Originally posted by stevegmu
reply to post by SyphonX

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I'm pretty sure the residents of Pittsburg are happy their city wasn't destroyed by the 'protestors.'

Pittsburgh public safety officials say 83 people were arrested at protests and other events during the Group of 20 summit and about $50,000 in property damage was done.
Police say a man who smashed windows at a Citizens Bank branch in the city's Oakland section was responsible for $20,000 in damage.

Amid protesters chanting “this is what a police state looks like” while swiveling hula hoops on their hips, business owners in Pittsburgh's Oakland neighborhood were out Friday, assessing the damage caused by an outbreak of rioting G-20 protesters Thursday night.

A stretch of Forbes Avenue from Oakland Avenue to Atwood Street saw at least a half dozen storefront windows broken, most belonging to the type of big, corporate, chain retail considered prime targets by protest groups opposed to the global capitalist system. They included McDonald’s, American Apparel, FedEx, Subway, Panera and Rite Aid, among others.

Georgia Petropoulos, executive director of the Oakland Business Improvement District, said there was more damage than she expected given the fact that the neighborhood prepared as much as it could and that the police had a major presence to protect it.

“We didn’t anticipate this many,” she said. “We really didn’t.”

The biggest surprise to her was that it wasn’t just national chains that got hit but local independents and franchise operators.

That includes the popular Forbes Avenue location of Pamela’s Diner and the Irish Design Center, a local independent business on Craig Street for 30 years. Petropoulos felt badly for the owners of Subway and Quiznos, two sub shops hit that are part of national chains but operated by local franchisees that are otherwise independent businesses.

“They’re franchisees that pay to have a name,” she said. “They’re not sitting on a corporate board of directors eating big profits.”

She said the tactics of the protesters who caused the damage made them difficult to stop because they wielded hammers and moved quickly to punch out windows before disappearing back into the crowd.

The expense that comes from replacing windows remains to be seen. But the Quiznos on Craig Street, which saw virtually all of its windows broken, noted in a sign on its door that its insurance doesn’t cover damage from riots.

“Please forgive the mess caused by the 'Peace Loving' 'Save the Earth' G20 Summit Protesters,” the sign said. “Even with broken windows, Quiznos Food is still the best!”

Many businesses quickly moved to replace their broken windows, keeping area glass companies busy. Dan Budari of Steel City Glass Inc. said business started around midnight, first boarding up damaged storefronts and then returning later in the morning with replacement glass.

Petropoulos said she was proud of the businesses for staying open, soldiering on despite the prospect of more damage today.

Six protest events, all which have city permits and are expected to be peaceful, are scheduled for Friday in Oakland, she said.

“We’re telling our business owners to stay alert," she said. "You should stay alert for the whole day. You should stay alert until tomorrow morning."

It’s a lesson that won’t be lost on Paul Carey, owner of the Irish Design Center. Carey had to return to his business and clean up the damage of his broken window last night, working until 1 a.m.

“We’re right there with the symbols of corporate capitalism,” he said with wry sarcasm, “a sole proprietor who cleans his own windows.”

Damage report

In all, Pittsburgh police documented 19 areas where "damage and civil disturbance" occurred Thursday:

PNC Bank at Liberty Avenue and Matilda Street, Bloomfield, broken glass door
Fidelity Bank at Morewood and Centre avenues, Shadyside, broken glass panes
P&W BMW Auto Showroom on Baum Boulevard, Bloomfield, broken window pane
Boston Market Restaurant on Baum Boulevard, Shadyside, 10 broken window panes
KFC on Baum Boulevard, Bloomfield, broken window pane
Pamela’s Diner on Forbes Avenue, Oakland, broken windows
Quizno’s Subs on Craig Street, Oakland, broken windows
Irish Design Center on Craig Street, Oakland, broken windows
PNC Bank on Craig Street, Oakland, broken windows
BNY Mellon on Craig Street, Oakland, broken windows
Citizens Bank on Craig Street, Oakland, broken windows
Fidelity Bank on Morewood and Centre avenues, Shadyside, broken windows/drive-thru
Panera Bread on Forbes Avenue, Oakland, broken windows
McDonalds on Forbes Avenue, Oakland, broken windows
Bruegger's Bagels on Forbes Avenue, Oakland, broken windows
Subway on Forbes Avenue, Oakland, broken windows
Rite Aid on Forbes Avenue, Oakland, broken windows
FedEx on Forbes Avenue, Oakland, broken windows
H&R Block on Atwood Street, Oakland, broken windows

Originally posted by stevegmu
reply to post by SyphonX

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People should have known well in advance not to go downtown, which is why most businesses were closed. You mean the girl who attacked the police?
Just a bank was damaged?

Originally posted by stevegmu
reply to post by SyphonX

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I saw a video of a girl going up to a police and trying to hit him. You think that's OK? She should have been arrested.

Originally posted by stevegmu
reply to post by SyphonX

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I saw a video of a girl going up to a police and trying to hit him. You think that's OK? She should have been arrested.