain, police officers laughed and called him "balls on fire." He was handcuffed and transported to SCI-Pittsburgh, where he was allowed to remove his clothes and take a shower. While he showered, officers recorded him with a video camera. When Mr. Salguero objected, he was threatened with being pepper-sprayed again. Tim Sallinger, 22, is a resident of Chicago, Illinois, who traveled to Pittsburgh to participate in the G-20 Summit demonstrations. At the time he was a senior studying journalism at Ohio University. Mr. Sallinger was observing the demonstration in Schenley Plaza when police issued an order to disperse. He had exited the plaza and was attempting to comply with the order when police surrounded him and at least fifty other people on the lawn of the Cathedral of Learning, closed off all avenues of exit, and illegally detained, arrested, and jailed him.
Peter Shell, 47, is an I.T. project manager, computer programmer, and co-chair of the Thomas Merton Center Antiwar Committee, which organized the Friday afternoon mass march from Oakland to the North Side via Downtown called the People's March. Mr. Shell had gone to Schenley Plaza to attend a concert sponsored by the WYEP radio station. Although he arrived after the concert had ended, he stayed in the plaza to observe the demonstration and to conduct interviews with the media about the G-20 demonstrations. He was standing in the plaza when police issued an order to disperse. He had exited the plaza and was attempting to comply with the order when police surrounded him and at least fifty other people on the lawn of the Cathedral of Learning, closed off all avenues of exit, and illegally detained, arrested, and jailed him. (Watch Peter tell his story) Maureen Smith, 21, works at a Pittsburgh restaurant. At the time she was a student at the University of Pittsburgh. Ms. Smith attended a concert sponsored by WYEP at Schenley Plaza. Following the concert, she remained in the plaza where she was observing a demonstration when police issued an order to disperse. She had exited the plaza and was attempting to comply with the order when police surrounded her and at least fifty other people on the Cathedral of Learning lawn, closed off all avenues of exit, and illegally detained, arrested, and jailed her.
Ben Tabas, 20, is a junior studying film studies, philosophy, and poetry at the University of Pittsburgh. Mr. Tabas was video-recording the demonstration in Schenley Plaza when police issued an order to disperse. He had exited the plaza and was attempting to comply with the order when police surrounded him and at least fifty other people on the Cathedral of Learning lawn, closed off all avenues of exit, and illegally detained, arrested, and jailed him. Mr. Tabas has Type I diabetes and takes a long-acting form of insulin once a day at approximately 11:30 p.m. He had not yet taken his medication when he was arrested but had it with him in his messenger bag. Police officers refused to allow Mr. Tabas to administer his medication or take it with him on the bus even though he showed officers his driver's license and medical alert card. As a consequence, his blood sugar spiked dangerously while he was in policy custody, ultimately requiring a nurse at SCI-Pittsburgh to administer regular insulin to him to prevent organ damage. William Tuttle, 22, is a senior studying engineering at the University of Pittsburgh. Mr. Tuttle was demonstrating in Schenley Plaza when police issued an order to disperse. He had exited the plaza and was attempting to comply with the order when police surrounded him and at least fifty other people on the Cathedral of Learning lawn, closed off all avenues of exit, and illegally detained, arrested, and jailed him. |
