PITTSBURGH, July 29 (UPI) -- Protesters set to demonstrate at September's Group of 20 meeting in Pittsburgh say it's up to police to dictate how much violence there will be.
Some of the groups attending a three-hour hearing organized Tuesday by the city's Citizens Police Review Board said it is police overreactions, rather than actions by demonstrators, that most frequently trigger violence at the worldwide economic summits, The Pittsburgh Tribune-Review reported.
"It's the police and the state who are the biggest arbiters of violence at these events -- not us," the newspaper quoted David Meieran, a self-described anarchist, as saying at the meeting. Other speakers reportedly urged that police not wear riot gear, saying it incites violent clashes.
Pittsburgh Public Safety Director Michael Huss did not attend the session although he was invited, the Tribune-Review said.
"The mayor has stressed that he wants to meet with some of these groups prior to G20, along with myself and the police," he later told the newspaper. "We want to provide venues for peaceful protests, within the parameters of whatever security restrictions the federal government places on us."
