After two long days of G-20 protest coverage, I was mentally depleted. But as the situation escalated in Oakland last night, I felt like I had no choice but to check it out. I was receiving texts and phone calls from several reporters we had at the scene. It sounded as though there was going to be a mass police action against the protesters gathered at Schenley Plaza.
When I arrived, there were more riot police in one place than I had seen all week. They had already forced the protesters out of Schenley Plaza and onto Forbes Avenue. They kept lining up officers, pushing us further and further up Forbes until a van sped up from the Craig Street direction. Another group of riot cops got out of the van and aggressively kept the crowd from moving in any direction other than onto the Cathedral of Learning lawn. Until then, I was with Post-Gazette reporter Sadie Gurman. As the police cornered us, I realized for the first time during this summit that I didn't have an out other than going through the police line. While journalists are usually not targets for police during these riots, we still aren't afforded any special legal protection. I turned to see that I had lost Sadie. I figured I was either going to get out, or be arrested right there and then. I slowly walked at the officers, hands raised, yelling "I'm press! I just want out!"
They let me through their lines. I sighed relief.
As they encircled the Cathedral lawn, I made my way to Fifth Avenue. As I walked, I noticed two men supporting a third man, carrying him to a set of concrete steps on Fifth. As I got closer, I realized the three were friends of mine. Pittsburgh Tribune-Review photographers Justin Merriman and Andrew Russell were aiding Tribune-Review photographer Guy Wathen after he had been maced on the lawn.
After they set him down, they poured water over his face and put saline solution into his eyes, but to no avail. Wathen had been trapped on the lawn with Merriman and Russell, trying to walk away from police when an officer maced him. He was almost completely incapacitated. After five minutes, it became clear the water wasn't helping, and the Trib photographers again helped Wathen move to a car to be taken to the hospital.
After they drove off, I was stuck rather far away from any of the things I'd have wanted to photograph. The police weren't letting anyone by, and anyone that got close was likely to have a smoke grenade lobbed at them. Emotionally drained, I tried to call Sadie to see if she had gotten out, but the phone call went to her voicemail. I called another reporter we had at the scene, Moriah Balingit, and realized neither of us knew where Sadie was.
She had been arrested.
I left the scene emotionally exhausted.
Posted
Sep 26 2009, 06:25 PM
by
Michael Henninger